This weekend, all eyes of the international sporting world will be on the Forests of Brabant. The brand-new national park is hosting the Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships on Saturday and Sunday. Just about all the big names that matter in gravel will be at the start in Halle and will have a beautiful course to tackle finishing in Leuven. There are plenty of fan zones for supporters at the edge of the forest and at the start and finish.
The first two editions of the UCI Gravel World Championships took place in Italy; this time Flanders in Belgium has the honour of hosting the battle for the rainbow jerseys. Flanders, Flemish Brabant, the Forests of Brabant, Halle, Leuven and Golazo have joined forces and are ready to welcome riders, entourage and supporters.
“The Gravel World Championships allow us to bring another international sports event to Flanders”, said the Flemish Minister for Sport. “Flanders is the cradle of cycling, and this kind of top sports event helps to strengthen Flanders’ image abroad. In addition, we inspire the people of Flanders to exercise more, because seeing sport makes you do sport.”
Flemish Minister for Tourism: “Exercising and experiencing nature are each other’s allies. Here in Flanders, they go hand in hand. No better way to put our beautiful nature in the spotlight and to celebrate our primal Flemish cycling heritage than with these Gravel World Championships. People from all over the world can get to know our love of cycling, our beautiful nature in the Forests of Brabant National Park… and of course beer culture.”
“Flemish Brabant is the gravel Walhalla of Flanders”, says Gunther Coppens, Deputy of the Province of Flemish Brabant. “You will find tough gravel tracks through the most beautiful forests and landscapes here. You can relive your adventures afterwards in authentic bike cafés and bike-friendly accommodation. Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant has developed various routes for gravel lovers, including the Gravel World Championships route. For that purpose, we have created a bicycle frame sticker showing the prettiest and tastiest stops along the way. Perfect for discovering the World Championships course for yourself.”
Mayor of Leuven: “World Championships belong in a city like Leuven. We are delighted – after the fantastic 2021 Road World Championships and the World Breaking Championship in 2023 – to now host the Gravel World Championships. The Gravel World Championships will not only help put our city on the map but will also shine a light on the nature around Leuven and in the region. We look forward to making it a great sporty cycling party together.”
FROM HALLE TO LEUVEN
The starting arch for all races is in Halle. After a local lap and a new stretch through Halle, it’s off to Hallerbos. This is the start of a long stretch straight through the Forests of Brabant. The new National Park (officially recognised in October 2023) links the Hallerbos, Sonian Forest, Dyle Valley and Meerdaal forest, and that is exactly the route the riders will follow. The unpaved gravel roads, giant trees and tough hills will offer a challenging course.
Depending on the category, the riders will complete one or two laps in Leuven at the end of the race. The loop going from Leuven into the Meerdaal forest to Oud-Heverlee is very similar to the loop that formed the core of last year’s European and Belgian Gravel Championships. This time round, it runs right into Leuven city, where the cobblestones of the Ramberg and the final gravel strip in the city park, barely a kilometre from the finish, are the final deciders. The finish line is at the end of Bondgenotenlaan, right in front of the railway station.
The Women Elite will ride a course of 135 km with one local loop and two stretches through Leuven city centre, on Saturday. They are scheduled to finish around 3.30pm. The women in all other categories and the men in the over-50 age categories will also start in Halle shortly after noon on Saturday. The Men Elite will ride 182 km making the local loop between Leuven and Oud-Heverlee twice. The winner will be expected around 4.30pm. The men in the other categories start immediately after the Elite.
Immediately after the finish, the podium ceremony will take place on Martelarenplein, just in front of the train station. Afterwards, the winners and other top riders will also be honoured on the big stage in the fan zone on Ladeuzeplein. This will culminate in an afterparty with Laurens ten Dam and Stefan Bolt as hosts.
MORE BIG NAMES
The field of participants already looked impressive, but in both the men’s and women’s elite, another big name has been added. Mathieu van der Poel adds one more race after the Road World Championships where he won bronze: the Gravel World Championships. Thanks to his top form and off-road skills, the UCI Cyclocross World Champion is immediately among the contenders for the title. In the women’s race, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot from France will appear at the start. She is a 15-time World Champion in no fewer than four different cycling disciplines (road, cyclocross, MTB and gravel) and also took gold in mountain biking at the Paris Olympics.
In addition to MVDP and Ferrand-Prévot, there is a whole bunch of reigning champions in different cycling disciplines at the start. Among the men, the defending UCI Gravel World Champion Matej Mohoric (SLO), European Gravel Champion Jasper Stuyven (BEL), Belgian Champion and former UCI Gravel World Champion Gianni Vermeersch, European Road Champion Tim Merlier (BEL), European Cyclocross Champion Michael Vanthourenhout (BEL), Belgian Cyclocross Champion Eli Iserbyt and Dutch Champion and UCI Vice World Cyclocross Champion Joris Nieuwenhuis. Among the women, UCI Road World Champion Lotte Kopecky (BEL), European Gravel and Road Champion Lorena Wiebes (NED), UCI Cyclocross World Champion Fem van Empel (NED), UCI Mountainbike World Champion Puck Pieterse (NED).
The list of ‘names to look out for’ has become even longer: Tiesj Benoot (BEL), Gianni Vermeersch (BEL), Florian Vermeersch (BEL), Quinten Hermans (BEL), Toon Aerts (BEL), Frans Claes (BEL), Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), Jan Bakelants (BEL), Laurens Ten Dam (NED), Petr Vakoc (CZE), former World and Olympic Mountainbike Champion Jaroslav Kulhavý (CZE), Mattia De Marchi (ITA) and Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas (FIN). And among the women, former UCI Cyclocross World Champions Sanne Cant (BEL), Lucinda Brand (NED) and Marianne Vos (NED), who’s also the Paris Olympics Road Silver Medallist. There’s also Tiffany Cromwell (AUS), last year’s winner in Oud-Heverlee, Silvia Persico (ITA), Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA), Carolin Schiff (GER) and Alison Jackson (CAN), winner of Paris-Roubaix 2023.
A CYCLING DISCIPLINE CLOSE TO NATURE
Organiser Golazo, Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos and Amazon, partner of the 2024 Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships, do all they can to minimise the footprint of riders, entourage and supporters. The course has been designed to have minimal impact on the most vulnerable nature. The size of the support caravan is strictly limited, fan zones are located on the outskirts or outside of the forests. Some areas in the forests are closed to supporters.
“Protecting nature and allowing people to enjoy it, that is one of our greatest challenges at Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos,” said Administrator-General Goedele Van der Spiegel. “Thanks to a smooth cooperation with the organisers, this has been achieved during the Gravel World Championships. The riders will be faced with a challenging course in the Forests of Brabant National Park and cycling fans can visit the fan zones, such as the Torenvalk, all of which are outside the most vulnerable nature areas.”
In start city Halle, there will be a big fan zone on Possozplein with food and drink stands and a big screen, so you can follow the the race and don’t miss the finish in Leuven. In Leuven itself, there will be large fan zones on Martelarenplein, Ladeuzeplein & Hooverplein, with a gravel expo and an after-party. In addition, there are plenty of local fan zones and ‘viewing areas’ (some also offering drink and food stands or TV broadcasting): Boon Brewery (Halle), Pelotonneke Druivenstreek (Tervuren), The Shelter (Bertem), De Speelberg (Sint-Joris-Weert), De Zoete Waters (Oud-Heverlee) and gateway de Torenvalk (Blanden) which is the most easily accessible.
ACCESSIBILITY
Both Halle and Leuven – and the fan zones in both cities – are very easy to reach by train. Once in town, you can easily reach the passage of the riders and the fan zones on foot. So, for all those coming from further afield, the train or other public transport is by far the best option. Those who live closer should opt to come by bike. For more information on mobility, click here. The spectators guide contains lots of other useful information.
FUN RIDE
Not qualified or want to explore the 2024 Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships course at your own pace? On Sunday morning, you can join the Fun Ride and discover the local circuit in Leuven (50 km), just before the Men Elite pass. Complete the day and enjoy the fan zone after your gravel ride on Ladeuzeplein & Hooverplein.
LIVE ON TV
Both competitions will be live on TV. For organiser Golazo it was obvious that the women’s elite race should also be broadcast live. Thanks to the support of Nationale Loterij players, women’s cycling and women’s sport in general have become a priority, and all viewers in Flanders can watch the elite women battle it out on VRT/Sporza and in Wallonia on Pickx+ sports on Saturday from 2.15pm. On Sunday, both channels will broadcast the men, also from 2.15pm. Abroad, it will all be on digital channels like HBO Max and Eurosport2.
PRACTICAL INFO 2024 BOLERO UCI GRAVEL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Programme Saturday 5 October 2024:
• 12pm: Start Women Elite
• 12.15pm: Start Men Age Groups 50 – 54
• 12.17pm: Start Men Age Groups 55 – 59
• 12.19pm: Start Men Age Groups 60 – 64
• 12.20pm: Start Women Age Groups 19 – 34
• 12.21pm: Start Women Age Groups 35 – 39
• 12.22pm: Start Women Age Groups 40 – 44
• 12.23pm: Start Women Age Groups 45 – 49
• 12.24pm: Start Men Age Groups + 65
• 12.25pm: Start Women Age Groups + 50
Programme Sunday 6 October 2024:
• 12pm: Start Men Elite
• 12.05pm: Start Men Age Groups 19 – 34
• 12.07pm: Start Men Age Groups 35 – 39
• 12.09pm: Start Men Age Groups 40 – 44
• 12.11pm: Start Men Age Groups 45 – 49
Start:
• Possozplein, Halle
Finish:
• Martelarenplein, Leuven
