The 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships brought thousands of cyclists and spectators to Nannup, whose regular population is about 1,000. Local accommodation filled up. Cafe owner Hayley Rubery said the influx made it one of the busiest days she could remember. “We sold five days’ worth of milk in one day, and we’ve never made more toasties in our entire lives.” Organisers expected the event to draw a global audience of up to 130 million people.
The championship ran over two days, with just under 1,000 cyclists racing through the Blackwood Valley on courses of up to 144 kilometres. Nannup sits about 268 kilometres south of Perth and became the first location outside Europe to stage an elite gravel cycling world championship. For a town this small, the event brought a crowd big enough to fill local accommodation and send visitors to nearby towns.
A small town, a global event
Shire of Nannup Deputy President Vicki Hansen said the town had worked for years to secure the championships. “Not many people even knew how to pronounce Nannup,” she said. “Now, Nannup, Western Australia is across the world.” Hansen said the town hoped international riders who hadn’t qualified would visit after seeing the event. Shire President Tony Dean said the area’s elevation helped create gravel terrain: Nannup sits 70 metres above sea level, while the land rises to 300 metres within a kilometre or less.
This was the fifth UCI Gravel World Championships event. Earlier editions took place in Italy and Belgium. Competitors came from across the world, including Dutch cyclist Wendy Oosterwoud, whose journey took almost 30 hours and marked her first time outside Europe. “I think the flight was 21 hours, the drive to Amsterdam was almost two hours, [and] from Perth to Nannup was almost three,” she said. “I’m really happy to see this part of the world.”
Oosterwoud had claimed seven podium titles, including a win in the women’s elite event at a gravel world series in Poland that year. She said Nannup’s wide gravel roads differed from those in the Netherlands, where there were “I think, 200 corners, left right, left right.” German cyclist Nils Lageman came from near Cologne to compete in the 35-39 age group. “The world championships were calling, and I just had to respond, wherever it is,” he said. “It looks great because of the nature.”
Who gets the visitors—and the commute
Local accommodation sold out. Dean said a tent city and stays in nearby towns helped spread demand beyond Nannup. “We’re spreading the love between Nannup and the rest of the South West,” he said. “With that many visitors, they’re going to have to commute, unfortunately.” Visitors filled the town’s rooms, while some had to travel in from elsewhere.
Local shops also drew business from the influx. Rubery reported a 700 per cent increase in revenue compared with a normal Friday. “It’s insane,” she said. She added that the town had hosted smaller arts and culture festivals before, but local businesses hadn’t known what to expect from the championship. “We prepped anyway and thank God we did.”
The winners and the spectacle
Dutch cyclist Marianne Vos won the elite women’s title in 4 hours and 30 minutes, ahead of Germany’s Rose Kloser and the Netherlands’ Larisa Hartog. It was Vos’s second gravel world championship victory and her second championship win as a two-time Olympic gold medallist. Denmark’s Magnus Bak Klaris claimed the elite men’s title in 4 hours and 9 minutes, upsetting 2025 champion Florian Vermeersch.
US cyclists Tim Borsetti, Mark Litrell and John Steward had never heard of Nannup before the event. Borsetti said, “I targeted this because I knew it would be an awesome event, because you guys have big wide roads like we do in the States.” The championship put a small town on an international stage. Crowds, full accommodation and overflowing cafe sales showed how that stage landed locally.