Gravel has become popular over in the USA, but this year a new UCI Gravel World Series and the first edition of the UCI-sanctioned Gravel World Championships has seen many new faces emerge in the discipline, and has sparked the interest of many more, including Wout van Aert.
“Maybe I’ll do it in the years to come. But then it would be mostly to have a nice time," van Aert revealed in an interview with Wielerflits. The Belgian is an expert in cyclocross and naturally would be a good fit for the off-road discipline. With the number of opportunities rising in Europe for pro athletes to show their worth in the discipline, the Jumbo-Visma rider has admitted that he's considering it in the future.
“I watched the last edition on TV and thought it was nice to see. The [UCI] gravel worlds is organized quite late in the road season. On the other hand, I think this title fight is less stressful than the other big goals in the year," he argued.
There are many questions over van Aert's 2023 calendar, but he has revealed in a recent interview that he will likely aim for the cyclocross World Championships, then the spring classics (prioritizing Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix), and then do the Tour de France and road World Championships combination in July and August. It will be a packed season, after an already packed 2022 where van Aert's quality and versatility sees him in action all year round and in all types of races.
“I know that the [UCI] gravel worlds will be held again in Italy next year and in Belgium the following year,” he said, regarding the recently announced 2024 Worlds which will take place in Leuven. “It’s a beautiful sport. I was positively surprised how much attention this worlds received. I think the gravel worlds has a great future.”
In 2022, cyclocross rival Gianni Vermeersch took the win in the Gravel World Championships, whilst Daniel Oss rode to second place and his arch-rival Mathieu van der Poel rode into the bronze medal.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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