The UCI is pleased to announce that the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships, originally planned in Nice (France) on October 18 and 19, will now take place in the Zuid-Limburg region of the Netherlands on October 11 and 12.

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 top-tier competition will ensure an exceptional experience for both riders and spectators. Golazo is an international group active in organizing sporting events, bringing unparalleled experience in staging premier cycling competitions.

The province of Limburg, which includes the Zuid (South)-Limburg region, was awarded the UCI Bike Region label by the UCI in 2016. It has already hosted a series of important UCI events, including the 2018 UCI Cyclocross World Championships and five UCI Road World Championships, held in Valkenburg in 1938, 1948, 1979, 1998, and 2012.

Limburg is the perfect combination of challenging terrain and a region rich in cycling tradition. The 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships will be the fourth edition after two events in Italy – Veneto (2022) and Treviso Province-Veneto (2023) – followed by last year's event in Flanders (Brabant Forest) in Belgium, also organized by Golazo.

Gravel is one of the fastest-growing cycling disciplines, combining elements of road and mountain biking, and primarily taking place on unpaved roads (gravel, forest paths, agricultural roads, and pavé). The UCI World Championships in this discipline are open to both professionals (separate race) and amateurs. Amateurs qualify for the event through the UCI Gravel World Series and compete in age groups, while professionals are selected by their respective National Federations. All compete for the legendary UCI World Champion jerseys.

Qualification events for this year's UCI World Championships, taking place under the UCI Gravel World Series banner, began in late 2024, with another 30 events scheduled before October 2025, including Marly Grav, a race to be held in Valkenburg.

The current UCI Gravel World Champions are Mathieu Van der Poel (NED) in the Elite Men's category and his compatriot Marianne Vos (NED) in the Elite Women's category.

More information about the routes and event program will be communicated in the coming weeks.

The organizer Golazo, the province of Limburg, and the three host municipalities are doing everything possible to minimize the ecological footprint of riders, their teams, and fans. The route will be designed to minimize impact on the most vulnerable natural areas.

"I am pleased that the Southern Limburg region, in the province of Limburg, will be involved in organizing the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships and would like to thank them for presenting their candidacy after the withdrawal of the city of Nice," said UCI President David Lappartient. "By hosting the UCI Gravel World Championships, the province of Limburg has further strengthened its position as a leading international cycling region, contributing to the development of gravel, a discipline that is still quite new and with considerable growth potential," he stated.

"Golazo is extremely proud to organize the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships in the beautiful Zuid-Limburg region, an iconic cycling area," said Christophe Impens, Golazo's International Cycling Director. "Golazo has been managing the UCI Gravel World Series on behalf of the UCI since 2022, and we have recently renewed this agreement until 2030. Our passion for this rapidly growing cycling discipline has also led to organizing the 2023 UEC Gravel European Championships and the 2024 UCI Bolero Gravel World Championships in Flanders".

For his part, Wilbert Lek, CEO of Golazo Events Netherlands, stated: "In the Netherlands, Golazo has built a solid reputation for organizing world-class running events, such as the NN Rotterdam Marathon, as well as several cycling tours. With our expertise in gravel events worldwide, we are pleased to bring international cycling to the Netherlands as a reference country for cycling events, such as the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships in Zuid-Limburg and subsequently the 2026 UEC Cyclocross European Championships in Zeddam".

Maurice Leeser, President and Director of the Dutch Cycling Federation KNWU, was equally enthusiastic and said: "We are absolutely delighted that the UCI Gravel World Championships can still go ahead and will now take place in the Netherlands, particularly in the beautiful province of Limburg. This represents a unique opportunity to experience the breathtaking beauty of the Limburg landscape, while offering an exciting and challenging World Championship for both male and female riders".

For more information about the event: www.ucigravel2025.com.