Big weekend coming up Canadians racing in the Netherlands. Saturday and Sunday mark the the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships–the first time in Holland. The elite races are loaded with WorldTour talent. But the rest of the field is stacked with national team riders and privateers. Plus, big fields mean positioning is key.

Canada is sending a total of 12 riders to the elite races–four in the men’s and eight in the women’s.

In the elite men’s field, the Canadians racing are: national champion Benjamin Perry, Emile Hamm, Nick Kleban, and Finn Borstmayer.

Defending champ Mathieu van der Poel won’t be on the start line to defend his title, unfortunately. He ended his season early after a tough showing at the UCI MTB worlds. Still, there’s a few former winners going for another shot at a rainbow jersey. Look for Matej Mohorič and Gianni Vermeersch to mix it up. There’s also Tom Pidcock leading a deep field. He’ll be joined by road specialists like Tim Merlier and Jan Christen.

Pidcock is definitely a clear favourite for the win. Although, the Brit isn’t making things easy for himself as he will race Il Lombardia the day before. There’s just under 300 riders in the event–which means getting to the front will be crucial, early. It’s going to be chaotic at the start line, as always.

Just how far can gravel champ Devon Clarke go?

The Canadian riders in the elite women’s field are Anna Gabrielle Traxler, Rachel McBride, national champ Devon Clarke, Anne-Sophie Hébert, Hannah Simms, Francesca Seal, Lucy Hempstead, and Florence Normand. 123 women will race, including big names. There’s defending champ Marianne Vos, former champ Katarzyna Niewiadoma and sprinter extraordinaire Lorena Wiebes, to name a few.

As well as the two elite races, the 2025 UCI gravel worlds will feature 13 age- and gender-based races. There are plenty of Canucks in the age-group categories, too.

The elite women race 131 km on Saturday. They line up at 11 a.m. local time or 5 a.m. EDT. FloBikes coverage begins at 7:30 a.m. EDT.

On Sunday, the elite men race 181 km. The race starts at 11:45 a.m. local time / 5:45 a.m. EDT. FloBikes coverage begins at 7:30 a.m. EDT.

Here’s the full schedule for this weekend:

Oct. 11

Women’s elite – 5 a.m.

Men (50-54) – 5:15 a.m.

Men (55-59) – 5:17 a.m.

Men (60-64) – 5:19 a.m.

Women (19-34) – 5:20 a.m.

Women (35-39) – 5:21 a.m.

Women (40-44) – 5:22 a.m.

Women (45-49) – 5:23 a.m.

Men (65+) – 5:24 a.m.

Oct. 12

Men’s elite – 5:45 a.m.

Men (19-34) – 5:50 a.m.

Men (35-39) – 5:53 a.m.

Men (40-44) – 5:56 a.m.

Men (45-49) – 5:59 a.m.