On a legendary stage, on July 7, Frenchman Anthony Turgis won the 9my stage of the Tour de France 2024. On the roads or in front of their televisions, followers discovered, astonished, the test of the so-called “white roads”, made up of certain sections of gravel. On Sunday, October 6, Mathieu Van der Poel, six-time cyclocross world champion and road world champion in 2023, imitated the 30-year-old rider, by winning the third edition of the Gravel World Championship, between Hal and Leuven, in Belgium. , after 182 kilometers of effort.
The winner of Paris-Roubaix in April defeated the Belgians Florian Vermeersch and Quinten Hermans. He succeeds the Slovenian Matej Mohoric, crowned in 2023 in Veneto (Italy).
To win this planetary title in a third discipline, Mathieu Van der Poel was active for much of the race, multiplying attacks, vain or efficient, on a demanding course (1,200 meters of positive gradient). Through the Brabant Forests national park, in a region that he loves – he won his third Tour of Flanders in March – the Dutchman (29 years old), third in 2022, made his experience and power speak of Florian’s dominance Vermeersch, already a silver medalist. in 2023.
“The race was very enjoyable”
“It was a great goal, I had a lot of fun in this new discipline., explained the winner before the microphone of the International Cycling Union (UCI) after the race. I am very happy. I tried to push all my competitors to the limit. It was very difficult, but the race was very enjoyable. »
The two runners, present in a seven-man breakaway, flew away 40 km from the finish line. On the last lap around Leuven, Mathieu Van der Poel dealt the blow on a flat false climb, 13 km from the finish line. Raymond Poulidor’s grandson had prepared his plan: “I wanted to get tougher on this last climb, because I didn’t know how I would react to a sprint on a gravel bike”he confided into the UCI microphone.
Halfway between road cycling, off-road cycling (MTB), cyclocross and mountain biking (VTC), gravel has become a discipline in itself. “It is a new discipline that attracts more and more practitioners”explains former cyclocross rider Anthony Colas, who also liked gravel. Convinced of its success, the UCI created world championships for its specialists in 2022.
“Gravel is the padel of cycling”
Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the first title in history in Veneto. On Saturday, the Dutch Marianne Vos, eight-time world champion in cyclocross, triple world champion on the road and double world champion on the track, beat Lotte Kopecky in the sprint. Like Mathieu Van der Poel, a gravel cyclist is “Complete, explosive and durable”underlines Steve Chainel, former cyclocross specialist and Eurosport consultant.
Close in some points to cyclocross, gravel, born in the United States about fifteen years ago (the best-known race is the Barry-Roubaix, in Michigan), mixes road passages, cobblestones, gravel and dirt roads. “Many still associate gravel with mountain biking, which blocks its development. Gravel fields are generally longer and less steep. »
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A hybrid bicycle, versatile and more comfortable than a mountain bike, the gravel bike, more robust than a road bike with wider, notched tires, also contributed to the success of the pack by bike and the development of the culture of long bicycle trips. “Gravel is above all a state of mindsummarizes Steve Chainel. It’s also good pack by bike than an outing with friends of more than 40 km. Gravel is the padel of cycling. »
Gravel arouses interest and attracts big names. In addition to Mathieu Van der Poel, champion Matej Mohoric, European road champion Tim Merlier and former professional racer Philippe Gilbert, Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas, a cycling enthusiast, was registered in the 35 to 39 age category. , apart from the “elites”, during these World Cups. “The magical thing about gravel is that a good rider can find himself in the same race as a champion of the stature of Mathieu Van der Poel”Anthony Colas is happy.
The 2025 World Cup in Nice
Winner of an eighth world title in all disciplines, Mathieu Van der Poel celebrated his success at the finish line by lifting his machine. This German bicycle brand and the Dutch cyclist announced in March the signing of a contract that will cover the next ten seasons.
“There is a whole economy that grows behind gravelexplains Steve Chainel. All bike brands have no choice but to develop gravel bikes. The market is buoyant. We no longer buy a 4×4, but an SUV, which is more maneuverable. Gravel is a bit like that. » If the discipline is experiencing some enthusiasm in the United States or Spain, France is slightly behind, although they concede to Steve Chainel and Anthony Colas.
The latter hopes that the organization of the next Gravel World Championship, in France, in Nice, in 2025, will allow the trend to be reversed. The soon-to-be retired Romain Bardet, winner of the first stage of the 2024 Grande Boucle and second in the 2016 Tour de France, has already announced his intention to move to gravel after retiring from road racing, scheduled for June 2025.
