Behind the Scenes of UCI World Gravel Championships With Zdeněk Štybar

By Frantiska Blazkova

This past weekend, on October 5th and 6th, the region of Vlaams Brabant in Belgium hosted the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships. A hilly course led the riders between the cities of Halle and Leuven, through Hallerbos, Sonian Forest, Dyle Valley, and Meerdaal Forest, and the We Love Cycling team was there to check on the newly emerging pro cycling discipline.

Thanks to having the freshly retired road and cyclo-cross ex-pro Zdeněk Štybar as our guide through the two days of the event, our team was allowed to meet people, enter places, and gain insights from within that we wouldn’t have otherwise. Despite being a Czech native, Zdeněk has been living in Belgium for nearly two decades, and Belgians’ adoration for cycling makes him a local celebrity, a fact evidenced by the multiple daily selfie requests. As it turned out, his outgoing nature made it possible to collect many stories and get to the real adventurous spirit of gravel.

Compared to other cycling disciplines, gravel is pretty much a fledgling concerning the professionalization and “UCI-fication” of its events and races – 2024 marks only the third year of the Championships. Despite the top names of road and cyclo-cross flocking to it already, one could feel there is still an element of novelty, informality, and “wiggle room” in gravel before it might get inevitably tied down by stricter design rules.

Zdeněk Štybar
Zdeněk Štybar enjoys a coffee from a tailor-made coffee machine from the boot of a Škoda, made by Pro Coffee Club, Nick Bons.

How it went down – but through a different lens

Already on Friday, there was an opening ceremony and visitors and fans slowly started flooding the city of Leuven, banners hung on every streetlamp, and the start and finish arches and areas were being constructed.

Since the Men’s Elite race included two loops through Leuven (181 km in total) and the Women’s Elite race one (134 km in total), the organizers enhanced the event’s already amazing spectator potential by building two huge fan bases in both cities, which included massive screens with live broadcasts, food and drink stalls, and also the Gravel Expo – a showcase of not only local brands, where visitors could discover and try out the latest gear, technology, and accessories.

On Saturday, there was a notable increase in foot traffic, and you could overhear a mix of languages from all over. The Champs started taking over the city’s arteries and mood, the excitement rose. Fan Zones popped up overnight, and there was cheery music over the loudspeakers as noon, the start time of the Women’s Elite race, neared. Alongside the main event, several other amateur and semi-pro groups of women aged 19-50+ and men aged 50-65+ were scheduled to start.

The temporary population of Halle increased significantly (official estimates state 155,000 overall visitors) as excited spectators were flocking to the start line, filling every nook and cranny, climbing on low walls and craning their necks to see their favorites line up. Then the starting “shot” rang, and Belgium launched its 48-hour gravel whirlwind, during which it was apparent that Belgians hold no sport dearer.

UCI Gravel Championships
Compared to other cycling disciplines, gravel is pretty much a fledgling concerning the professionalization and “UCI-fication” of its events and races

On the same day, Zdeněk originally planned to do a quick recon ride of the course to scout good spectator spots for our photo crew, but by chance, he ended up being a good Samaritan to several racers and brought back stories that nicely illustrated the diversity of riders gravel attracts and the camaraderie one runs into even at pro events.

Among them was the encounter with an Australian rider who had a nasty fall and apparently suffered a concussion, so he convinced her to quit the race and seek medical help. Then he ended up riding alongside inspirational 65-year-old Tarica Bevo from the US, who was just a gem to be around, joking about fuelling with Belgian fries and losing her “domestique” husband. Another lovely interaction was with 71-year-old Patricia Konantz, who bonked hard and lost her energy, so Zdeněk bought her chocolate en route and encouraged her along – she eventually made it across the finish line.

So, without intending to, he ended up being 14 hours “in the chamois” on Saturday – a slang pro cyclists use for the time spent in the jersey and bibs, as he told us.

The following Sunday saw the start of the Elite Men’s race, again alongside several other non-pro categories of men aged between 19 and 49. As for any recon rides, Zdeněk stayed out of chamois this time and enjoyed the spectacle as a satisfied viewer.

Gravel Championships
one could feel there is still an element of novelty, informality, and “wiggle room” in gravel before it might get inevitably tied down by stricter design rules.

In the end, both the Women’s and Men’s Elite events were about beautiful one-on-one battles for victory – Saturday’s Vos-Kopecky face-off, and Sunday’s incredible solo of van der Poel and the tenacity of second-place Vermeersch. The victorious riders were welcomed by fans wielding branded cowbells alongside the tracks, and the anticipation and excitement electrified the air near the finish line.

The main item of every high-profile race is, of course, the results, and we do not wish to gloss over Vos’ and van der Poel’s performance, but they’re hardly devoid of the spotlight. The way we see it, there’s a more fleshed-out portrait of even UCI-level gravel to be had through digging into its “roots” – the atmosphere, the fans, and pretty much everyone who caught the gravel bug to the point of qualifying for the UCI Gravel Champs.

“From my perspective, especially compared to cyclo-cross, which is more competitive, gravel is still more easy-going. Even if it’s a race, let’s say a Gran Fondo, you meet a lot of people riding just for the enjoyment and challenge the long routes pose. I saw a lot of that today,” Zdeněk commented, adding, “I was pleasantly surprised by how many riders in senior categories there were, as I saw how technically difficult the route was. The ones I saw and spoke to fearlessly took it on, sometimes crossing half the globe to attend a race like this. They have my utmost respect.”

During both race days, if you also visited any of the local Fan Zones in breweries, restaurants, farms-turned-bars, and other places, you were met with an air of absolute love for the sport. The cheering on of the passing riders down to the very last amateur was immaculate and genuine, with a Belgian beer in hand after a typical fashion. Even passersby and tourists unknowingly passing in front of the big screens in the streets of Halle and Leuven couldn’t help but be stopped in their tracks to watch at least a few minutes of the incredible live footage from camera crews on motorcycles. The whole event wrapped up on Sunday night with an official afterparty for fans and riders alike, and then it was back to reality for everyone.

If you, too, nurse a newfound interest in gravel and want to ignite your passion even more, we strongly advise you to visit next year’s UCI World Gravel Championships – while the event is still in its more laid-back and “niche” phase. We promise the atmosphere will carry away even any non-cyclist loved ones or friends who happen to tag along.