UCI Gravel World Championships 2025 – Limburg Awaits

Words by James Ion Photography provided by Unsplash and Nicola Frain

The 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships roll into South Limburg this weekend, taking the sport to the Netherlands’ hilliest province. Maastricht will host the finish, while the region’s rolling farmland, vineyard climbs, and woodland trails will set the stage for two days of racing that promise both spectacle and controversy. Because let’s be honest — while gravel’s roots lie in long, punishing, self-supported adventures, this UCI version looks a little different. Smooth surfaces, short laps, national teams. It’s less Unbound and more Amstel Gold with dust. And once again, the question remains: will a full-time gravel racer ever actually win it?

The Course: Fast, Punchy, and Deceptively Selective

The South Limburg course is built around a 50 km circuit that loops through the region’s undulating landscape. Elite women will race 131 km (2.5 laps), and the men 180 km (3.5 laps). The terrain is classic Limburg — short, sharp climbs, hardpack gravel tracks, cobbled farm roads and a few stretches of tarmac thrown in for speed.

The defining sector could well be Bronsdalweg, a one-kilometre gravel climb that pitches up at around 8%. Expect this to be the point where legs and reputations start to split. Each lap finishes with a rapid run along De Groene Loper — the “Green Carpet” — a wide, fast-packed path that funnels riders straight into Maastricht city centre.

It’s a course built for power and precision, not survival. Think road classics grit with a dusting of gravel — a race for riders who know how to attack short climbs, hold position, and sprint from a small group.

The Men’s Race: Road Royalty Meets Gravel Grit

With Mathieu van der Poel not defending his title, the men’s rainbow jersey is up for grabs. Expect a full WorldTour takeover: Tom Pidcock, Matej Mohorič, Tim Wellens, Mads Würtz Schmidt, Greg Van Avermaet, and Romain Bardet headline what looks more like a Spring Classics start list than a gravel one.

Pidcock’s all-round ability makes him a natural favourite, though his schedule — racing Il Lombardia the day before — could dull his edge. Mohorič, a former champion, looks perfectly suited to Limburg’s terrain: a powerhouse on short climbs, fearless on descents, and smart enough to gamble from distance. If it comes to a reduced sprint, riders like Tim Merlier or Connor Swift could be dangerous.

Prediction: Matej Mohorič to reclaim the rainbow.

The Women’s Race: Dutch Depth, Global Challenge

If the men’s field looks strong, the women’s race is on another level entirely. The defending world champion, Marianne Vos, leads a home team so deep it reads like a who’s who of women’s cycling: Lorena Wiebes, Puck Pieterse, Mischa Bredewold, and Yara Kastelijn, all capable of winning on the day.

Credit: Stefan Scheepmaker

Vos remains the sentimental favourite and the logical one. She’s racing on home soil, she can handle anything off-road, and she still possesses one of the sharpest finishes in the peloton. But don’t discount the outsiders: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (the 2023 world champion) thrives on rolling terrain, Tiffany Cromwell brings true gravel experience, and Carolin Schiff has the endurance to outlast the road riders if the race gets rough.

If the Dutch can’t control it, this could turn tactical. But if it comes down to a small group in Maastricht, expect Vos to deliver yet another masterpiece.

Prediction: Marianne Vos to defend her title on home ground.

The Age Group Races: Where Elites and Amateurs Collide

One of the most distinctive features of the UCI Gravel Worlds is that it isn’t just for elites. The same weekend, hundreds of age-group qualifiers from around the world will take on the same circuit — chasing their own rainbow jerseys.

From 81 km for the older age groups up to 180 km for the younger men, every rider gets their share of the Limburg climbs and the Green Carpet finish. It’s part championship, part festival: professionals, ex-pros, and amateurs all mixing on the same gravel roads. That inclusivity remains one of gravel’s greatest traits, even as the top end becomes more professional.

The System: Points, Privilege, and the Problem for Gravel Pros

Despite its open atmosphere, the structure of the UCI Gravel Worlds still heavily favours WorldTour riders. National federations can simply select up to 20 elite riders without any need to qualify via the Gravel World Series. Those riders benefit from front-row grid spots, often thanks to their road or cyclocross UCI points — even if they’ve barely ridden a gravel bike all year.

Meanwhile, full-time gravel specialists who’ve spent the season at events like Unbound or Traka enter with lower ranking points and start further back. The result? The early selection is almost always made before they can even see the front.

Every edition so far has been won by a crossover star from the road or cyclocross. Until the qualification system is adjusted, or the course shifts toward true off-road endurance, it’s hard to imagine that changing.

Still, for the privateers, this weekend represents a chance to measure themselves against the biggest names in cycling — and maybe, just maybe, to prove that gravel racing’s heart still beats outside the WorldTour bubble.

The Call

A course that rewards finesse and firepower. National teams packed with road legends. A points system tilted toward the UCI elite. Everything points to another round of rainbow domination from the sport’s biggest stars.

Predictions:

• Men’s Champion: Matej Mohorič

• Women’s Champion: Marianne Vos

  
  

What do you think?