The Gravel World Championship 2024 already has a route

The organization of the next Gravel World Championship 2024, which moves, after its first two editions held in Italian lands, to the region of Flemish Brabant located in the center of Belgium, with the beautiful city of Leuven as the epicenter, has revealed the route of the next edition that will take place on October 5 and 6.

Forests, hills, or cobblestones on the menu of the Gravel World Championship 2024

The route of the next Gravel World Championship 2024 to be held in the Belgian region of Flemish Brabant is already outlined. 133 kilometers for the women's elite race, linking the towns of Halle, south of Brussels with Leuven, one of the most charming cities in Flanders and located in the heart of this region, just east of the capital. Meanwhile, the men's race will add one or more extra loops around Leuven to total 179 kilometers of route.

A region characterized by dense forests and terrain of small hills that, while not really mountainous, is a real leg-breaker with hardly a flat meter. The organization of the Gravel World Championship 2024 has barely revealed a general outline of the route that still needs to be specified, something that we will probably not know until the last moment as it passes through different protected natural areas and some stretches of private land. However, the organization affirms that the track published on its website coincides 97% with the one that the race will follow.

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What the organization has confirmed is that the route will have 61% unpaved terrain, which includes not only paths but also the characteristic cobblestone sections that we all associate with Flanders. In any case, the region is "a true paradise for gravel lovers with forests or endless climbs that delve into the landscape," the organization's statement read.

Furthermore, to minimize the impact of the race on the natural environment, several accessible areas will be established for the public to easily follow the race without the public having to invade the natural areas through which the route passes. All established in a sustainability plan that, for example, also places the start and finish in perfectly accessible places by public transport.

Furthermore, in Halle and Leuven, a couple of large fan zones will be created, in the style of those we see in the Flemish classics with a multitude of activities and giant screens to follow the progress of the competitions. Also, for those who want to enjoy the route but away from the competition atmosphere, on the same day of the race they can take part in the so-called Recreational Gravel Tour, a completely recreational route around Leuven and where, hours later, the result of this third Gravel World Championship will be decided.