The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships, originally set to be hosted in Nice (France) on 18 and 19 October, will finally take place in the Zuid-Limburg region of the Netherlands on 11 and 12 October.
The Zuid-Limburg region will officially host the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships in close collaboration with the municipalities of Maastricht, Beek and Beekdaelen.
Organized by Golazo, this premier competition will ensure an exceptional experience for riders and spectators alike. Golazo is an international group active in the organisation of sporting events that brings unparalleled expertise in the delivery of premier cycling competitions.
The province of Limburg, of which the Zuid (South)-Limburg region is a part, was awarded the UCI Bike Region label by the UCI in 2016. It has already hosted a number of major UCI events, including the 2018 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships and five editions of the UCI Road World Championships, held in Valkenburg in 1938, 1948, 1979, 1998 and 2012.
Zuid-Limburg offers the perfect blend of challenging terrain and a region steeped in cycling tradition.
The 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships will be the fourth staging of the event after two editions in Italy – Veneto (2022) and the Province of Treviso-Veneto (2023) – followed by last year’s event in Flanders (Forest of Brabant) Belgium, also organised by Golazo.
Gravel is one of cycling’s fastest growing disciplines, combining elements of road and mountain bike, and takes place mainly on unpaved roads (gravel, forest tracks, farm roads and cobbles). The UCI World Championships in the discipline are open to both professionals (separate race) and amateurs. Amateurs qualify for the event through the UCI Gravel World Series and race by age group, while professionals are selected by their respective National Federations. All compete for the mythical UCI World Champion rainbow jerseys.
Qualifying events for this year's UCI World Championships, which come under the banner of the UCI Gravel World Series, began in late 2024, with another 30-plus events scheduled to take place before October 2025, including Marly Grav, a race held in Valkenburg.
The reigning UCI Gravel World Champions are Mathieu Van der Poel (NED) in the Elite Men category and his compatriot Marianne Vos (NED) in the Elite Women.
More information about the routes and event programme will be communicated in the coming weeks.
The organiser Golazo, the province of Limburg and the three host municipalities are doing everything possible to minimise the ecological footprint of the riders, their teams and the fans. The route will be designed to minimize the impact on the most vulnerable natural areas.
"I’m delighted that the South-Limburg region, in the province of Limburg, will be involved in the organisation of the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships and would like to thank them for submitting their bid after the city of Nice withdrew," said UCI President David Lappartient. "By hosting the UCI Gravel World Championships, the province of Limburg has further enhanced its standing as a leading cycling region at international level, while contributing to the development of gravel, a discipline that is still quite new and has considerable potential for growth," he said.
"Golazo is extremely proud to organize the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships in the beautiful region of Zuid-Limburg, an iconic cycling area," said Christophe Impens, Director of International Cycling at Golazo. "Golazo has been managing the UCI Gravel World Series on behalf of the UCI since 2022, and we have recently renewed that agreement until 2030. Our passion for this fast-growing cycling discipline also resulted in the organisation of the 2023 UEC Gravel European Championships and the 2024 UCI Bolero Gravel World Championships in Flanders."
For his part, Wilbert Lek, Managing Director Golazo Events Netherlands, had this to say: “In the Netherlands, Golazo has built a strong reputation for organizing world class running events, such as the NN Marathon Rotterdam, as well as several cycling tours. With our know-how in gravel events worldwide, we’re pleased to bring major international cycling to the Netherlands as the go-to country for cycling events – such as the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships in Zuid-Limburg and later the 2026 UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships in Zeddam.”
Maurice Leeser, President and Director of the Dutch Cycling Federation KNWU, was no less pleased, saying: "We’re absolutely delighted that the UCI Gravel World Championships can still go ahead and will now take place in the Netherlands, specifically in the stunning province of Limburg. This presents a unique opportunity to experience the breathtaking beauty of the Limburg landscape, while at the same time offering an exciting and challenging World Championships for both men and women riders."
For more information on the event: www.ucigravel2025.com.