For my third consecutive year I lined up for the UCI Gravel World Championship for Men Elite. After two editions in Veneto in Italy, it was not hosted in Belgium. As we all know, Belgium is a cycling country and not surprisingly it was definitely one of the biggest and most memorable races I ever did. This is my story from Gravel World Championship 2024.
– Beeeep.
The commissaire blows the whistle for the start. I’m still standing still. I want to get going, but I am in the very back of 294 riders in Men Elite. I know it will be a fast start. In the first line, you’ll find riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Matej Mohoric, and Jasper Stuyven, alongside almost all of the best cyclocross riders. They know how to sprint out of the gate from Halle.
Finally, I see the riders in front of me starting to move. Soon, I can also clip in a start my sprint. The race is 182 km long. Despite the long race, we are sprinting as we were in the final kilometer. Everyone wants to be in the front on the narrow course. We will be racing from Halle in Flanders, 90 km towards northeast to Leuven before two laps of 45k around the town.
I’m not stressing too much; I’m just following the wheel in front of me. After just a kilometer, we hit a 180-degree turn, and I know it will be a full stop.
There it is, but something is happening. Riders are dismounting and taking shortcuts by running up the little hill to gain positions. I don’t need to be asked twice and join the runners. Back on the saddle, I think I gained 50 positions, but I’m still way behind the leading riders. As soon as we hit the gravel roads, the action begins.
People are puncturing, crashing, and stressing to overtake others. It’s as expected. Before the race, I told people I wouldn’t go too crazy at the start but rather accept the fact that I probably wouldn’t be able to make it to the front from my starting position and would instead race my own race. Most riders seem to hope they can get to the front, as they should.
I rarely find myself as conservative as I was before the race. Getting a good result could be a career breakthrough, helping me to find big sponsors and become a professional rider. However, this time I am racing with a sense of gratitude. I had a setback when I punctured in the qualifier event in Halmstad in August and couldn’t finish the race in Wales because I was sick, possibly with COVID. In the past few weeks, I have been feeling fatigued and not fully prepared for the race.
Despite this, when I received a wildcard from the Norwegian federation to race, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity. Upon arriving in Belgium, I realized that I wasn’t on the startlist due to an issue with some paperwork. I started to doubt if I would even get a race number. Finally, I did, but getting my mind race-ready for such a challenging race was not going perfectly.
I have been racing for 15 years, and I know that when the race starts, no matter how I feel, I get excited and will try to race hard. This is exactly what’s about to happen today too. On the tractor double tracks, I am overtaking riders, hitting the ditch, and as soon as we get on a road, I make sure I’m moving up, position by position.
– Don’t get too excited, Jonas. Ride smart and overtake one by one, I tell myself as I see the front of the big group a few hundred meters down the road.
– Stay with this group! I motivate myself.
I knew the strap would eventually break, and the peloton was already shattered into pieces before we hit the forest roads from Halle heading north towards Leuven. I surprised myself by realizing that my legs were not that bad today. After feeling terrible last week, they woke up just in time. I am in a fast-moving group and I am contributing to keeping up the speed. It seems like there are riders everywhere. Sometimes, we catch a small group; other times, somebody rides away. I follow a Frenchman, a Brit, a Pole, and a few Belgians as we fly through the Brabant forests.
The course is challenging as it winds left and right, up and down, on tarmac, gravel, mud, cobbles, and everything in between. It follows bike paths and farm roads and goes through villages to connect the trails. Thankfully, it’s dry. It’s a nice, reasonably warm day, with temperatures around 15-16 degrees and sunny. You can’t ask for more in October.
– Attentie!
One of the road marshals yells in Flemish and waves his hand at us. Around a tight and blind corner, an Austrian cyclist just hits a pole and lies on the ground in pain, with a person comforting him. We are not stopping, he’s taken care of, but it’s a good reminder of being cautious at all times. It’s definitely a different gravel course than what I am used to from the US. It’s almost like an 182 km cyclocross race.
We’re approaching Huldenberg where the first feed zone is located. My friend Lawrie, who is both Scottish and Belgian, is hosting me for the race and is also helping out at the event. I’m very grateful for his assistance. This morning, we practiced handing over bottles, and now it’s time to put our practice into action.
Lawrie has dressed in my Trailblazer jersey to make him easy to spot. He holds his hand straight out with the bottle firmly in his hand. I ride about 40 km/h and realize it will be quite difficult to catch the bottle. I calculate where to catch the bottle, and without being able to calibrate, I go for it.
– Perfect! I think to myself as I catch the bottle with a tight grip.
I have to smile. Even better than during practice, and Lawrie’s worries should be all gone now. He was just like a pro soigneur. I put the bottle into my bottle cage and keep riding on.
– Bam, bam, bam.
The sound of spectators hitting the barriers along the finishing straights gives me goosebumps. There must be thousands of people here, not to mention everyone along the course. At every single cross, there are at least 10 people, and in the hills, there are hundreds. I imagine I am in a Belgium Classic race, just like it feels. This must be like Ronde van Vlaanderen.
– Twee ronden, two laps, the speaker is announcing.
It seems like we’re in the final, but since each lap is 45 km, we still have a ways to go.
We travel through the train station and into the forest loop south of Leuven.
I am trying to keep up with a British rider and a cyclist from the Netherlands. We are going at a high speed, but then a group catches up to us from behind. This group consists of the fastest riders from different age categories and elite riders, mostly from Belgium. The larger the group becomes, the more challenging it is to keep up at the back. In every corner, the group stretches out, and if you are at the back, you have to sprint out of the corner to stay with the group.
The course follows a double track across the fields, where the ideal line is on a 30 cm wide trail in the middle of the wheel tracks. A small mistake could easily lead to a fall. I can see more than just the rider in front of me. I hope he doesn’t make any mistakes, and I follow his wheels without being able to see what’s ahead.
– Ooooohhh yeeeah!
A kindergarten class lined up along the cobblestone road, creating a wave to cheer us on. There were thousands of spectators. At the top of the toughest gravel hill, I saw two Norwegians cheering and waving the Norwegian flag for me. What a motivation boost!
The kilometers are passing quickly, and with the continuous variation of roads and turns, you won’t have time to think about anything more than the next corner.
– Come on! I scream to myself.
I sprint up the last cobble climb on the way into Leuven for the final time. The last lap has been pretty tough, and I am glad we are closing in on the finish. We have been passing strong riders with mechanical issues or just hitting the wall, so I am glad I can still keep a good pace in the last few kilometers. I go all out and get a gap on the other riders. It’s not important to beat them, as we are far back on the result sheet, but there’s no reason to save the legs, and the atmosphere from the spectators is encouraging.
I see the finish line. I’m almost there. I look back and notice a Swedish rider and two others are still a little behind but coming quickly. I try to maintain the gap, but I can’t. I have to accept that I am not in my best shape today, but I still manage to find a little smile when passing the line. I made it!
152nd place, they announce. More importantly, I finish another Gravel World Championship. What a day!
The World Championship is always special, especially when the UCI organizes it in Belgium. It’s a well-organized event and a thrilling race with a large number of riders. Some may argue that there are too many riders, as starting position plays a crucial role and most of the fastest riders had high seeding at the start. The winner was Mathieu van der Poel, with many top cyclocross and road pros following closely behind. I’m not complaining about my start position – I’m just happy to have been a part of this and to have competed in my third Gravel World Championship.
Will I be racing in Nice in 2025? Only time will tell, but this race has inspired me to go for next year’s as well!
From the organizer:
WELCOME TO THE 2024 BOLERO UCI GRAVEL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN FLANDERS
On 5 and 6 October, the 2024 Bolero UCI Gravel World Championships will start in Halle and finish in Leuven. All riders will cross the Forests of Brabant from west to east. An unforgettable gravel high day for young and old, supporters and riders all aiming for that ultimate goal: the rainbow jersey. Tens of thousands of spectators from all over the world will gather in Halle, Leuven and the fanzones along the course to cheer on their favourite rider. Celebrate this gravel festival with us and enjoy the 3rd Gravel World Championships ever in a sustainable and courteous way!