“The climbing is relentless from start to finish” UCI Gravel World Championships reveals first Australian course

The course details for the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships have been confirmed, and they point to a demanding, distinctly Australian test when the event lands in Western Australia this October.

Set for 10–11 October in the South West town of Nannup, the Championships will mark the first time the event has been staged outside Europe.

Now in its fifth edition, the race has previously been held in traditional gravel strongholds including Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, making the move to Australia a significant moment for the discipline’s global expansion.

Riders can expect a course built around more than 80 per cent gravel, winding through the forests and rolling terrain of the Blackwood Valley. Wide roads and constantly shifting gradients are expected to shape the racing, with organisers highlighting both the physical challenge and the tactical opportunities the parcours presents.

The elite men’s race will cover 140.7 kilometres with a hefty 3,625 metres of climbing, while the elite women will tackle 123.1 kilometres and 3,100 metres.

Those numbers put the event firmly in line with the climbing demands of a Grand Tour mountain stage, albeit delivered across unsealed roads.

Rather than a single decisive ascent, the elevation gain is spread across a series of short climbs, typically between one and three-and-a-half kilometres, ensuring there is little respite across the day.

Race director Stephen Gallagher said the course has been designed to wear riders down gradually before a late sting.

“At most races, the biggest challenges come early. Not here,” he said. “The climbing is relentless from start to finish, with the hardest kilometres saved for last, including a final summit just 3.5 kilometres from the finish.”

That approach, combined with the width of the gravel roads, is expected to encourage more open, bunch-style racing than is often seen in the discipline, where narrow tracks can quickly split fields into smaller groups.

The courses will start and finish in Nannup, a town that has built a growing reputation as an off-road cycling destination. Riders will pass through a mix of forest and farmland, with organisers noting the likelihood of encountering native wildlife along the way, though most will be hoping those moments remain a distraction rather than a hazard.

Age group racing will take place alongside the elite events, with the women’s course also used for several older men’s categories. A shorter 90-kilometre option, still featuring around 2,000 metres of climbing, will cater to older age groups.

In another first for the Championships, the course will double as a qualifying venue earlier in the year.

In addition, The Seven Gravel Race, scheduled for 16 May, will use the same network of roads as part of the UCI Gravel World Series, giving riders a chance to experience the terrain ahead of October.