Mathieu Van der Poel shines a spotlight on gravel by becoming world champion in the discipline

In a legendary setting, on July 7, the Frenchman Anthony Turgis won the 9^e stage of the Tour de France 2024. On the roads or in front of their televisions, the followers discovered, amazed, the so-called “white paths” test, made up of certain gravelly sections. Sunday October 6, Mathieu Van der Poel, six-time cyclo-cross world champion and road world champion in 2023, imitated the 30-year-old rider, by winning the third edition of the Gravel Worlds, between Hal and Louvain, in Belgium, after 182 kilometers of effort.

The winner of Paris-Roubaix in April beat Belgians Florian Vermeersch and Quinten Hermans. He succeeds Slovenian Matej Mohoric, crowned in 2023 in Veneto (Italy).

To conquer this planetary title in a third discipline, Mathieu Van der Poel was active during a large part of the race, multiplying attacks, vain or efficient, on a demanding course (1,200 meters of positive altitude difference). Through the Brabant Forests national park, in a region he loves – he won his third Tour of Flanders in March – the Dutchman (29 years old), third in 2022, made his experience and his power speak for dominate Florian Vermeersch, already silver medalist in 2023.

“The race was very pleasant”

“It was a big goal, I had a lot of fun in this new discipline, explained the winner at 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 pleasant. »

The two riders, present in a breakaway of seven, flew away 40 km from the finish. In the last loop around Louvain, Mathieu Van der Poel dealt the blow in a false rising flat, 13 km from the line. Raymond Poulidor’s grandson had prepared his plan: “I wanted to toughen up on this last climb, because I didn’t know how I would react to a sprint on a gravel bike”he confided to the UCI microphone.

Halfway between road cycling, all-terrain cycling (MTB), cyclo-cross and mountain biking (VTC), gravel has become a discipline in its own right. “It’s a new discipline that attracts more and more practitioners”explains former cyclo-cross rider Anthony Colas, who also took a liking to gravel. Convinced of its success, the UCI created world championships for its specialists in 2022.

“Gravel is the padel of cycling”

The Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the first title in history in Veneto. On Saturday, the Dutch Marianne Vos, eight-time world champion in cyclo-cross, triple world champion on the road, double world champion on the track, beat Lotte Kopecky in the sprint. Like Mathieu Van der Poel, a gravel rider is “complete, explosive and enduring”underlines Steve Chainel, former cyclo-cross specialist and consultant on Eurosport.

Close in certain points to cyclo-cross, gravel, born in the United States around fifteen years ago (the best-known race is Barry-Roubaix, in Michigan), mixes passages on the road, cobblestones, gravel and dirt roads. “Many continue to associate gravel with mountain biking, which blocks its development. Gravel courses are generally longer and less steep. »

A hybrid bike, versatile and more comfortable than a mountain bike, the gravel bike, more robust than a road bike with wider and notched tires, also contributed to the success of the bikepacking and the development of the culture of long cycling trips. “Gravel is above all a state of mindsummarizes Steve Chainel. It is also good bikepacking than an outing with friends over 40 km. Gravel is the padel of cycling. »

Gravel arouses interest and attracts big names. In addition to Mathieu Van der Poel, the title holder Matej Mohoric, the European road champion Tim Merlier, and the former professional racer Philippe Gilbert, the Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas, a cycling enthusiast, was entered in the category 35-39 year olds, on the fringes of the “elites”, during these Worlds. “What’s magical 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”rejoices Anthony Colas.

The 2025 Worlds 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 rider announced, in March, the signing of a contract covering the next ten seasons.

“There is a whole economy that grows behind gravelexplains Steve Chainel. All cycle 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 a certain enthusiasm in the United States or in Spain, France is slightly behind, however concede Steve Chainel like Anthony Colas.

The latter hopes that the organization of the next Gravel Worlds, in France, in Nice, in 2025, will make it possible to reverse the trend. Future retiree 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 turn to gravel after retiring from road racing, scheduled for June 2025.