Even earlier than the beginning lists for the UCI Gravel World Championships had been being ready it was clear from early bulletins that the 2023 version was going to characteristic various key heavy-hitters. Now the depth within the area has additionally turn out to be clear with names similar to new European gravel champion Lorena Wiebes, Kasia Niewiadoma and Matej Mohorič among the many additions to the highly effective listing of these already confirmed.
It had beforehand been revealed by means of a sequence of workforce and particular person bulletins that males’s race on October 8 would come with some new key contenders for the second version together with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and US gravel powerhouse Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz). Whereas within the girls’s race on October 7 2023 Tour de France Femmes winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx), the retiring Annemiek van Vleuten and Unbound winner Carolin Schiff (Canyon-CLLCTV) had been named as amongst these set to line up alongside defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers), Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM) and Life Time Grand Prix chief Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialised).
The discharge of the beginning listing has revealed that this was removed from the restrict of the important thing names in biking that might be in Spresiano to participate within the contest.
Not solely had been new European gravel champion Wiebes and Polish Canyon-SRAM rider Niewiadoma welcome additions for the 140km girls’s race in Italy’s Veneto, but additionally UAE Workforce ADQ rider Silvia Persico, Lidl-Trek’s Gaia Realini plus Emma Noorsgard (Movistar) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal-QuickStep).
New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black can be taking over the race to Pieve di Soligo together with various different SD Worx teammates together with Barbara Guarischi and Elena Cecchini. Then there may be additionally Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon-SRAM) and 2017, 2018 and 2019 world cyclocross champion Sanne Cant. Jade Treffeisen, Tessa Neefjes and Svenja Betz, all key gamers within the Gravel World Collection, can even be racing.
Saturday’s Il Lombardia could also be drawing the eye of lots of the highway professionals within the males’s area nonetheless alongside Milan-Sanremo winner Mohorič and Van Aert, Belgium’s Gianni Vermeersch shall be lining as much as try to defend his title whereas 2022’s second-placed Daniel Oss (TotalEnergies) will once more be on the Italian workforce. Jayco-AlUla’s Alessandro De Marchi will be a part of him on the house squad for the 169km males’s race, alongside his gravel specialist cousin Mattia De Marchi, who has highly effective ends in gravel, together with a Traka file, however favours the longer distances.
Connor Swift (Ineos Grenadiers), who received The Gralloch Gravel World Collection race earlier this yr, is racing for Nice Britain after which there are additionally an extended listing of highly effective gravel specialists to tackle the highway contingent. These embrace Piotr Havik and Nathan Haas in addition to Paul Voß and Petr Vakoc, who each positioned within the prime ten on the European Gravel Championships.
The winner of the primary Continental Gravel Championships, Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), is amongst those that is not going to be racing, as a substitute turning again to the highway, neither is second-placed Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep).
There have been additionally another shocking omissions from the elite begin lists, with US Champions Swenson and Lauren Stephens – who had been named to steer their nationwide workforce – not on the listing when it was initially launched. Although expectations are that it will change as all indications are that this can be a clerical challenge somewhat than any indication that they won’t be participating.