Nannup has about 1,000 residents. This weekend, thousands of cyclists and spectators packed the timber town, about 268 kilometres south of Perth, for the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships. It’s the first elite gravel cycling world championship staged outside Europe.
Just under 1,000 riders raced through the Blackwood Valley over two days, covering courses of up to 144 kilometres. Organisers expected the event to reach a global audience of up to 130 million people. For a regional community few overseas visitors could place on a map, those numbers are striking.
A Small Town Takes the Global Stage
Shire of Nannup Deputy President Vicki Hansen said the town spent years working to win the championships. “Not many people even knew how to pronounce Nannup,” she said. “Now, Nannup, Western Australia is across the world.” The town is building a reputation as a mountain-biking destination and hopes international riders who didn’t qualify will visit after watching the event.
Shire President Tony Dean pointed to the terrain as part of Nannup’s appeal. The town sits 70 metres above sea level, he said, while the land climbs to 300 metres within a kilometre or less. That gives organisers the gravel terrain the sport demands.
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 she’s a two-time Olympic gold medallist. Denmark’s Magnus Bak Klaris took the elite men’s title in 4 hours and 9 minutes, upsetting 2025 champion Florian Vermeersch.
This was the fifth edition of the UCI Gravel World Championships. Earlier editions took place in Italy and Belgium.
Riders Travel Far, Many for the First Time
The journeys show how far the sport now reaches. Wendy Oosterwoud travelled from the Netherlands, making an almost 30-hour trip that she said was her first 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 has claimed seven podium titles, including a win in the women’s elite event at a gravel world series in Poland this year. Nannup’s wide gravel roads contrasted with the Netherlands, where she described “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.”
Three US cyclists, Tim Borsetti, Mark Litrell and John Steward, had never heard of Nannup before the event. Borsetti said he targeted the race because he knew it would be an awesome event. “You guys have big wide roads like we do in the States,” he said.
Stretching a Small Town’s Capacity
A town of 1,000 can’t house a crowd like this. Local accommodation filled up, Dean said, and a tent city and stays in nearby towns helped meet demand. “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.”
The spillover reached local businesses. Cafe owner Hayley Rubery said it was one of the busiest days she could remember, with revenue up 700 per cent on a normal Friday. “It’s insane,” she said. “We sold five days’ worth of milk in one day, and we’ve never made more toasties in our entire lives.” The town had hosted smaller arts and culture festivals before, she said, but organisers hadn’t known what to expect this time. “We prepped anyway and thank God we did.”
Why This Matters:
Major international events rarely land in places like Nannup. This one shows what’s possible when regional communities get the chance. One cafe’s takings jumped 700 per cent, accommodation filled, and visitors spread across the South West, all pointing to real economic benefit for a town far from the capital. The strain is just as visible: a population of about 1,000 couldn’t house the crowds, and many visitors had to commute from elsewhere. Hansen said it took years of work to win the championships, a reminder that regional towns need sustained backing, from planning to infrastructure, to host events at this scale and share the gains more widely across their communities.