The post gravel world championship It's difficult and complicated. You take stock, you evaluate the different aspects, what's positive and where improvement is needed. It's also true that a first edition, as this one was UCI Gravel World Championships marks the beginning of an era.
The UCI project linked to multidisciplinarity is further expandedThe debate is open. We had the opportunity to chat with Nathan Hass, great interpreter of gravel racing and with Nicholas Roche.
The first World Cup in history
Il The first Gravel World Championship in history took place in Italy and this too is historyas he said PozzatoIt took place in a land that chews cycling, namely the Veneto and thanks to an organization that knows cycling well.
Ours is not intended to be an analysis of the eventIt is not up to us to shed light on the positive aspects and where it is essential to improve, they will take care of that anyway organizing group and also theUCI, which he placed right here the first step towards a new category of competitions.
We want to give voice and to report some interesting concepts expressed by Nathan Hass and Nicolas RocheThe first continues his career as an elite professional athlete, he is one of the greatest interpreters of gravel racing and also for this reason he cannot be categorized as a former road pro.Nico” Roche He is an experienced and passionate man, particularly attached to UCI activities in gravel and cycling activities in the Principality of Monaco (where he resides), in addition to being Director of the Irish National Road Cycling Programme.
Not a new format, but a different one
The format used for the first gravel world championship in history is “comparable” to that used in MTB marathon competitions, where professionals and amateurs are at the same level in the starting phasesThis is not a trivial aspect, because it requires careful management of all the control, start, and course management phases, but at the same time it puts all types of athletes on the same level. The UCI and the organizations must be ready for this, especially with a view to the future..
Nathan Haas speaks
"Forever cycling is like a growth path – he says – and provides a procedure to follow, and this should and must be the case also within the gravel raceThe first gravel world championship is a very good thing, a really positive aspect for the movement and it is also for this reason that I do not understand thelack of a gravel category rankingIt exists in the road sector, in MTB and in cyclocross. It is essential to create a list that is also based on scores in gravel, which are fundamental for drawing up the starting grids for competitions. A useful tool for creating a history and creating order.
«This does not mean that the road cyclist, the biker and/or the cyclo-cross cyclist must take a back seat – he continues Haas - We gravel riders are the first to know and understand that this world is born now and needs everyone. But it is also true that in a gravel competition, the interpreters of the discipline must have priority. If I show up at a road race they don't let me start in front and that's right.».
For the record, Nathan Haas managed to start close to the front row and He finished his effort in 16th position, 6'23” behind Vermeersch.
Nicolas Roche speaks
«The UCI must also listen to the riders who are racing in gravel competitions – he says – because they can be of great help and provide the feedback needed for the growth of this category. I too am working to support the evolution of the movement, I wanted to write my considerations to the UCI And with the Monaco Federation, there's also a desire to help the movement evolve. In recent years, the Monegasque federation has been sensitive to cycling's development on several fronts.
«Staying within the gravel and gravel race context, the first world mark history and it is clear that there is much to do and build. We know very well that a first edition cannot be perfect – continues Roche – and also for this reason the intervention of athletes who help spread the gravel message around the world is fundamentalGravel is a great opportunity for everyone. The control rooms are necessary, but so are the riders who experience cycling from the inside.».
Nicholas Roche, born in 1984, finished the 2022 gravel world championship in 47th place in the overall standings, 19'38” behind the winner.
