The Future of the UCI Gravel World Series with Erwin Vervecken, Rosa Klöser & Paul Voss

In this special, candid roundtable conversation, Thomas is joined by UCI Gravel World Series Manager Erwin Vervecken of the Golazo Group, alongside pro gravel racers Rosa Klöser and Paul Voss.

The conversation addresses critical feedback and discusses the future vision for the UCI Gravel World Series (UGWS). It covers everything from the philosophy behind the races to the need for improvements in safety and fairness for the women's elite field.

📖 Chapters:

• [00:00:00] Rosa, Paul, and Thomas talk about their expectations
• [00:04:00] Erwin joins for the roundtable conversation with Rosa, Paul and Thomas
• [01:51:20] Paul and Thomas discuss their takeaways from the conversation

🎙️ Discussion Points:

• UGWS Philosophy & Growth: We learn why the UGWS team focused on races lasting 4-6 hours from the get-go, why they grew to 45 races next season, and what the optimal size would be.
• Safety: We talk through the safety challenges that exist in gravel and how the UGWS tries to address those.
• The "Too Fast" Problem: Did the sport's rapid growth outpace the ability of organizers and safety protocols to keep up?
• Women’s Pro Racing in the UGWS: How can the safety and fairness issues caused by mixed starts or minimal time gaps be solved?
• UGWS Coverage: Does the series have a coverage problem and what measures can improve its visibility? Will gravel races in 2026 be on TV?

👋 Featured in this Episode:

• Erwin Vervecken: Manager of the UCI Gravel World Series at Golazo Group. Follow Erwin on Instagram
• Rosa Klöser: German Gravel Champion, 2024 Unbound winner, and Women’s WT pro. Follow Rosa on Instagram.
• Paul Voss: German Gravel Champion, Host of the Autsaid podcast. Follow Paul on Instagram.
• Thomas Euler: Host of the Gracing Podcast and author of The Gravel Stack Newsletter. Follow Thomas on Instagram