A total purse of $40,000, a red, white, and blue stars and stripes jersey, and the chance to represent the UCI Gravel World Championships are highlights for the elite riders at the 2024 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships.

The second annual Gravel Nationals will be held on Sunday, September 8 in Gering, Nebraska. The prize money, which will be split evenly between the elite men and women, is 33% less than last year, but USA Cycling confirmed to Cycling News that the elite gravel overall winners will each receive $10,000, up from $12,000 in the previous edition.

However, the number of top finishers sharing the prize money has increased, from only the top five last year to seven this year: $5,000 for second place, $2,000 for third place, $1,500 for fourth place, and $750 for fifth, $500 for sixth, and $250 for seventh place.

In addition, automatic qualification for the UCI Gravel World Championships will be extended to the top five elite women and men. The Age Group National Champions will continue, with each winner qualifying for the World Championships.

“The total prize purse for the elite race will be $40,000, equal for men and women,” said Kyle Knott, director of national events for USA Cycling, “We as an organization are committed to supporting gravel racing and this prize money is proof of that.

At last year's inaugural Gravel National Championships, a total of $60,000 in prize money was used to attract top riders to take time out of their busy schedules to travel to western Nebraska, three hours away from the nearest major airport from Denver, Colorado. USA Cycling CEO Brendan Quirk said the money came from entry fees and sponsorships.

Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles) and Lauren Stevens (now Sinisca Cycling) won the elite title and each received $12,000. At the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships in Italy, the two newly crowned national champions were the top Americans in the elite category, with Swenson in fifth and Stevens in sixth.

A total of 544 participants took part last year, winning titles in 41 categories. The schedule will be the same as last year, with the elite men taking on the 131.4-mile long course at 6:30 a.m. local time along with the men's open 19+ category, and the elite women taking on the same course 15 minutes later with the women's open 19+ category.

A wave of athletes across several age groups, single speed and non-binary divisions will follow 15 minutes further behind the elite women on the long course; distances of 88.2 miles, 56.9 miles, and 24.8 miles will be used for the other three waves.

All of the course will be the same as last year, with 90% of western Nebraska on dirt and gravel roads, passing through famous rocky areas such as Scotts Bluff National Monument and Chimney Rock, once a landmark for Native Americans and settlers traveling west on the Oregon Trail.

The prize purse for the US Gravel National Championships remains one of the highest in the country for prize money paid in a single day of off-road racing. This year's top prize was the Valley of Tears Gravel Bike Race held in Turkey, Texas. The first time the race was held in March, the total prize purse was advertised at $26,000, which was doubled to $52,000 on race day morning with proceeds from generous sponsors, paying out 20 SBT GRVL prize pools of $22,000, with $5,000 for each winner. Each winner will receive $5,000.