The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and its partner Golazo have announced the 2022 calendar of a new mass-participation UCI Gravel World Series. Two events are being held in the USA.
The Trek UCI Gravel World Series will give participants a chance to qualify for the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships to be held in the European autumn. The date and venue of the first UCI Gravel World Championships will be announced in the coming weeks.
‘Originating in the US Midwest some 15 years ago, gravel has grown in popularity and is now booming worldwide. Popular with riders seeking new challenges, it combines elements of road and mountain bike, and takes place mainly on unsealed roads (gravel, forest tracks, farm roads, cobbles, etc).’
American bicycle brand Trek Bikes is the title sponsor of the series for 2022 through 2024.
The concept of the new gravel series is based on that of the existing UCI Gran Fondo World Series where riders can also earn their spot for an annual UCI World Championships.
At each round of the new UCI Gravel World Series, the fastest 25% men and women from each age group will qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships, which will crown the UCI World Champions for each age group.
The only difference with the concept for Gran Fondo is that professional riders may also take part in events of the series and qualify for the discipline’s UCI World Championships.
The UCI adds that it has chosen not to make the regulations too strict in the series’ first years, allowing participants to compete on any type of bike without electrical assistance (e.g. gravel, cyclo-cross, road, mountain bike). Rules will be evaluated in the coming years.
UCI President David Lappartient “I am thrilled that we now have an exciting and rich calendar of gravel events for riders with an adventurous spirit who enjoy cycling on unsealed roads and paths.
“The best among them will earn the right to compete in the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships, the details of which will be released soon. The UCI Gran Fondo World Series is incredibly popular, and I am convinced that this concept will be equally successful for the gravel format.”
2022 Trek UCI Gravel World Series calendar
25 Jun 2022: Highlands Gravel Classic, Fayetteville (USA)
6 Aug 2022: Jingle GX Gravel Race, Amana (USA)
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