Australia is set for a huge 2026 season of gravel with opportunities to race and participate across the country at a state, national and international level.
For the first time, the world’s best elite and masters gravel riders will head Down Under in October for the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships hosted by Cycling Eventures, hosts of SEVEN, in Nannup, Western Australia.
There will be two opportunities next year for riders to qualify on home soil for the world championships at UCI Gravel World Series events. They are SEVEN in Western Australia in May and Devils Cardigan in Tasmania in June.
Gravelista in Seymour, which is also part of the UCI Gravel World Series, will be held in October and is a qualifier for the 2027 UCI Gravel World Championships in the Haute Savoie region in France.
The 2026 national season kicks off in Adelaide with the third edition of RADL GRVL, which takes in remote gravel and paved roads through the vineyards of Adelaide Hills.
Staying in South Australia, the fight for the green and gold jersey will be battled out at the Ponderosa Pines Gravel Race, which is hosting the AusCycling Gravel National Championships at Mt Crawford for the second consecutive year in May.
There will also be opportunities to race for state honours with Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria also set to host state gravel championships.
Heading west, marquee events such as Backroads Gravel and Ballidu Gravel return for 2026, as does the Dirty Warrny and Beechworth Granite Classic in Victoria.
In New South Wales, Gravel and Granite in Tenterfield returns for its sixth edition, Mary’s Mayhem in Mudgee NSW is back for a third year, as is the epic Thunderbolts Adventure in Gloucester, which has been a gravel favourite since 2017.
Gravel and Flannel in Esk, Queensland joins the AusCycling calendar for the first time alongside Noosa Gravel Enduro in the Sunshine State.
Executive General Manager Club and Community Enhancement, Kipp Kaufmann said: “The community interest in gravel is clearly growing. It’s been great to see the growing gravel participation and events that are now on the calendar.”
