"Someone like Van der Poel or Van Aert is of course also world class" - Gravel World Championships organizer happy with race's coverage

The Gravel World Championships in Veneto take place this weekend and it will host a whole array of quality pro riders. From current world-class pros, former retired road riders and specialists on the discipline, the racing in the area will allow for an exciting spectacle where many riders will also enjoy and help the development of gravel racing.

"It will still be a success. There are absolute top rider at the start, of which Wout van Aert is one of them. Gravel is absolutely booming," Erwin Vervecken, race organizer, told In de Leiderstrui. "Last year there was some criticism of the course: that it was too much of a road race, too flat and not enough of a challenge. This year there is a lot more climbing meters and gravel, so it really is a typical gravel competition. That's why there are some top riders from America who were not there last year. This will also give it the international reputation it deserves.”

Gianni Vermeersch took the world title last year, with Mathieu van der Poel and Peter Sagan among the headliners for a packed event. Into this year, the race features another heavy packed startlist filled with stars, all riders who voluntarily joined the race and - in the same weekend as Il Lombardia - put the race up high on the priority list for spectators. The race organizer is quite happy with how the event has developed, and the potential that it carries into it's upcoming years.

"Someone like Van der Poel or Van Aert is of course also world class, put them in hundredth position and they will also participate. If Mathieu, Sagan and Van Avermaet had not been at the start last year, there would have been no live TV broadcast," he says. With an array of stars at the start line, it will surely be a very popular event once again with a set of rainbow stripes to attribute.