Men Elite highlights | 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships

[@elonif4125]

Unless Lanterne Rouge makes a highlight video, you really have no real idea what happened.

[@permerte5118]

and unfortunately he can't, he has only rights for A.S.O. races

[@123_Ed_DPL]

Yes this was quite poor. No names.

[@alpsalish]

That isn't true at all

[@alpsalish]

Did you not watch any of the race? Post race articles or interviews? Plenty of really solid ways to get really good info not related to LR in any way, and I enjoy LR.

[@KurtPreston]

The last 90km of the race is on @ucichannel with commentary

[@petef15]

Unlucky Belgium. Maybe you need more riders next time.

[@KurtPreston]

@@petef15 1/2 the front group were Alpecin-Deceunink Belgians though… and they all seemed to be on the front riding really hard similar to Roubaix. Timo Kielich, Xandro Meurisse, Gianni Vermeersch, Quintin Hermans …

[@StijnDoppen]

atleast they were all strong riders, 80% of the top 5 was belgium and 70% of the top ten

[@PaintProtectionPro]

They even lined up 10 deep across the front so unless you were at the front you had zero chance

[@AlessioPunzi]

4:02 the skid marks when VdP attacks

[@jorgeroa6591]

jesus

[@alextelus1952]

Wow, that's prolly a 1200+ W kick !

[@Lion-wd1px]

bruh mvdp was already attacking 115k to go, this not the whole highlights

[@Whistler4u]

Commentators oblivious to the fact MvdP has two team mates in the chasing group.

[@absolutebeginnerguitarless367]

MVP, the machine!!!!

[@frienduro24]

Love the mixed surfaces 💪

[@alpsalish]

I do too but I thought this was a relatively lackluster gravel course

[@Broodjemetbeleg]

Next one should be in Italy ​@@alpsalish

[@paulmusters6802]

It wasn't really a World Championship, more like a Belgium championship with a couple of others who were willing to come to Belgium...

[@eerhartb]

but both won by the Dutch

[@aminostruth3494]

MVDP doing MVDP things.

[@MuGA88]

van der Poel🎉🎉

[@GregorIwanoff]

Fun fact: No one of the gravel riders that participated in the race yesterday, like myself, complained that it wasn’t a Gravel Race. Only people who saw it on screen. 😃

[@alpsalish]

Why would you complain? Showing up and racing is the only thing most are worried about. You are getting paid to ride. That is an amazing deal with a ton of personal sacrifice put into it. Many who watch do ride gravel and should be allowed a perspective. It is quite a funny line of thinking to say otherwise, especially, given how much was smooth tarmac or not even a gravel surface (even the non tarmac portions). It's fine not calling the course a total stinker, but it wasn't a very good gravel course either. That is ok. No doubt the race had other controversies related to who rides for what reasons, nation or professional team, but soon enough all will be past it and forgotten. Let us just hope next time the course is just that much better is all. Seems fair. An edit, but this isn't a criticism of the riders which may often seem to be the target. Trust me, the fan's target isn't the riders, it is the UCI and organizers.

[@lloydjarm]

this guy REALLY knows what the words gravel and fun mean.

[@nftos]

I'm sure you had fun, but I think most of us who ride bicycles (or walk on two legs or drive a car) can tell the difference between asphalt, cobbles and gravel. Paris-Tours had gravel, but that does not make it a "gravel race" in the traditional sense of the term. Yes, I said traditional. Some of us have been intentionally going on gravel rides since the '90s because there wasn't much for mountain biking trails (or mountains) in our areas. The UCI should travel outside of driving distance from Aigle in search of the next one. In my not-so-humble opinion.

[@alpsalish]

@@nftos I think you made a very important point, which, has led me to make an edit. This isn't focused at the riders. We are all riders even if we aren't close to the pro level. We want a governing body that represents us and the pros. The organizers and the UCI could do much better in that regard.

[@andigoescycling]

The Wörthersee Gravel Race was not worthy of being called a gravel race because the first-place finisher rode an aero road bike. But you could never have done that on the course. Maybe some people confuse gravel with cx.

[@bradw7457]

A world champs jersey he'll never wear, wow

[@klausbinn777]

Surely he can wear it at Strade Bianchi? And doesn't Ghent-Wevelgem still have gravel sections? And Paris-Tours?

[@JD.007]

a wins a win. hes a winner.

[@notDriz]

​@@klausbinn777nope

[@erich8258]

VermeeRsch! Surely even a British commentator can pronounce an R.

[@KerenWang]

Vermiiiieeesch

[@erich8258]

@@KerenWang hahaha! I just don't get this over-the-top style of commentary. Does anyone actually enjoy it? Just call the race!

[@KerenWang]

@@erich8258 Feels like it's trying to attract the casual viewers that found their way to cycling through gravel. 80% of people who start nowadays get a gravel bike first.

[@paintingsofwaves_mikewoning]

The pronounciation of MvdP's name irked me, to be honest. Van der Paul? It's the [uw], as in [who]... and then add the [L]: [P-uw-l]

[@KerenWang]

@@paintingsofwaves_mikewoning We complain too much, they are just professional commentators at a world championship ;)

[@JayRappa]

I watched the entire race and needed to routinely turn off the volume. The commentators are clueless and painful to listen to and I would like them to find a different career. I still enjoyed the race and was happy to see so many fans onsite.

[@samblenkharn8099]

Yeah the fella commentated the Paris olympic mountain biking for UK coverage I think as well. I recognise his voice. No disrespect to him but I didn't rate his delivery or his knowledge. I would have loved Rob Warner to have been given the gig instead.

[@joergmueller2433]

Vermeesch clearly worked for MVP. I would not select this guy for any Worlds anymore. It was so obvious...

[@ebm80]

Seriously? Not sure what race you have been watching. :D

[@joergmueller2433]

@@ebm80 You obviously never raced as pro so...

[@joergmueller2433]

@@ebm80 Anybody with half a brain would have never worked with MVP. Especially if I had 3 teammates in the first brake. Why would any pro who is half as good as MVP work with him with 20 clicks out while I have my armada in the in the first brake? Come on. These guys arenot nuckleheads. Any tactic would have described to make one on one attacks on MVP in the last 10 ks and this would have been settling it. Dude, I was in World Championships myself during the Armstrong time. If you can not see that this race was fixed, then good night

[@stuardovon3267]

Rides like this would lap Keegan Swenson.

[@Yapper661]

MVDP For mtb wc. imagine that

[@tonyg3091]

Pidcock will love that 🤣

[@ebm80]

@@tonyg3091 If he is not flushed with doping.

[@markknoop6283]

That the problem with the Belgium team when you drive near bars and Café they are distracted

[@the.communist]

😂😂

[@jhonbolanos9229]

Cómo va hacer eso el de Bélgica 😅que equipos son control director

[@RecoveryRiderrr]

역시 그래블은 매튜네😮

[@permerte5118]

Quite bad tactics of belgium, sending 1 rider in the attack with MvdP. Probably would have won anyway. Also bad organization with senior riders on the track

[@defiantparsnip]

IDK, 70% of the top 10 seems pretty good

[@TarsoBsAs]

I agree. They were 5 in that group. Why attacking to be 1 on 1 with MvdP? Doesn't make sense... Unless you want to make sure you're gonna get silver. Which can be a strategy given MvdP looked wayyyy better

[@unklesannjay]

Bike path world champs

[@gravelDave]

and 10 times more excitibg to watch than dirty kansas

[@the.communist]

People need to understand gravel biking was invented in usa cause there they have plenty gravel, but in europe this is not the case

[@backYARDbanter13]

Love watching Americans realise they can't just keep inventing sports and claiming to be World Champs. People who have to push themselves against the best competition will always win as soon as they transfer across to a low participation sport even when they are not a specialist at it.

[@stephensumner1542]

WTF ? that made no sense at all.

[@ebm80]

Sorry I have no clue what you are talking about. Not a single US rider in the top 10.

[@eliluke2427]

Road race lite

[@Big_Island_Boi]

I'm a huge MvdP fan and am happy to see him win any race. But calling THIS even that "Gravel World Championships" is a joke. This was essentially a typical European "Monument" race--on fat tire bikes. UnBound is the World Championship of gravel racing. Always has been... aways will be. The UCi can try to hijack the sport and try to fold it into their European schedule... but it won't even be recognized as the World Championship. If you haven't won UnBound, you're not the World Champion. But if Matthieu wants to register for that even next year and prove he is the World Champion... I'm sure they would LOVE to have him there. :)

[@hijlkecornelisboorsma1058]

so why didnt the winners of the unbound participated in this race. half off the riders in unbound are retired road cyclist. ten dam also rode in this race also retired from road racing so the best unbound riders could have participated

[@Arjen-i9c]

If you had won the Unbound and completed in the Gravel World Championship and won, you would be World champion, but hey it's Matthieu

[@sight4sound]

Fair point. There is an obvious gulf between US gravel and Eu gravel, they are just different beasts. Even by Eu standards this course was a poor reflection the terrain that could have been ridden . The UCI have shot themselves in the foot with this parcour and the format needs a rethink for next year. From a TV spectacle POV I felt it was lacking.

[@Fab_Dante5]

Totally agreed with you unbound gravel is a masterpiece nothing compare to the UCI

[@eszterdomina]

I would love to watch that unbound ❤

[@fautqucabele2070]

Seems to be a mainly belgian sport, like cyclocross

[@Whistler4u]

It's actually biggest in the US. Low countries are just good at cycling.

[@charliedillon1400]

@@Whistler4u Like how mountain biking started in the USA, and then the Euro roadies came over and dominated.

[@defiantparsnip]

Helps that it was held in Belgium this year

[@dieflo79]

Wondering now if Paris-Tours, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix , and other spring classics should not be consider gravel races?! Why not?

[@USUG0]

MVDP's form has been far from stellar since he won Paris-Roubaix. Still good enough to easily win the gravel world championship, though! :-P

[@michiradeltmuc]

Where are the Americans when it comes to gravel racing?

[@owengeach4191]

Mathieu! Not Mathew... First time to a bike race hey commentators?

[@nem3th]

Its good Belgians didnt win, as they occupied almost everything in top 10.

[@steffrees951]

He's Mathieu not Mathew...

[@breaklessbeauty679]

Bike path world championships

[@reymparanquez5316]

Canyon gravel bike ⬆️

[@RacerzGTR]

Paris-Tours had more gravel

[@agmartin2127]

Is it me, or shouldn't the race be held on actual gravel? As in Kansas, Nebraska type little-bity rocks? Not on converted rail-trail type smooth paths interspersed with miles of tarmac?

[@the.communist]

Not much proper gravel in europe i think

[@dweyhrauch09]

dirty road race, come on uci

[@HenriettaGill-w5w]

93309 Jaunita Mount

[@GaryWilson-f5d]

Treutel Island

[@aidanoc19]

While I agree with the sentiment to an extent, the UCI should run a worlds on an American gravel course, this course is kind of the nature of gravel riding in a lot of low and Europe, linking sections of forests, farmland and parks scattered between populated areas. So let's embrace all aspects of the event. That said I think someone who's won MSR, Paris Roubaix and finished the Giro and Tour in the same year is pretty good at riding really really far. Of course he could win unbound. It's not like asking him to beat Swenson at 10,000ft.

[@the.communist]

I dont think there are many straight hundred kms of proper gravel surfaces in europe

[@Wartzay]

@@the.communist Eastern Europe would have it. But UCI would never do that.

[@kkotchou]

UCI calls that gravel racing? WTF?

[@the.communist]

"European gravel"

[@jonrutherford2557]

If it’s gravel why are they on the road lol

[@QuinnChimilio-g6f]

Carissa Isle

[@budlacombe]

That was not a “gravel race”

[@ebm80]

Did you watch the full race? Or only the UCI highlights..

[@TCCGrantT]

This commentator, lol.

[@GOlone9597]

if you can able to use road pedals and fat road tires, it's not a proper gravel race 😅

[@trentvlak]

The MUP world championships. Only thing missing was pensioners walking dogs on the course.

[@eugeniodato9183]

Primo

[@ChurchKatherine-t9o]

Kiara Pines

[@FlyingPastilla]

UCI Dusty Pavement World Championships

[@FekalKilla]

lovely track, but subpar highlights

[@irukandji]

Gravel ?? Where?

[@sprez]

Emporia, Kansas

[@randyschanaman2641]

Wheres the GRAVEL??????????????

[@ronaldeccles4141]

Get glasses😂

[@FelipeSilva-on9gq]

Everywhere

[@arviide7636]

Got damit Randy

[@shuangliu1897]

I'm a gravel fan, got into this sport 2-3 years ago and living in Canada where has same "gravels" like in US, but man this is not "gravel", truly NOT

[@the.communist]

It may not be possible in europe to find proper gravel roads lasting hundred of kms

[@b.g.2395]

Between cyclocross and races like strde bianche, there is a very small room left to create a new bike discipline...Gravel competitions are organised for marketing reasons.

[@klausbinn777]

Wait a minute - are you suggesting that this is predominantly driven by bike manufacturers trying to create diversified product lines to encourage people to buy more bikes?

[@b.g.2395]

@@klausbinn777 yes. And I am sad they think we are not aware of their manoeuvres in the dark. I am sad also that riders like VDP get down to participate to this.

[@klausbinn777]

@@b.g.2395 I know but he's a professional. It's part of his job I guess and at least it's cycling related. I get sadder by their relationships with car manufacturers - MVDP with Lamborghini, Cav with Aston Martin, goodness-knows-who with Ineos Grenadiers, etc. I am not against cars per se but I wish many of these stars would act more as advocates for cycling as transport. I guess on their wage and their age, big cars have their attraction.

[@KmgdsHfafjp]

Lewis Edward Garcia Jeffrey Hernandez Frank

[@vanhelmen3168]

Gravel?? World Championships?? 🤣

[@jgogl9791]

Glad I didn't watch the race in full. The commentators absolutely do my head in. Straight from the Sean Kelly school of narration - add nothing of any value whatsoever and drone on constantly putting into words what is too obvious to bother mentioning.

[@craigl5729]

great ride by Swift to be up there in that company... commentator awful...

[@1afterthep]

I bet lots of world tour cyclists could win this thing

[@Arjen-i9c]

No, they couldn't

[@theorangebaron1595]

Most of them are world tour cyclists.

[@1afterthep]

@@theorangebaron1595 maybe soon we have bike packing world championships and everybody rides with 27kg of luggage

[@klausbinn777]

@@1afterthep To be fair, I thought to qualify as gravel riders had to wear a check shirt, have a waxed moustache and beard if male, and have an enamel mug dangling off of the bike somewhere. Or is that just a stereotype?

[@Jonwisegamgee]

bro is not evenepol

[@StevensonAries-z8s]

Jackson Matthew Young Joseph Young Margaret

[@MarcellinusVD]

I don't understand the belgian team letting MVDP get away.

[@HugoMeyers]

Grootheid mvdp

[@Kueriell]

Valtteri, let Mathieu pass for the championship, let Mathieu pass for the championship. The one and only reason, why Valtteri didn't win the race.

[@maximeflamant8472]

L’intérêt de cette discipline, aucun

[@moop6394]

@UCI, you guys are the WORLD cycling federation. Why are you‘re world-Championship highlight worse than 3. league german soccer? These are not even Highlights, it‘s just a cut with original tone…

[@R.Lyubomir.6000]

🇺🇦 МVDP bomba raketa

[@alanread4763]

The one thing you won't see is Gravel Rash. Just saying!!!!!!

[@TorpeEnbici]

Patetico!!!

[@tonyg3091]

Just send these guys to Iowa or Kansas, you know...where the gravel is. Gravel in Belgium.....😅😆

[@chrisgress1419]

Then these guys will win in Iowa or Kansas, easy.

[@ryoukokonpaku1575]

They'd likely still dominate considering the current competition level there. It's hard to beat WT pro fitness levels considering the huge gap in training and funding the EU pro scene has vs ones in the US.

[@tonyg3091]

@@ryoukokonpaku1575 Yes man, sure but that’s not the point. Point is it would have been 100 times more interesting if they held the Worlds on the course of Unbound. Real gravel roads you know.

[@ryoukokonpaku1575]

​@@tonyg3091 Sure, but from a viewer's perspective they might need to lower the distance. 200 miles won't really show that much interesting tactics from a viewer's perspective especially since UCI requires the whole race to be broadcasted. Make it a 100-200km route and you'll start to see more aggressive riding. Also doesn't need to be in the US, EU has plenty of gravel. This is Belgium's style of gravel, but I found it pretty entertaining since it was a fast route. Each country has their own definition of Gravel, and I can see the next years would be quite different 2025 (France) and 2026 (AU) which has what you'd want.

[@tonyg3091]

@@ryoukokonpaku1575 Ermmm each country? Like where? I am sure they can make a super interesting route in Colorado for example. Or if it has to be Europe, do a second Strade Bianche, call it Gravel Worlds-job done

[@wrightfrost5593]

This is not "gravel" -- what a joke. I'd like to see these road riders try five minutes worth of true gravel in the US or Canada. This is just a road race ridden on some well maintained dirt roads.

[@charliedillon1400]

These guys ride Paris Roubaix, on road bikes. They could manage. Gravel noobs are delusional.

[@julianhill5360]

I would like to see your real gravel riders try to take part in the real gravel world championships ..

[@PeerensClement]

I've seen the sprints in Unbound for first place. No gravel, just asphalt. Unbound is not a real gravel race.

[@eccojammed]

Kerel kom gezellig een biertje drinken bij de cyclocross

[@irfuel]

I didn't know sticky mud = "true gravel"