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'Challenge is also a unifying calling card' – The logistics of running a far-flung Gravel World Championships

The 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships will take place in Nannup, a remote Western Australian town of fewer than 1,000 residents, where the rugged terrain and isolation have become defining features of the event. Race director Stephen Gallagher emphasized that the town’s unique gravel roads—unavailable in urban settings like Brussels—are a key draw, despite the logistical hurdles of hosting around 1,000 riders and support staff in such a remote location.

Challenges like securing accommodation, communications infrastructure, and specialized equipment have required creative solutions, including sourcing resources from interstate or overseas, but Gallagher framed these obstacles as a unifying force for the organizing team. The event, five years in the planning, builds on the experience of SEVEN, which hosted the UCI Gravel World Series debut in 2022 and was later named host of the 2026 championships, scaling from single-day races with over double the current rider count to a full world championship format.

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