Practical information

Fan zones

Fanzone Torenvalk

ideal zone to see the riders pass (max) 5 times

Fanzone Meerdaalhof

Enjoy the race live on the big screen
Delicious snacks and drinks available
5 passages (max) from the riders

PUBLIC ZONE AT THE START/FINISH

5 passages (max) ensure a whole afternoon of gravel fun
Enjoy the race live on the big screen
Delicious snacks and drinks available
the VIP takes place in Het Spaans Dak, De Roosenberg and Zoete Bron
Grit! Gravel Expo on Saturday and Sunday showing the latest gravel bikes and accessories

Participation package

Besides an impressive course through beautiful scenery, we also offer you a comprehensive participation package:

An extensive provisioning along the way*
Technical assistance at each feeding station and at start/finish
Medical service at the start/finish and on the route
Insurance (no helmet = not insured)
Waymarked course with perfect signage
Supervised bicycle parking
Changing rooms & showers
A professional bike wash

*Supplies only on presentation of the frame plate

Programme and location

The start and finish will take place at 15 Maurits Noëstraat in Oud-Heverlee.

Saturday 30 September

10:00 – 18:00 – Grit! Gravel Expo
12:00 – 18:00 – Pick-up starter pack
14.00 – Briefing national coaches elite category
15.00 – Briefing age group riders

Sunday 1 October

8:00 – 11:00 – Pick-up starter pack
10:00 – 18:00 – Grit! Gravel Expo
11.00 – Startboxes open

Elite races starts

12.00 – MEN ELITE
12.01 – WOMEN ELITE

Age groups & youth starts

12.04 – men 19-34
12.06 – men 35-39 / 40-44
12.08 – men 45-49 / 50-54
12.10 – men junior (only Belgian nationality riders)
12.11 – women 19-34 / 35-39 / 40-44 / 45-49 / 50-54
12.12 – men 55-59 / 60-64
12.13 – men U17 (only Belgian nationality riders) /women Jun & U17 (Belgian nationality riders) /men 65+ / women 55+

Collecting frame plate / starting procedure

Riders are placed in start boxes at the starting line, in accordance with their starting order and per start group. The entrance to each box must be placed at the back of each box, with riders entering from the side. The start boxes must be large enough to accommodate high numbers of participants (up to 500 riders).

Elite start: the Elite start will be organised based on the points system as also applied for the UCI Gravel World Championships. The system is a cumulation of the following points.

Points won during the UCI Gravel World Series events in the overall male/female result per race.
- top 25: 200-180-160-150-140-130-120-110-100-90-80-70-65-60-55-50-45-40-35-30-25-20-15-10-5 points
Points won during the UCI Gravel World Championships of the previous year in the elite category.
- top 25: 1000-750-600-500-450-400-350-300-275-250-225-200-180-160-140-120-100-80-70-60-50-40-30-20-10 points
50% of the points in the UCI rankings road, mountain bike cross country (XCO), mountain bike marathon (XCM) and cyclocross.

Riders of the age groups and youth categories will still be positioned on a first come, first serve base at the start of the Championships.

Saturday 30 September

12:00 – 18:00: Pick-up starter pack

Sunday 1 October

8:00 – 11:00 – Pick-up starter pack

Technical assistance

Technical teams will provide support at the various feeding stations and along the way. Should you be unable to continue at any point, please call the emergency number on the back of your frame plate.

Preparation

The organiser advises everyone to avoid strenuous efforts for which they are not physically prepared. Make wise choices regarding the pace you want to impose on your body. If you want to perform sports at a high intensity, you should have yourself checked annually by a (sports) doctor.

Presenting medical certificates is not compulsory. It is up to the athlete to decide how to deal with the information he receives during a medical check-up. The organiser bears no responsibility in this respect.

Respect the road code and "Leave no trace".

Keep to the paths

Not all paths are equally suitable for every use. Please only ride on paths where cycling leaves no trace, and certainly do not create new paths right through nature. A banal-looking verge might very well be an oasis of rare plants. Camping in Flanders is also only possible where it is explicitly permitted.

Take your rubbish with you and leave nothing behind

Use reusable packaging as much as possible, thereby reducing your personal waste mountain. A ziplock bag in your back pocket can be very handy to carry empty gel packs or energy bars wrappers without any hassle. The same goes for banana peels, after all, these decompose very slowly in nature and have an impact on the surrounding soil. So, just put the rubbish back in the bag. A small habit, a large impact.

Do not take anything from nature

Don’t pick flowers or plants and just leave nature as you find it. And no, those mushrooms aren’t going to prevent hunger pangs either, so just leave them there.

Be courteous!

Our nature is scarce and beloved. So, there is a big chance you will encounter other recreationalists. Slow down, be friendly, be kind to each other. The world will look even more beautiful.

Accomodation

Plan your stay early and ensure a good night’s accommodation. Through the document below provide by Tourism Flemish Brabant, you can already find fine local recommendations.

Local recommendations >>

Vanomobil Camper Village

Vanomobil is the Belgian motorhome specialist with experience in sales, rental and maintenance of motorhomes and campervans! Vanomobil has a heart for cycling and has been involved in the bike, race, cyclocross and MTB sector for years. From now on, they are also putting their shoulders to the Gravel segment! With all their campervan experience, they are the right partner to set up this camper village. The Vanomobil Camper Village is located at the Korbeek-Dijle athletics park (Blokkenstraat, 3060 Bertem). The athletics park is just a 10-minute bike ride from the start of the BC & EC. For a small fee of just €15 per camper, you get beautiful and guarded camper place in a cosy setting together with other Gravel enthusiasts. The Camper Village will be open from Friday 29/09/23 to Sunday 1/10/23.

Vanomobil, together with partner Ruwelka, offers coffee cakes and a drink on Sunday morning.

Please note that there are no water, no sanitary facilities and no electricity at the site.

Vanomobil and Golazo look forward to welcoming you there!

Accessibility

More information soon >>

Technical information

1. Bike specifications
  
  The bike should be minimum 6.8kg (without bottles, GPS device) as per UCI regulations
  There is no minimum or maximum tyre width
2. Feeding and littering
  
  Taking food and drinks from a helper or the organisation is only possible in the designated feed and tech zones. Also throwing away drinking bottles or gels/bars is only allowed in these zones (clearly indicated with a sign indicating the start and end of these zones).
  We cannot emphasize enough that the correct use of the forest paths and roads is important for the organization of this European Championship and also the World Championship that will take place on large parts of this course next year. It is thanks to the collaboration with ANB that this is possible so let’s respect nature in this vulnerable part of our country. Littering or taking bottles or food outside these zones means disqualification from the race.
3. Signposting
  
  Signposting is very important to allow those involved in the Championships to find their way around the competition venue easily. This will be foreseen by the organisers the week before the event.
4. Specific race regulations
  
  Mandatory helmet: The UCI takes a very hard stance on the use of helmets in competition. Wearing a helmet is mandatory for all competitions, throughout the whole race.
  Participants are informed in advance by the organization that they will be barred from the start or that their race number will immediately be withdrawn if they are caught by a member of the organization without their helmet.
  
  Accident and third-party liability insurance: The organizer must ensure that all cyclists who take part in the event possess appropriate medical and third-party liability insurance.
  Each rider is responsible for ensuring that they possess adequate medical insurance. This can be ensured either through an individual race license (from a National Federation affiliated to the UCI) covering races abroad or through a one day licence of Belgian Cycling.
5. articipants race uniforms (jerseys)
  
  Riders can wear the jersey of their club – team. Reigning World Champions should wear their rainbow jersey.
6. Timing
  
  The event is timed for all the participants, for the entire length of the course.