Bak Klaris wins Gravel Worlds, Vos claims second title in Nannup

Danish gravel specialist Magnus Bak Klaris won the elite men's title at the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Western Australia, outsprinting defending champion Florian Vermeersch, Connor Swift, and teammate Mads Würtz Schmidt on October 11. The victory marked the first time a pure gravel rider has won the rainbow jersey since the event began in 2022, breaking a streak of road professional dominance.

In the women's race on October 10, Marianne Vos secured her second gravel world title, defeating Germany's Rosa Klöser after the latter crashed in the final kilometres. The Dutch team controlled the 125.6km race, positioning Vos perfectly for the win. Canada's Haley Smith finished tenth.

“I can't believe it right now. It feels unreal.”

The Nannup course featured 3,713 metres of elevation gain for the men over 144km and 3,179 metres for the women over 125.6km, with 84% gravel surfaces and technical descents on pea gravel. Riders described the relentless terrain as "draining," with the Brockman climb at 27km proving a key selection point.

Several top gravel specialists skipped previous European editions but targeted Nannup, including Life Time Grand Prix stars Keegan Swenson, Sofia Gómez Villafañe, and Matt Beers. Swenson finished sixth in the men's race, seven seconds behind the leading quartet.