Nannup, a town of about 1,000 people in southern Western Australia, hosted the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships. It became the first location outside Europe to stage an elite gravel cycling world championship. Just under 1,000 cyclists raced through the Blackwood Valley, while thousands of cyclists and spectators travelled to town. The event was expected to draw a global audience of up to 130 million people.
A global event in a small town
The championships brought international attention to Nannup, about 268 kilometres south of Perth. Shire of Nannup Deputy President Vicki Hansen said securing the event had taken years of work. “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 Nannup sits 70 metres above sea level, with land rising to 300 metres within a kilometre or less. That terrain shaped the gravel courses.
Competitors raced over two days on routes stretching up to 144 kilometres through the Blackwood Valley. The event marked the fifth UCI Gravel World Championships. Italy and Belgium hosted previous editions, making Nannup the first host outside Europe.
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.
Riders travel from overseas
Wendy Oosterwoud travelled from the Netherlands to compete. The trip took almost 30 hours. It was 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 in 2026. She said Nannup’s wide gravel roads differed from those in the Netherlands, where she said there were “I think, 200 corners, left right, left right.”
German cyclist Nils Lageman travelled 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.” US cyclists Tim Borsetti, Mark Litrell and John Steward said they hadn’t heard of Nannup before the event. Borsetti said he targeted it because “you guys have big wide roads like we do in the States.”
Visitors fill rooms and local businesses
Local accommodation was fully booked. Dean said organisers set up a tent city, while visitors staying 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.”
Local shops also saw increased business. Cafe owner Hayley Rubery reported a 700 per cent increase in revenue compared with a normal Friday and called it one of the busiest days she could remember. “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.”
Rubery said the town had previously held smaller arts and culture festivals and didn’t know what to expect from the championships. “We prepped anyway and thank God we did.”