Qualifying for the Gravel World Championships
- ALL riders completing the qualifying distance, independent in which start wave they are starting, are eligible for the UCI Gravel World Championships and must be taken into account to calculate the top 25% list of qualified riders.
- For all age categories, the first three finishers per age group are always qualified, independently of the number of starters in that specific age group.
- The top 25% is based on the number of riders effectively taking the start (not the number of pre-registered riders or riders finishing the race). The 25% is rounded to the highest number to determine the exact number of qualified riders per age group (for instance: with 26 starters, 6.5 are eligible for qualification, meaning that the first 7 will be invited for the World Championships)
- As the minimum age to participate in the UCI Gravel World Championships is 19 years old, only riders born before 31 December 2003 can qualify for the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships. For events organised in the same year and immediately following the World Championships (May-December), riders aged 18 at the moment of qualification may already qualify as they will turn 19 in the year of the 2023 World Championships.
- Lists of qualified riders will be published online on this website after the race, as long as it is understood that the results are pending approval from the UCI. Only the list which is published on the www.ucigravelworldseries.com website can be considered as the official list of qualified riders.
UCI Gravel World Championship qualifying races:
Age categories (men & women) - Top 25% in category qualifies rider to attend the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships in Veneto Italy.
UCI Gravel World Series (UGWS) Medal
Every rider who finishes in the top 25% of his/her age group in the qualifier events shall be given a UGWS medal in addition to the normal Swartberg 100 finishers medal. To ensure all concerned riders receive their medal and confirmation of qualification, we will set up a desk where these medals will be distributed to the participants following the race. The top 3 finishers per age group receive their medal on the podium.
UCI Gravel World Series Jersey
TREK UCI Gravel World Series will provide a jersey for every winner in his/her age category for both men’s and women’s races. There will also be a jersey for the overall male/female winner.
The rest of the rules and regulations remain the same as the past years, you can ride any bike you want and the entry fee is the same as last year.
There is a shorter gravel flattish circuit to the west of Prince Albert of about 43km. It has a mtb/gravel category and a separate early start for the e-bike category. These races are not part if the UCI qualifying series.
- Gran Fondo - 170km 2900m ascent - Men aged 19-59, Women aged 19-49
- NEW Medio Fondo - 80km 1800m ascent - Men 60+, Women 50+ (Starts in De Rust)
Age categories (men & women) - Top 25% in category qualifies rider to attend the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships in Veneto Italy.
- Overall Men
- Overrall Women
- 19 – 34y
- 35 – 39y
- 40 – 44y
- 45 – 49y
- 50 – 54y
- 55 – 59y
- 60 – 64y
- 65 – 69y
- 70 – 74y
- 75 – 79y
- Etc. (any further 5-year category for which riders have entered)
UCI Gravel World Series (UGWS) Medal
Every rider who finishes in the top 25% of his/her age group in the qualifier events shall be given a UGWS medal in addition to the normal Swartberg 100 finishers medal. To ensure all concerned riders receive their medal and confirmation of qualification, we will set up a desk where these medals will be distributed to the participants following the race. The top 3 finishers per age group receive their medal on the podium.
UCI Gravel World Series Jersey
TREK UCI Gravel World Series will provide a jersey for every winner in his/her age category for both men’s and women’s races. There will also be a jersey for the overall male/female winner.
The rest of the rules and regulations remain the same as the past years, you can ride any bike you want and the entry fee is the same as last year.
There is a shorter gravel flattish circuit to the west of Prince Albert of about 43km. It has a mtb/gravel category and a separate early start for the e-bike category. These races are not part if the UCI qualifying series.
UCI Elite start group
As per UCI stated rules: "A Trek UCI Gravel World Series event should have one start with all age groups combined. In front, there should be a preferred start box with maximum 25 riders. The riders can apply to be a candidate to be put in the preferred start box with the organizer and it’s the organizer who allocates the 25 spots for the preferred start box.
Women categories can start together with the men, but in case the number of women at the start is growing, it is advised to have them start separately after the men with an interval of minimum 2 minutes. The preferred startbox will then also apply for the women start."
This is now closed for applications
As per UCI stated rules: "A Trek UCI Gravel World Series event should have one start with all age groups combined. In front, there should be a preferred start box with maximum 25 riders. The riders can apply to be a candidate to be put in the preferred start box with the organizer and it’s the organizer who allocates the 25 spots for the preferred start box.
Women categories can start together with the men, but in case the number of women at the start is growing, it is advised to have them start separately after the men with an interval of minimum 2 minutes. The preferred startbox will then also apply for the women start."
This is now closed for applications
Race Rules
All Races
All Races
- The event sponsors, organisers, staff and anyone having anything to do with this event are not responsible for your safety or well being. You are responsible for you! We will however go out of our way to ensure that you can safely navigate the course with medics, marshals, sweep vehicles, traffic police and radio/satellite communications on-hand to assist you.
- Participants must conduct themselves at all times in a manner that will not bring discredit to themselves, or to the event.
- It is a cycle race, participants must complete the entire course on the same bicycle frame, all other components and equipment may be repaired or replaced during the event.
- Logic prevails, participants can’t take shortcuts or hitch a lift in a vehicle.
- No outside support is allowed, spectators may not follow riders around the course.
- Drafting is allowed, drafting behind motorised vehicles or spectator e-bikes is forbidden.
- Aero Bars with elbow rests or bars that protrude into the cockpit area of the bicycle will not be allowed. We will allow the design as pictured below, two straight bars of no more than 20cm will also be allowed if fastened in the same manner as in the picture. This is for your own safety and the safety of other cyclists.
- Participants must wear a properly approved helmet while operating their bicycle.
- There is no e-bike category on the Gran Fondo, e-bikes will not be allowed to participate in the Gran Fondo.
- You can use any bicycle on the race, we did however design the course for gravel bikes.
- For your own safety we do not recommend using a pure racing roadbike, the head angle on gravel descents and the tyre width will be a safety issue.
- There are no road closures, participants must obey all rules of the road. There will however be assistance at the intersections with marshals and traffic police. Please obey marshals at all times.
- You are responsible to get yourself around the course or get picked up if you decide to abandon. We will assist where we can with cut-off and where riders abandon but we cannot guarantee transport back to the start.
- You may not pass a cut-off point on the Gran Fondo if asked to stop by a race official.
- Given this is now a UCI event, drug tests may randomly be instituted.
Refund and Substitution Policy:
- The entry fee will be refunded if the rider is unable to participate due to death or hospitalisation.
- Should an entrant cancel his/her entry 3 or more months prior to the entry closing date, he/she shall be entitled to a refund of the entry fee (if not carried over from a previous date), and will be subject to deduction of a cancellation fee, having regard to the potential of the organisers to find an alternative entrant before the entry closing date.
- If riders are unable to take part in the event and wish to have their entry substituted, they must ensure that the substitute rider follows the correct substitution procedure which is found on the website. No substitutions will be allowed after the entry closing date. The substitute rider must pay an additional entry fee.
- The race will take place regardless of bad weather and will only be cancelled, re-routed or stopped for reasons of safety. In this event, entry fees are not refundable.
- The organiser reserves the right to refuse any person’s entry, or cancel any person’s entry up to the day before the race. In that event the person’s entry fee will be refunded.
- No Transfers to the following year will be allowed.
