UCI’s first-ever gravel world series will open with Nueva Ecija qualifying race

Gravel continues to grow around the world
Feb 20, 2022
A gravel track in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija.
PHOTO: Courtesy of UGWS Philippines

GRAVEL racing — a mix of both road and mountain bike disciplines — continues to grow around the world.

In a statement last year, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the international federation governing cycling sports, announced that it would organize a UCI Gravel World Series with qualifying events that will lead all the way to the Trek UCI Gravel World Championship.

The first event in the inaugural series? A gravel race in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija.

The Trek UCI Gravel World Series Philippines event will have an 85km course (qualifier distance for 19 to 49 year olds) and a 62 km course (for 50 years old and above). The 85km qualifier will begin in Vega Grande, north of Bongabon, and snake across dirt roads, forest roads, and gravel roads along the river. The 62km course will take a shortcut but will have the same finish line.

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    UCI Gravel World Series hopes to attract non-professional riders

    “Bongabon, being an emerging destination for cycling tourism and outdoor recreation, offers breathtaking sceneries with the most wonderful views of the Philippines’ untapped countryside,” said Bongabon’s mayor Allan Xystus A. Gamilla in a statement. He also promoted the Bongabon Bike Park in Ariendo, an enduro and downhill mountain bike destination for gravity riders.

    The UCI Gravel World Championship is being organized in partnership with Belgium-based sports marketing agency Golazo Sports. The agency’s off-road and gravel manager, ERwin Vervecken, told VeloNews last year that the gravel world series is hoping to be more inclusive and draw in more non-professionals.

    The final venue list of other qualifier events has yet to be revealed.

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    A gravel track in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija.
    PHOTO: Courtesy of UGWS Philippines
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