Why Some — But Not All — U.S. Stars Are Skipping UCI Gravel Worlds

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When USA Cycling released the list of riders attending the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium, some of the top names in American gravel racing were notably absent — among them, Keegan Swenson, the highest-placing American at last year’s gravel worlds in Italy.

But Swenson wasn’t alone in sitting out this year’s race. Other top U.S. racers, like Payson McElveen, Alexey Vermeulen, Paige Onweller, and Sarah Sturm, are also choosing to opt out of the trip to Flanders next week.

After a strong showing last year, with Swenson finishing fifth and Lauren Stephens placing sixth, why are so many U.S. gravel stars passing on the opportunity to race for the coveted rainbow jersey this year?

The reasons are rooted in a combination of financial realities, the course, and larger season goals.

Lack of USA Cycling Support

One of the factor influencing U.S. riders’ decisions is the lack of financial support from USA Cycling. According to Jim Miller, USA Cycling’s chief of sports performance, the federation didn’t have the budget to support gravel racers in 2024.

“It’s an Olympic year, and we inherited a large expense in July,” Miller said. “I can’t spend money I don’t have. That’s really the decision.”

This left riders to fund the trip to Belgium themselves, a departure from last year when USAC supported most of the athletes on the elite teams through a tiered system of funding.

Paige Onweller was one of the riders who traveled to Italy to compete last year. This year, she was given one of USAC’s wild card slots after placing third at Gravel Nationals. However, she reconsidered the decision once she learned she’d have to cover the costs.

“Why spend $5-8K of our own money to go to Belgium, when we can stay home and make more than that in earnings?” Onweller asked. “Getting top 20 at Worlds doesn’t mean much in terms of visibility, but getting top 3 in the Grand Prix? That’s where the opportunities are.”

Life Time Grand Prix: More Valuable for Visibility and Sponsors

For Onweller and many other U.S. gravel pros, the Life Time Grand Prix series has become the centerpiece of their season. And the series’ penultimate race, The Rad, falls one week before the gravel world championships. The final race in the series, Big Sugar, follows gravel worlds two weeks later.

For many, the juggling act of travel, recovery, and prep made opting out of Worlds the only option.

Sarah Sturm, who raced the world champs in both 2022 and 2023, is focused on both the Grand Prix and the Gravel Earth series, which has its final race in Barcelona one week after Worlds.

“Something had to give,” she said.

Payson McElveen, who was part of last year’s strong Worlds squad, believes that whatever focus a rider takes — whether it’s Worlds or the Grand Prix — requires an all-in approach. He learned last year that going to Worlds without any UCI points is a major disadvantage, and he didn’t want that to be the case again this year.

“I mostly just wanted to focus 100% on the Grand Prix this year,” he said. “Having a chance at a result at Worlds requires planning a good portion of your season around it, including chasing points.”

And while Onweller cited USAC’s financial support cited the financial burden of going, that was actually just the straw that broke the camel’s back. After she finished sixth at Chequamegon, the fourth race in the Grand Prix, her standings in the series rose significantly. The result changed her outlook on the rest of the season.

“With a chance to win the Grand Prix overall, I’ll focus on The Rad and Big Sugar instead,” Onweller said. “My decision was made easier by the lack of USA Cycling support.”

Ultimately, the decision to skip gravel worlds comes down to a balancing act between personal goals, financial realities, and the importance of the Life Time Grand Prix series for U.S. riders. With many of the country’s top racers focusing on finishing the Grand Prix season strong, it’s clear that for now, the value of racing at home outweighs the prestige of competing on the world stage in Belgium.

The Course Isn’t Ideal for Solo Riders

The lack of USA Cycling support also means riders could end up racing for themselves instead of as part of a larger, cohesive U.S. team — something that will be crucial for a strong result on the relatively flat, non-technical Belgian Worlds course.

For Swenson, this was the primary factor in choosing not to go to Belgium.

“It really comes down to the course,” he said. “It’s not a course that suits me well. For a chance at a result, I’d need a team of six riders riding cohesively. Other countries, like Belgium and the Netherlands, will have teams of 20.

Swenson emphasized that without a team behind him, even a top-10 finish wouldn’t hold much meaning compared to his bigger goals in the U.S — like winning the Grand Prix, which he is currently leading.

“Last year, I finished fifth,” he said. “I don’t need to go and finish sixth or seventh. The goal is to win, and that’s just not realistic without a team on this kind of course.

“A course like Belgium would require a team just for a chance at a result. And that’s hard when everyone wants to ride for their own result.”

Onweller also worried that, without a “cohesive goal,” Team USA would get left in the dust on the forest roads in Flanders.

“The US gravel riders will not excel with that course unless they get help in developing strategy and some of us work on Euro style road racing tactics,” she said. “It’s unfortunate and I do feel Lauren Stephens could do well here with her current form, but we need the organization to facilitate team cohesion. Many riders going and paying their own way take the stance they will then ride for themselves and I don’t think that sets the team up for success. For me, it’s not the same experience if the team isn’t invested in a cohesive goal.”

The Decision to Race

Although some riders have opted not to race in Belgium, for others the world championships is an opportunity too good to pass up.

Brennan Wertz, fresh off his win at the USA Cycling Gravel National Championships, is one of the athletes making the trip to Belgium. Wertz took an unconventional — by American standards — approach to racing gravel this season, opting out of the Grand Prix in order to be able to travel to Europe and race in the UCI Gravel World Series.

There were numerous reasons for this. One, many of the Grand Prix races don’t suit him. Two, he believes that gravel’s growth is global and wanted to see what that looked like on the ground.

“I didn’t want to lock myself in a bubble here,” Wertz said. “It’s a cool scene over there [in Europe] and I think it’s important to keep an eye on it and what’s happening. I see a lot of potential over there.”

Furthermore,  after having no points to start with at last year’s world champs, he didn’t want to start in the back row again this year. And of course, the allure of racing in the hallowed cycling region of Flanders was too great to pass up.

“When I learned that Worlds would be in Flanders, I immediately circled that on my calendar,” Wertz said.

Whitney Allison, who was selected for Team USA through the wild card process after her strong result at nationals, echoed some of Wertz’s sentiments. “It’s a world championships,” she said. “You have to make the most of the opportunity.”

For Allison, the financial burden didn’t feel like much of a stretch compared to attending some races in the U.S, like Unbound Gravel where housing costs can be exorbitant. She also said that some of her sponsors have a keen interest in the European market, which made the trip easier to justify.

Despite not having the best set-up for a good result this year, Wertz is still opting to focus on the positive — and the future.

“I’m admittedly in it for the experience,” he said. “It’s super cool to do these races and a big honor to fly the flag. And now with the US jersey, that gives me even more motivation to go over and race in Europe next year.”