The UCI is still spinning in circles hoping to find a willing venue to host the 2025 Gravel World Championships after Nice, France bailed out last month, followed by Valkenburg, Netherlands withdrawing their bid this week.

After careful consideration, the leading candidate Valkenburg, announced they too were no longer interested in hosting the World Championships, according to Wielerflits.

Civic leaders in Valkenburg believe the risk of hosting and coordinating the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships with just six months preparation is too great, siting a lengthy list of unknowns: route ildefined, no support from neighboring cities, interuption to businesses and the impact on potato farmers during the height of harvest season.

With Valkenburg hosting six successful UCI World Championships since 1938, most recently in 2018, they know what it takes to do it right – and not end up in a financial mess like Zurich last year.

And they are not willing to gamble.

Although the list of remaining venues bidding to host the world championships has not been publicly revealed, the leading candidate is likely Villach in Austria. Kenya is also reportedly in the running, though it seems unlikely the UCI would approve hosting two World Championships (Road already in Rwanda) in an African region at war and facing economic hardship with millions of people struggling to survive.

The UCI is expected to make their choice to host the Gravel World Championships soon.

Photo Credit: Getty

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