The brand new calendar yr is simply six weeks previous and already the international parade of gravel occasions is underway. With summer season in full swing within the southern hemisphere, RADL GRVL launched proceedings with Issue Racing-Rapha Biking Membership teammates Romain Bardet and Nicole Frain delivering solo victories in south Australia.
The race additionally determined the first-ever winners within the Oceania Gravel Championships, Australian Frain commanding the ladies’s prime prize and within the males’s division New Zealander Cameron Jones (Scott Sports activities USA-Rapha Biking Membership) scooped up the brand new title by coming over the road in second behind French rider Bardet.
Within the variable local weather of northern Spain, Bescaonina Gravel marked the primary win of the brand new yr for Nice Britain’s Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers), who gained two rounds of the Gravel Earth Collection final yr. Within the males’s race prime gravel opponents Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation) of France and Petr Vakoč (Issue Racing Group) of Czechia completed second and third whereas it was Drechou’s new teammate Aaron Van der Beken who claimed the victory.
Professional Males
Keegan Swenson
The unofficial king of off-road racing, Keegan Swenson will make his debut for Specialised Off-road at Santa Vall this weekend, which can also be his first time on the Spanish gravel race. The reigning UCI Marathon Mountain Bike World Champion has new tools, new teammates however count on the identical huge engine to make brief work of the 2 days of racing close to Girona – 130km on stage 1 and 85km on stage 2.
Whereas he did not win or podium at each race he began final yr, the 31-year-old US rider nonetheless got here away with the marathon mountain bike world title, a fifth Leadville Path 100 MTB, victory at Sea Otter Basic Gravel, podiums at SBT GRVL and Lauf Gravel Worlds and a prime 10 at Unbound Gravel 200.
Swenson swaps a standard season begin at Belgian Waffle Experience Arizona, the place he gained 3 times, for a contemporary begin along with his full Specialised crew in Spain, driving with Matt Beers and Mads Würtz Schmidt.
Matt Beers
The three-time Cape Epic winner will make his season debut alongside Swenson, making it the primary time since final yr’s Cape Epic that the duo have been on the identical crew. They’ll return to South Africa for the eight-day mountain bike stage race after racing in Spain, hoping for good well being and outcomes to match to allow them to scoop up a primary time podium as a pair.
Whereas the 2 race collectively at Cape Epic and have educated collectively very often, up to now as soon as the flag dropped the 2 have been extra typically adversaries. At Lauf Gravel Worlds, Beers beat his pal in a dash and he was additionally higher at Large Sugar Gravel. Beers ended the 2025 season with the general victory on the inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn, the seven-stage race giving him a house benefit.
Simon Pellaud
The Swiss rider made an announcement final yr with second place at Unbound Gravel 200 and third at Leadville Path 100 MTB, boosting him to second general within the Life Time Grand Prix.
His off-road begin mirrors final yr on the eight-day endurance check in Colombia at Transcordilleras, the place he outdueled Lachlan Morton for the win.
You will not see him within the black and purple package of Tudor Professional Biking this time, although, as he focuses on the Grand Prix once more with a brand new privateer marketing campaign for 2026. The brand new Assos gear and Cervelo bike tackle the 1,000km journey throughout the Andes mountains beginning February 22.
Mads Würtz Schmidt
Former WorldTour highway rider Mads Würtz Schmidt skilled his first off-road season final yr, with the 2021 Danish highway nationwide champions snaring the European Gravel title in 2025. He carried the colors of PAS Racing to quite a lot of different victories as effectively, together with The Traka 200, and 4 Gravel World Collection occasions – Turnhout, Monaco Gravel, Blaavands Huk and Houffa Gravel. And remember he was fourth at Unbound Gravel 200.
He makes Santa Vall the begin to his season for a second time, however this time as a part of the Specialised Off-road mega squad.
Magnus Bak Klaris
The 30-year-old Dane had an enormous yr at European races final yr, sweeping each days at Santa Vall and including wins at The Rift and Megre and coming second at Ranxo Gravel to safe the general Gravel Earth Collection title.
All through the season he was a drive at different occasions as effectively, successful Wörthersee Gravel and the Danish Gravel Nationwide Championship. On the UCI Gravel World Championships, he completed tenth, famous because the top-placed gravel specialist among the many professional highway contingent.
Extra contenders
Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM MTB) will not be a staple but on the gravel circuit however the Swiss MTB Champion is one to look at as he makes a primary look at The Ceder at Nuwerust Farm in South Africa this weekend. The 151km gravel race serves as a qualifier for the UCI Gravel World Championships in October. Final yr Colombo teamed up with Nino Schurter to win Cape Epic.
Multi-discipline specialist Michael Garrison (SpeedStudio p/b Basso) will begin his season at Santa Vall, forward of his various mixture of gravel and highway races. He’ll keep in Spain to compete in two UCI highway races, together with Trofeu Joan Escola.
Additionally on the packed begin record at Santa Vall might be Canadian Michael Woods along with his new setup, Thomas De Gendt (Powerplus Grave Group), Mattia De Marchi (The Grip), Connor Sens (Through Racing) and The Traka 360 winner Tobias Mørch Kongstad (PAS Racing).
Professional Girls
Annika Langvad
Annika Langvad, final yr’s dominant winner of Santa Vall, begins the season to defend her title on the two-day race. Her closest competitor in 2025 was Geerike Schreurs, 12:08 again within the GC, however this yr they’re teammates at Specialised Off-road, together with Sofia Gomez Villafañe, making it a formidable trio.
The Danish mountain bike specialist gained a document sixth Cape Epic final spring with Villafañe. Langvad went on to complete prime 10 in seven of the 9 main gravel races on her calendar, together with the nationwide gravel title for Denmark, second at Falling Leaves Lahti and third at The Traka 200.
Rosa Klöser
2024 Unbound Gravel 200 winner Rosa Klöser (Canyon-SRAM-MAAP) continued the successes in 2025, successful eight main gravel races and the general title on the Gravel Earth Collection. Her programme with the ladies’s WorldTour squad crossed over into highway, like Canyon-SRAM teammate Cromwell, and the German started final yr with three highway races in Mallorca. For 2026, Klöser makes her begin on gravel at Santa Vall.
Final yr she completed third general on the Spanish gravel opener, then adopted with second at The Traka 200 and fourth at Unbound 200. As soon as she accomplished the Tour de Suisse Girls, she pounded the filth for a swathe of victories, together with The Rift, German Gravel Nationals and Ranxo Gravel. Racing Santa Vall ignites the brand new season for one of many latest entrants within the Life Time Grand Prix.
Sofia Gomez Villafañe
On any off-road terrain, Sofia Gomez Villafañe has confirmed she is a drive. If she is on the beginning line that normally means the day will finish together with her on the highest step of the rostrum. The 2022 Unbound Gravel 200 champion and a three-time Life Time Grand Prix winner makes her season debut at Santa Vall this weekend and it is usually her race debut on the Spanish occasion.
A brand new race is just not a drawback for the 31-year-old, as she gained final yr’s Traka 200 in her first try. Historically Villafañe begins the yr on the Belgian Waffle Experience Arizona, the place she is three-for-three. At this opener it will likely be fascinating to see if the course permits for a play of ways together with her Specialised Off-road teammates Langvad and Schreurs.
Cecily Decker
USA’s Cecily Decker (PAS Racing) will open 2026 on residence soil at The Mid South in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Final yr wildfires within the space brought about a late occasion cancellation for all occasions, together with the 100-mile professional races.
A winner of The Rift two years in the past, Decker charged to the highest of leaderboard for the Life Time Grand Prix final yr, starting with third at Sea Otter Basic Gravel then second at Unbound Gravel 200. Her consistency paid off with second general within the Grand Prix off-road sequence. Becoming a member of her once more on the PAS Racing crew are fellow American Morgan Aguirre and 2025 Unbound 200 winner Karolina Migoń.
Karolina Migoń
Two-time Traka 360 winner and reigning Unbound Gravel champion Karolina Migoń returns to PAS Racing and can tackle Santa Vall for a 3rd time to begin her yr. She’s completed fifth and eighth earlier than as an early-season check in opposition to a stacked area.
The Polish rider completed eleventh or higher in 14 gravel races final yr, finishing the season with fourth in Ranxo Gravel, good for second general within the Gravel Earth Collection, then second on GC at Gravel Race Bern close to her residence.
Lauren De Crescenzo
A four-time winner of the Rad Dust Fest and three-time winner at The Mid South, Lauren De Crescenzo (LDC LLC p/b Argonaut) launches her 2026 programme at Homegrown Gravel in Franklin, Georgia, an hour south of her former residence in Georgia. She gained the 100-mile purple clay race final yr and returns to help her Wahoo sponsor, additionally an occasion sponsor, and showcase her new bike sponsor Argonaut.
De Crescenzo focuses on US-based races for her fifth consecutive season within the invitation-only area at Life Time Grand Prix, the place she has completed eighth or higher 3 times. She gained Unbound Gravel 200 in 2021, the yr earlier than the sequence launched.
Extra Contenders
Axelle Dubau-Prévot comes off her highway debut with EF Training-Oatly at UAE Tour Girls and can begin at Santa Vall for gravel. She started at La Bescanonina final yr with a victory and adopted with extra off-road success by taking second at The Traka 360, claiming the French Gravel nationwide title, two UCI Gravel World Collection wins and a dominant GC victory at Nedbank Gravel Burn. At that seven-day stage race in South Africa, she gained 4 phases.
Specialised Off-road has added Dutch powerhouse Schreurs, and she or he’ll line up together with her teammates at Santa Vall for a second yr, the place she was second to now-teammate Langvad. One other prime end and she or he’s on her technique to success within the Gravel Earth Collection once more, the place she was fourth general.
Former Unbound Gravel 200 champion Carolin Schiff traces up at Santa Vall after an absence of greater than six months from racing as a consequence of RED-S. The Canyon x DT Swiss All Terrain Racing rider has gained The Traka 200 twice and had eight podiums at UCI Gravel World Collection races in two seasons, however stopped racing in June final yr. She seems “to search out good well being and race rhythm” with a second profession begin at Santa Vall.
In case you are trying to see the place Leadville 100 winner Kate Courtney will begin her yr, take a look at Cape Epic, the place she compete for She Sends Racing alongside former Leadville 100 winner Melisa Rollins.
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