Individuals will enter one of five ride distances, with XL being the longest, 350 miles, to be held on Friday, May 30, 2025 in downtown Emporia, Kansas. The other distances (25, 50, 100, and 200 miles) will start at the same location on May 31. Individuals who have been enrolled in the Lifetime Club for at least six months may register early.
All routes next year will again be northbound from Emporia across the Flint Hills of Kansas, a region known for its punchy climbs, steep canyons, and sharp-angled rock. The official route will be determined at a later date.
Lifetime announced earlier this month that the prize purse for its signature event for elite riders, the Unbound Gravel 200, will be $30,000 for men and women equally.
The elite prize money for the 2025 Lauf Gravel Worlds on August 23 will more than triple that of the previous year, making it the largest single-day gravel race to date. Organizers announced that the men and women of the pro field will split the $100,000 prize pool. Previously, the largest prize purse for a gravel race was the 2023 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships, which offered $60,000 to elite riders.
The event's sponsor, Good Life Brands, a company that works with farmers and partners to provide sustainably sourced meat and protein, will fund the prize money.
The winners of the men's and women's elite race, a 150-mile, 10,000-foot climb from Lincoln, Nebraska, will each receive $17,500, and the second-place finishers will receive $12,500. Prize money is available up to 10th place.
At last year's Gravel Worlds, Lauren Stevens (Sinisca Cycling) won the elite women's race for the second year in a row and Simen Nordhal Svensen (PAS Racing) won the elite men's race. The total prize money was $20,000 for the pros and an additional $10,000 for the women, plus $500 for each of the top 20 women who arrived at the second checkpoint earlier than the general public.
Registration for the amateur division of the 2025 Gravel Worlds is open now, with discounted rates available until November 1 (1:00 am EST).
Organizers of Hincapie Events, which operates the Gran Fondo Hincapie, are supporting residents and businesses in Polk County, North Carolina, devastated by Hurricane Helene, with their 13th annual cycling event, auction, and special activities so far this month. Funds for hurricane relief, expected to reach $1 million, will go to the Polk County Community Foundation, which has hosted the Fondo for the past dozen years and was one of the hardest hit areas in western North Carolina by the September storms.
“This year's Gran Fondo Hincapie shifted focus at the last minute, but quickly became a full-fledged fundraising effort. As soon as we decided to pivot, George, myself, and the whole family started reaching out to our network, and it was incredible to see how many people came together for the four days of fundraising.” To be able to raise this amount of money is one of the proudest accomplishments in cycling."[20
Olympic gold medalist Jolanda Neff, Sir Bradley Wiggins, and Michelin-starred chef Matt Accarino also joined the festivities. Former road pros Sir Mark Cavendish, Jan Ulrich, Bobby Julich, Christian Vande Velde, and Victor Hugo Pena were also on the program.
At the Saturday night after-party, artist Jared Emerson created a live speed painting of Cavendish, the record holder for Tour de France stage wins.
At a gala hosted by the Canadian charity club Les Domestiques in downtown Greenville, the bicycle that George Hincapie rode to second place in the prologue of the 2006 Tour de France was auctioned for $45,000. It sold for $45,000. This event alone raised over $240,000.
“The bike I rode to second place in the Strasbourg prologue of the 2006 Tour de France, missing out on the win by a mere 1/100th of a second, is one of my most prized possessions. Says the auctioneer, “Being at the auction reminded me how important it is to work hard and try just a little harder to reach my goals. If you work harder, you can achieve anything. Even reaching the goal of raising a million dollars.”
PAS Normal Studios operates an 18-member PAS racing team dedicated to gravel events, and plans to launch the PAS Normal Studios Development Team in 2025. a combination of men and women between the ages of 18 and 21, up to three athletes will be selected and announced in February 2025.
Applications will be accepted online until November 11. Interested athletes are asked to answer questions about their past performance, their interest in Path Normal Studios, and submit a two-minute introductory video explaining their interest in being part of the development team.
According to the Path Normal Studios website, development team members receive “full support” including race fees, training camps, technical apparel, and equipment.
“As the driving force behind the Path Normal Studios development team, I am passionate about creating opportunities for young talented cyclists to take their racing to the next level. This program aims to not only develop elite athletes, but to develop a well-rounded individual who embodies the spirit of gravel racing,” said US General Manager Sune Nicolaisen.
“We are building a team committed to pushing the envelope and fostering a community that thrives on competition and camaraderie.”
Successful PAS Racing athletes in 2024 include Carolina Migon, winner of the Traka 360, and Chad Haga, second in the Unbound Gravel 200.
At this year's UCI Gravel World Championships, held in early October, Dutch riders Marianne Vos and Mathieu van der Pol were the center of attention, but four American women won gold, dominating the 60-64 to 80+ age group.
Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, PA) won gold in the women's 60-64 age group. Van Gilder's first world championship was on the road in 2002, also in Belgium. She competed in two cyclocross world championships, finishing in the top 20 in 2009 in Vogelheide; in 2018, she won her second masters division title at the U.S. Cyclocross Championships.
Vanessa Cooney won gold in the 70-74 division and Wendy Skeen won gold in the 80+ division; in the 65-69 division, Ruth Clemens won gold and Lillian Pfluke won bronze; in the 50-54 division Amy Phillips and Tracy Jacobs won bronze medals in the 55-59 age group. Jacobs was on the verge of winning her third gold medal at the World Championships, but suffered mechanical problems and finished third.
A total of 2,183 riders qualified for this year's Belgian age-group race by finishing within the top 25% of their age group in the Trek UCI Gravel World Series or by winning a national championship. men over 65 and women over 50, from Halle to Leuven. After an 88-km journey, there was a direct finish; women under 50 and men aged 50-64 had to ride an additional 47-km local loop on Saturday, for a total distance of 136 km.
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