UCI Gravel World Championships 2025

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Florian Vermeersch turns silver into gold with dominant solo victory to claim world title in elite men's race / How it unfolded

Belgium's Florian Vermeersch finally turned two silvers into gold at the UCI Gravel World Championships on Sunday, winning the elite men's race solo after animating the tough, attritional race in Limburg and gradually shelling all of his rivals.

The silver medal went to Frits Biesterbos (The Netherlands), who had been with Vermeersch until 19km to go, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't quite close the gap to the Belgian, who had attacked on a late climb. Former gravel world champion Matej Mohorič (Slovenia) took the bronze medal, more than a minute and a half down.

Lorena Wiebes claims elite women's world title with sprint victory for dominant Dutch team / How it unfolded

The Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes sprinted to victory and the rainbow jersey in the elite women's race at the UCI Gravel World Championships, after the chasing group dramatically caught solo leader Shirin van Anrooij in the final 500 metres.

Wiebes outsprinted defending champion and Dutch teammate Marianne Vos to take the win, with Silvia Persico of Italy taking third behind the pair in orange.

UCI Gravel World Championships 2025 overview

The fourth edition of the UCI Gravel World Championships will be held in the Zuid-Limburg region of the Netherlands, October 11-12, 2025.

Riders earn qualification to compete for rainbow jerseys by finishing in the top 25% of respective categories from among a global calendar of 34 stand-alone events in the UCI Gravel World Series races. Elite racers can also gain spots if nominated by their national federations.

There will be 15 different rainbow jerseys on offer in 2025 - two in the elite divisions as well as eight age categories for men and five age categories for women. All the women's categories, including elites, will compete on Saturday, as well as four age groups for men spanning 50-54 to +65 years. Each age group has a staggered start, with the elite women taking the course first at 11:00 a.m. local time, 15 minutes ahead of men 50-54. The elite women are expected to finish at 14:30 on Koningsplein in Maastricht.

Sunday the elite men take the course at 11:45 a.m. local time, five minutes ahead of the men 19-34 age group, followed with three-minute intervals for men 35-39, 40-44 and then 45-49. The elite men's finish is the same as the elite women's, with their race expected to be completed at 16:15 in Maastricht.

The UCI introduced the Gravel World Series and World Championships in 2022, with the first two editions in Italy. An unofficial Gravel Worlds race was born in Nebraska as part of an informal approach in 2010 and now continues as a 241km contest that is part of the Gravel Earth Series, with winners earning a share in a $100,000 prize purse split evenly among elite men and women.

While popular US gravel races, like Gravel Worlds and Unbound Gravel, are typically 200km or longer for both men and women, races in Europe and Australia typically offer shorter courses, which have so far enticed road professionals to add gravel events to their WorldTour seasons and in turn compete at the UCI Gravel Worlds.

Through the first three editions of the UCI Gravel World Championships, current and former WorldTour pros have secured the titles, with Marianne Vos (Netherlands) and Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) winning last year.

Other women's winners included Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) in 2023 and multi-discipline women's talent Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France) in 2022. On the men's side, Matej Mohorič (Slovenia) won in 2023 and Gianni Vermeersch (Belgium) took the first title in 2022.

Join Cyclingnews' coverage of the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships with race reports, results, photo galleries, news and race analysis.

UCI Gravel World Championships 2025 route

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The 2025 distances will be very similar to last year's Gravel World Championships held in Belgium, with the elite women racing 131km and the elite men taking in 180km. Organiser Golazo Sports has designed a loop of approximately 50 kilometres for all competitors to use to begin the race, with elite women making two-and-a-half circuits and the elite men three-and-a-half laps. Once the loops are completed, based on division, there is a final stretch to the finish in Maastricht.

The route includes four climbs, ranging from 500 to 1,500 metres in length, with the toughest section on the final loop towards Maastricht on the Bronsdalweg, where riders face more than one kilometre at an average gradient of 8%, mostly on gravel.

The start for all races will be held at Sportlandgoed De Haamen in Beek. Elite women will ride two-and-a-half circuits, while the elite men will make three-and-a-half circuits, with two additional sections adding some distance after the first loop.

Then after a final pass through Vroenhof on the south end of the circuit, an 11km stretch with two climbs leads to the finish at Koningsplein on the Groene Loper in Maastricht.

Check out the Route page for more information.

UCI Gravel World Championships 2025 Start Lists