Where Van der Poel is already making the switch to gravel, is Pogacar already hinting slightly at 2025?

The World Gravel Championship 2024 is scheduled this Sunday in Leuven, Belgium. This includes one distinct top favorite: Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, as man-in-form and reigning world champion in the field. The rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck picked up his gravel bike this week to prepare for the World Championships.

Normally, Van der Poel and his Australian cycling friend Freddy Ovett work out their rides on the Spanish coast, where they enjoy the nice weather. However, Ovett has taken up residence in Belgium for this World Championship opportunity, where he and Van der Poel can prepare for next Sunday's World Championship in Leuven. The men cycled almost 105 kilometers were already cycled on Wednesday, heading into the Kempen region together.

"Warm welcome," Ovett wrote on Strava, referring to Wednesday's rainfall. He also included a photo of the two men, including Van der Poel, in the Alpecin-Deceuninck jeans outfit. We didn't see him in that outfit too often in races as a world champion. However, he did wear it regularly in training, considering that he claims to do much of his training on gravel in Belgium.

Is Tadej Pogacar hinting at participation for World Gravel Championship 2025 in Nice?

Some 1,250 kilometers south, some men also trained on gravel, but in the Nice hinterland: Tadej Pogacar, Michael Matthews, and Tim Wellens took their gravel bikes there for a 107-kilometer ride. It is known that Pogacar would like to take part in the gravel World Championship, for which next year's edition seems an ideal opportunity: after all, the World Championship will take place in Nice, not far from Monaco, the hometown of Pogacar and numerous other pros.

Pogacar actually wanted to be in Cittadella, where the first gravel World Championship was held in 2022. There he was indeed, but he was also a VIP from Colnago. As a fresh world champion himself, he will be seen at the Giro dell'Emilia on Saturday, and one week later, he plans to peak once more at the Tour of Lombardy.

The calendar for the new cyclo-cross season is now online! Check it out here. Or check out our general calendars for the remainder of the season for the men and women's races.