Valverde, De Gendt, and Bardet are seeking a spot for the Gravel World Championship in Castellón

The gravel race calendar taking place in Spain in 2026 leads up to one of the most important events of the year, which will take place on February 22nd. This is the first of the UCI Gravel World Series events, set to be held at the Castellón Gravel Race Orbea, where some big names will try to kick off their gravel season with a spot for the World Championship already secured.

Llucena hosts the sixth event of the UCI Gravel World Series 2026

The Castellón Gravel Race, taking place on February 22nd, is the first of three events in the UCI Gravel World Series, which are qualifying races for the World and European Championships in this discipline. Some of the gravel references do not want to miss the opportunity to secure their World Championship spot right from the start of the season.

The Castellón Gravel Race will see 850 cyclists from 32 countries participating, including elite cyclists and competitors in various age group categories, who will face the terrain of one of the most mountainous provinces in Spain, Castellón.

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The Castellón Gravel Race has its nerve center in the town of Llucena, located in the heart of the mountains in the province. It features a course of 97 kilometers with over 2,500 meters of elevation gain, of which 87% is off-road terrain.

In addition to the attractive surroundings, the privileged weather that Castellón usually enjoys—though one must take this with a grain of salt during this harsh winter we are experiencing—is a great incentive for some of the top gravel riders in the world to attend this event.

The participation in the men's category will be led by perhaps the best gravel cyclist currently, as well as the reigning XCM World Champion, Keegan Swenson. Alongside him, we will see well-known names such as former professional cyclists Thomas De Gendt, Romain Bardet, and the great Alejandro Valverde.

In the women's category, names like Sofía Gómez, Carolin Schiff, and former winners of the legendary Unbound Gravel, Rosa Kloser and Karolina Migon, promise a fiercely contested race.