"Gravel needs that buzz. but UCI fails to create level playing field" - Gravel rider Nathan Haas on why US gravel pros decline to start at the World Championships
Gravel
The 2024 gravel World Championships come quickly after their road counterpart this year. With road stars such as Mathieu van der Poel, Lotte Kopecky and defending champion Matej Mohoric at the start, the cycling fans are up for a treat. And while many road pros take on the gravel, many specialists from overseas have turned down the option to start in Belgium. In his Cyclingnews blog, ex-road pro and now gravel rider Nathan Haas from Australia tries to see the situation from both banks of the river.
To begin with, Haas stresses out that having Worlds in such cycling-crazed nation as Belgium is a privilege. "Belgium is inarguably the hub of cycling, no other nation loves cycling like Belgium, and the vibe at the Flanders Road World Championships in 2021 was wild. Gravel needs that buzz, that's the whole reason to race/ride/live for in gravel. So Belgium hits the sweet spot right there."
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The first gravel World Championships received such a warm reception from the fans... What went wrong in 2024 that the public is so polarized about the route that features a bit of everything, including cobbles, city roads and various gravel sectors? Haas doesn't really see the reason.
"I think the bigger issue/consideration is the fact that the course needs to fit so many people," Haas points out to the 300 competitors, all with ambition to win. Many overseas gravel purists downplay the 50% road course in Belgium as "disgrace to USA gravel" but Haas comes to defend the designers. "The course it seems has been designed to be fun, challenging, but open enough to have space to ride through the group without being stuck in the back of a long, long line."
"It isn't because of the course though, or a lack of federation support, it's because of a lack of voice we have to be on a level playing field. The start box arrangement is based on a combination of points: from UCI gravel races, 50% road race points, 50% MTB disciplines, 50% CX points and any points from the previous year's world championships. It's literally impossible for a dedicated gravel rider to match even 50% of the UCI points from a road season."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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