Belgium to host first European Gravel Championships

On October 1, the municipality of Oud-Heverlee (Flanders) in Belgium will host the first edition of the European Gravel Championships. The event will take place  one week before the second UCI Gravel World Championships in Veneto, Italy.

Golazo, the organizer behind the first gravel worlds, will also produce the inaugural European championship.

The last two years have seen a rise in interest in gravel in Europe, with countries like the Netherlands hosting a gravel national championship in 2021 and the Nordic nations to host a regional championship this summer.

“Gravel is a discipline which has significantly grown over the last few years both in terms of the number of practitioners and media coverage,” said Enrico Della Casa, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme. “It attracts all age groups and all types of cyclists, from professionals to keen enthusiasts. Today cycling in all its forms is becoming even more varied and this is very positive because it draws people with different skills and passions closer to the bike.

“The UEC has always been very attentive and open to new forms, and this is why we wanted this speciality to have its own European Championships, and for this grand premiere, there could be no better place than Oud-Heverlee, in spite of the different bids from various countries. That also makes us look with great optimism to the future of this event, especially for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 editions, for which we have already started talks and meetings and which are currently at a very advanced stage.”

According to the UEC, details on the Elite and Masters men’s and women’s categories will be revealed in the next few days.