It has been one month since the UCI made a surprise announcement that the 2025 Gravel World Championships would need a new home, and most likely a new October date as well, leaving a gapping hole in the calendar just eight months before the fourth edition of the event.
The City of Nice withdrew as the host venue, citing "difficulties of organising the event in the capital of the French Riviera on that date [October 18-19]".
In the weeks that have followed, rumours have swirled about possible locations, including countries across three continents - Africa, Europe and the United States. The UCI had noted in a media statement on February 25 that they were "currently studying various options to find a new organiser and a new venue".
One of the more serious contenders seems to be the state of Carinthia, Austria, which is the area where Wörthersee Gravel Race will be held for a second year on the UCI Gravel World Series calendar. Italian gravel champion Giada Borghesi earned the victory for elite women last year while Austrian Sebastian Schönberger won the elite men's division.
"Yes, we applied for the UCI Gravel World Championships 2025 and are waiting for the UCI to take the next steps," Julius Ruptisch, race director for Wörthersee Gravel Race, told Cyclingnews Thursday. He is also the general manager for Pedal Performance Group, which organises the Austrian gravel race.
"The governor of Carinthia invited the UCI representatives to visit the destination, and all the government and all affected tourist destinations financially support the race. We are more than ready!"
Last year, Wörthersee Gravel Race sold out in two months and this year's race on April 6 organisers expect more than 2,000 riders across multiple divisions.
Carinthia is located in the south of the Alps and borders Italy and Slovenia. The weather in October "should be perfect", according to Ruptisch, with temperate conditions in the Wörthersee lake area noted for vast vineyards.
"Yes, we are experienced in handling events the size of the UCI Gravel World Championship, have a reliable supply chain and a very experienced and dedicated team," Ruptisch told Cyclingnews, hopeful about their bid for the Gravel World Championships to be approved soon.
"The team members and suppliers have known each other for years, which will guarantee a smooth organisation in this short time, in case we are awarded. We have proposed courses to the UCI, and all mayors along the courses signed support declarations, which we sent to the UCI together with the application."
The inaugural edition of Wörthersee Gravel Race last year sold out in two months and expects more than 1,400 participants in just two weeks time. Last year's course, put together by Johnny Hoogerland, ran over 144km and delivered 1,680 metres of altitude gain for the elite riders. Organisers said a new course would be used for 2025.
There were reports that the South Limburg region of the Netherlands had been selected as the new host to replace Nice, with CycloWorld posting a screenshot from a Gravel Championships 2025 Instagram account that read "Official Shimano 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships account" with the dates of October 4-5 for the race starting in Valkenburg. The same Instagram account today appears as just Gravel Championships, with posts and reels from the past three events, and does not list a date or site for the 2025 event.
