Gravel professionals heading to the Gravel World Championships this weekend have had to pay their own way, while others have had to pay for their own national kit.
The creation of the UCI Gravel World Championships, and the accompanying season-long World Series in 2022, gave the once maverick discipline a more mainstream home, but many national federations are leaving riders unsupported for the first Championships outside Europe, which take place this weekend in Nannup, Western Australia.
With qualification largely coming through finishing positions in World Series events, the national teams are not strictly selected by federations, though the national bodies are able to nominate 10 riders to represent their countries, and national champions receive an automatic entry. However, even those riders selected by their nation are often going unsupported.
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Defending men’s world champion Florian Vermeersch, who rides on the road for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, is one of those affected. “It is a trip I have to organise myself. There is no support from the cycling federation.” Sporza reported the Belgian as saying. “I race there for the national team. I’m just happy that my [road] team gives me the time and space to do this. I get equipment from my team and I pay for the flights myself, but I am willing to make that investment.”
Last year British Cycling took over running its National Gravel Championships from RedOn Sports, hinting to the country’s elite athletes that they were taking gravel more seriously. But no support is forthcoming this year, with riders like Maddy Nutt funding and supporting their own trips to Australia.
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Riders paying for national kit
Cyclingnews understands that not only are British riders having to pay for travel and accommodation, they’re having to pay £60 for a jersey or £120 for a race suit, kit they are required to wear during the race. While that isn’t a fortune, it’s significant given many gravel elites are privateers, especially when they’re paying for their travel and accommodation.
Riding for Ribble Outliers, Sophie Wright counts the British gravel title among her 2026 successes, but has paid for a large proportion of the trip herself, with her race kit on top of that.
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“I think it’s a bit odd for us to have to buy our own kit from our national federation to represent our country. Especially as an elite professional rider, British champion, it would be nice for BC to offer some level of support,” she told Cyclingnews.
Compatriot Maddy Nutt has ridden every edition of the Gravel Worlds to date and is a pure privateer, funding the trip to Western Australia from the sponsorship money she lives off.
“What if someone did podium and they were in the wrong kit, it wouldn’t look great for British Cycling and their sponsors. I think they’d even be at risk of disqualification, but at the same time, should it then be the athletes’ responsibility to pay for kit in order to prevent any poor reflection on BC?
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“I could wear kit from two years ago, but then in the photos on my social media I won’t be wearing the correct GB kit. I think it’s important that I’m in the right kit, but I don’t think it’s my responsibility to finance that.”
While the calendar clash with the final round of the Life Time Grand Prix is to blame for the absence of some North American based riders, cost and a lack of support from USA Cycling was certainly a contributing factor for others.
“Part of the reason I am not going is because of the conflicting races, but another part is the cost to go to Australia,” said US gravel champion Cobe Freeburn. “It would have been very expensive and I would not have gotten any support from either USA Cycling or from Trek. I’m not surprised that only three US men are making the trip with the conflicting dates and the lack of support.”
Geerike Schreurs will wear used national team kit in Nannup (Image credit: @GravelEarthSeries | @OregonTrailGravel)
In Marianne Vos and Geerike Schreurs, the Dutch have two contenders for the title and are sending staff to support them, but while they are providing their riders with accommodation, they have to pay their own way to Australia, though Schreurs will be travelling with her Specialized Off-Road trade team.
“We get really good support from Specialized Off-Road, so for us riders it’s actually just like normal travel to a race. So it’s pretty easy,” she said. However, while clothing isn’t the issue it is for the British riders, the Dutch federation is providing used kit.
“They provide the clothing, but you have to give it back afterwards, then they use it for the next thing. So I try not to think about it too much that someone else has been wearing that kit!”
Both the Belgian and British federations make a distinction between Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines when providing support to riders attending World Championships.
“As a non-Olympic discipline, the funding and resources available to support gravel differ from those available in some other areas of the sport,” a British Cycling spokesperson told Cyclingnews. “We remain committed to supporting the growth of gravel and will continue to explore the opportunities and resources available to support future editions of the event as the discipline develops.”
For their part, USA Cycling’s Selection Criteria document makes it clear there is no support: “FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY – Athletes who receive automatic invitations from the UCI or are nominated by the USA Cycling Athlete Discretionary Selection procedures are responsible for their own expense associated with this event. USA Cycling will not assume financial responsibility for any athletes.”
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