Gravel World Championships in Nice cancelled - 8 months to go and UCI in a rush to find a new host city
Gravel
Not the best of weeks for World Championships organizers in cycling. Whilst the Rwanda Road worlds are at high risk of being cancelled due to the conflict the nation is involved in; the Gravel World Championships in Nice have officially been cancelled and there will be a new location.
The news comes as a large surprise, as the French city had long been announced as the host of this event, and this past summer hosted none other than the finale of the Tour de France - proving it's ability to host a massive cycling event, and also that the interest exists.
With many pro riders living in the area of Nice and Monaco, including many of the world's best and in that list Tadej Pogacar being included, it promised to be an interesting race where we could even see a few surprising faces. However that isn't to be.
"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships will not take place as planned in Nice (France) on 18 October," the UCI announced this afternoon.
"The UCI and the City of Nice acknowledged the difficulties of organizing the event in the capital of the French Riviera on that date, and in view of various constraints, technical and regarding the calendar, it was mutually agreed not to organize the 4th edition of the UCI worlds for gravel in Nice," the statement continued.
There are still 10 months left for the event to take place, however it certainly comes as a big obstacle. Logistically speaking, organizing an event of this magnitude is something that is years in the making, and most likely there will now be talks with the other cities that would've applied. "The UCI is currently studying various options to find a new organizer and a new venue. These, along with the date for the event, will be announced as soon as possible".
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The 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships will not take place in Nice - https://t.co/MiIdYhTiDT pic.twitter.com/wu9hTkdR5w
— UCI_media (@UCI_media) February 25, 2025
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