It was only two years ago that Nannup’s SEVEN race joined the new UCI Gravel World Series and also offered a bid to host the discipline’s world championship. The team behind the Western Australian event then foresaw great potential for future growth, with a choice of courses in the natural abundance of gravel roads surrounding Nannup, and as many as possible. There was a route to be taken, and the road ahead was unknown.
The event is currently in its third year as part of the series, but this year marks its seventh year. The field continues to grow in the lead-up to 2026, when the first UCI Gravel World Championship will be held outside of Europe. If you look back at the history of racing, it’s probably as close to 100% gravel as you can get.
It’s sure to be the UCI Gravel World Championships unlike any we’ve seen before, with a growing number of participants coming from interstate and overseas to get an early idea of what they’re in for. Like the series and world championships, the race itself is on an upward trajectory and could be as steep as some of the climbs on the course.
Race director Stephen Gallagher said: “We’ve seen a huge increase, particularly with so many people joining early.” cycling news A few days before the event. “The biggest success for us has been the number of international passengers. The number of international visitors has almost tripled and the number of interstate passengers has more than doubled.”
This means nearly 1,500 riders, more than the entire population of the town itself, trek to Nannup (which means stop in Noongar). It’s a huge influx, but it’s just a taste of what’s to come, with plans well underway for the World Championships. Although Nannup is the hub, we are also reaching out to a number of other destinations in the region that have extensive facilities to support events. This could be significantly larger than was envisaged when the bid was originally submitted.
Importantly, however, Nannup, the hub, has plenty of gravel roads to choose from. Plans are underway for a spectator-friendly World Championship course in 2026, and a UCI delegation will be in attendance to see how the process is progressing, but that doesn’t mean organizers have lost sight of their short-term goals. You’ll also find some great white gravel on the World Series course.
The 2024 SEVEN race, named after the seven sectors it traverses, is scheduled to follow a course similar to recent years, with 125km and 3,200m of vertical climbing, with the round trip from Nannup being almost 100% gravel roads through pine forests. Wind around inside. , national forests and farmland – but two of the 12 major climbing trails are different. Delta and Meacham are over and the course continues further west with a new white gravel section leading to the introduction of Marder and Shale Hill. Both climbs are less than a kilometer long for him, but Gallagher warns riders should not think it will be easy.
“Don’t let its short stature fool you about its difficulty, because Shale Hill in particular is very steep,” Gallagher said.
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2023 men’s winner Tasman Nankervis (BMC Shimano) plans to return in 2024. Riders who traveled to the United States last year to compete in the Lifetime Grand Prix Series are again focused on Australia this year. He won the stacked field at South Australia’s RADL GRVL in January ahead of regular rival Brendan ‘Trekkie’ Johnston (Giant) and fought his way to fourth place at the inaugural event in Sutton. It seems to be as formidable as ever. Despite being limited to one gear for most of the race at Grange Winery Uncorked Gravel in February after a stone hit his derailleur. The 28-year-old from Bendigo claimed his sixth win at the Great Otway Gravel Grind.
Still, Johnston is in strong position to dethrone Nankervis. The experienced rider returned from the United States after finishing fifth in the season-opening Fuego XL. First on the agenda during his return home was last weekend’s Australian Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships, where the 32-year-old won his sixth title.
Nankervis also needs to keep an eye on 2022 winner Adam Blazevich. He has consistently been near the top of the charts at Australia’s major summer gravel events and the privateer is likely to start a new run of form. He is working toward major international goals. Then there’s Nicolas Roche. The former road pro finished third at the Highlands Gravel Classic, another UCI Gravel World Series event, last month and was also third at Nannup last year.
Other riders to watch in the Elite Men’s category include 2023 2nd place Mark Chong and 4th place Matthew Bird. Roche isn’t the only former World Tour pro taking part in the race, Fumiyuki Beppu, the first Japanese rider to break into cycling’s top tier, is also set to travel to Western Australia this year.
The women’s race has a new winner this year, and while 2023 winner Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM) won’t be returning, there’s no shortage of competition. Australian champion Justin Barrow is checking out the course in the lead-in. Barrow has already won a UCI Gravel World Series round in 2022, beating Gravelista at Beechworth, but he missed out on SEVEN at Nannup last year because he was racing gravel. US. But this year she is using the Western Australian race as a guide to her international ambitions.
The rider, who has considerable climbing ability, may not have had the best end to the season last year after a crash led to AC joint stabilization surgery and a complicated recovery. Still, Barrow, who was hit by the Unbound bug in 2023, is now back in shape and clearly comfortable riding a bike again. He decided 115km wasn’t enough for him at last month’s Beechworth Granite Classic and had to turn back soon after. He had just finished running the 90km course.
Cassia Borio (Liv Brazilian Butterfly Racing, Willing & Twin Peaks) hopes to rely on home ground advantage, and the 23-year-old rider, who finished second in last year’s race, will gain valuable experience. We have been accumulating results. It bodes well that she may take on a serious challenge this year. Among them: a Gravel World Series podium with a third place at Gravelista at the end of 2023, and a first place at the Lifetime Sea Otter Classic near the end of the U.S. gravel racing block. The Belgian Waffle Ride, where she also had two top 10 finishes, ended in California and Utah.
Then we have Peta Marens (Ribbed Brazilian Butterfly). She hasn’t been in the best of health and hasn’t had the strongest patch, but the rider who is also racing in this year’s Lifetime Grand Prix series is one who should never be dismissed. Her 12 Australian titles in various cycling disciplines alone require an explanation.
