UCI Gravel Worlds - making history
The chance to be part of cycling history lured a small group of 4Five+ members to northern Italy to compete in the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships. Now that the dust has settled and the wounds have healed, there is time to reflect.
Gravel riding is not new, and neither is racing on gravel (see early editions of the Tour de France). The involvement of the UCI is new, and it brought with it a fair amount of administrative baggage that provided competitors with a series of challenges that made qualifying and training for the race look like the easy part of the journey.
We had to dip into our buckets of bravery to book flights and accommodation, and commit to a race where the location and course details remained undisclosed until 3 weeks before the event. We were not even sure what we were training for until taper time! There were mixed communications about jersey requirements, difficulties finding affordable travel & race insurance, and in the back of our minds the thought of COVID and staying well enough to train, travel, and race.
Most Australians opted to arrive a week ahead of the race to allow time for acclimatization and course recon. The course was about as different from the SeVen qualifier as it could be, and the criticism of the lack of elevation from afar was plentiful. Yes, the Saturday course for the women and men 50+ was a mostly flat 140km with less than 700m of elevation, traversing typically European urban-countryside. The unexpected challenge was the many technical direction changes and enormous variation in surface which was mentally fatiguing. The course followed the Bacchiglione River from Vicenza to Padova to Citadella, traversing gravel paths and roads, fields, river banks, levees, forested single track, rocky paths, fields, and yes - quite a bit of paved road to link the gravel sectors.
Pics from top L to R: Course at ~30km; between the two climbs; first feed station; the gravel switch backs; the start; stocking up on supplies
While pros opting for road bikes made headlines, most amateurs rode gravel bikes. There was almost as much discussion about tyre selection and pressure as you would find at a cyclocross race. The week before the race the weather had been wet, and as the sun dried out the course there were many last minute changes to thinner, lower profile tyres.
4F Member Adam Ralph’s race story is typical of the Gravel Worlds experience…
The course notes, profile and TV coverage didn’t show how challenging the first 20 kms would be for racing. Straight into a pretty sketchy loose gravel climb after 200m, with pinches up to 20% and bikes going every which way, followed by a short steep gravel descent and then rocky single track through a forest, all resulting in multiple crashes and mechanicals (for racers and motos alike!). My expectation was that once through the first 14km and at the start of the second climb (tarmac), I could really begin to race.
Whilst the rest of the course was flat and not overly suitable for climbers, it wasn’t easy either. Constant changes of direction, road / trail hazards, loose over hard surfaces plus the fact that it was a World Championship race all made for a very hard day out. In my eyes, the course proved to be more than good enough.
In addition to seeing JJ (Julian Johnson) throughout the day and making it safely to the finish line, my highlight was establishing a small breakaway group with 35km to go and getting clear of a number of same Age Group competitors. After multiple attempts, I got away with two others from different Age Groups and needed to go really, really deep to establish and maintain the break (after being a dysfunctional and non-cohesive group for the preceding 20km, those we’d left behind suddenly found motivation to work together and chased hard - ha ha!).
Doing so much work on the front, driving the pace hard and digging deeper and deeper again, there was truly nothing left out on the course. Finishing totally spent, then seeing Arletta and JJ (thankfully only getting hugs from one!), knowing I’d given my all, was an incredibly proud moment and a feeling that I’ll cherish for many years to come.
The Age Group numbers for the women’s race were low, and a combined bunch of about 70 riders were sent off together. The climb straight out of the start on cold legs was tough, but it was the first descent where the real selection was made. There was a large variation in the skill level between competitors, and the steep gravel switch backs with rocky corners were a real tester. Our own Deb Kempe was brought down twice by rider error in the first 20km of the race, sustaining a serious injury to her elbow that required bandaging on the move by the race medic (just like the Tour de France!). Deb showed remarkable courage and resilience to finish the race, earning herself a place on the top step and a lovely jersey with rainbow bands.
Vanessa Johnson reflects on her race…
I had a fairly soft start as I was both unwell and concerned about the first technical descent - I didn’t want to crash & burn in the first 3km! A small group of mixed nationalities and age groups formed toward the end of the technical section at about 20km. My podium was already up the road, and I wasn’t feeling well enough to drive the pace required to chase, so I contented myself with rolling friendly turns for the next 120km. Even so, I dropped a chain over the rocks in the forest, missed 3 turnings and dodged a crash, so there was plenty of chasing & action to keep me busy. I loved the gravel tracks and the technical sections (especially the CXy finish) - the bike path sections not so much. Traffic control seemed thin late in the ride, and we found ourselves dodging traffic and leisure riders which was stressful in our fatigued state. It was a tough day out that used all my skills from racing road-crits-CX-gravel, and I was very proud to finish & be a little part of cycling history. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Pics from top L to R: Vanessa, Deb & Amy; Adelia dropping watt bombs; Vanessa in her bunch; Amy finishing; Arletta & Adam; Deb on the top step!
As with most things in life, the opportunity we came for became so much more. Whilst the racing was tough just as a World Championship should be, it was the people and places and the kindness we received which made it deeply memorable.
We chatted in the village square over multiple espressos to locals, sharing no language other than a desire to share their rich and wonderful culture. Friendships old and new smoothed out the wrinkles in the race logistics. Wonderful Italian ex-pro cyclist Andrea Ferrigato guided us on course recons like a domestique protecting his team mates, and provided valuable introductions to the local cycling community. Local bike shop owner David Maddalene was kind to us because Australians had been kind to him when he rode as a professional cyclist on tour in Australia some 20 years ago. Wheels were loaned, tyres were changed, bikes assembled and disassembled, hangers straightened, stories told and laughter shared.
“Bicycle is all this, a big tin of a wonderfully colored story. In that tin when you open it you can find the life of everybody..sad, happy, bad words after a hard muddy climb, skin bloody after a crash, but all stories of true life…This is the bicycle - as a dog, a wonderful friend for life…”
Certainly there were teething problems with the first ever UCI Gravel World Champs. The registration and briefing was at the finish rather than the start, making it difficult to get to; published start protocols were not followed; there was insufficient marshalling in some sections and riders had to dodge oncoming traffic and recreational path users; feed stations were not well-stocked or serviced; signage was difficult to see on some turns; the predicted speed was overestimated, leaving some riders to arrive in the dark; there were no rider services available at the finish (drinks, food, toilets, directions to podium etc.); and there was no assistance available for injured riders to receive medical attention beyond emergency first aid (e.g. help with hospital attendance).
The UCI Gravel World Championships will be co-ordinated by the same event organiser and held in the same location next year, so hopefully many of these issues will be resolved. Ever the optimists, some riders already have their fingers crossed for qualification and the dates pencilled into the calendar hoping for another campaign. Who knows, maybe the 2023 route will make use of the many gravel roads in the hills around Vicenza?
Congratulations to the 4Five+ racers & history makers
Deb Kempe 1st W60-64
Vanessa Johnson 5th W50-54
Adelia Neethling 6th W45-49
Amy Currie 9th W40-44
Adam Ralph 25th M50-54
