The elite teams for Australia at the home 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup on October 10-11 have been announced, with current and former national champions and previous Nannup course winners making the list.
2025 Australian gravel champion and SEVEN winner Mark O'Brien, along with 2023 national champion Connor Sens, will be joining earlier announced starter Freddy Ovett in the elite men's field. Tasman Nankervis, who won the SEVEN UCI Gravel World Series round in Nannup in 2023, will also be on the start line as he bounces back from a mid-season training crash with a kangaroo.
All up, ten riders were named in the Australian men's elite squad to tackle a field where the confirmed rivals on the start line already include defending champion Florian Vermeersch (Belgium, Matt Beers (South Africa), European champion Mads Würtz Schmidt (Denmark), three-time Life Time Grand Prix winner Keegan Swenson (USA), former Mountain Bike Marathon world champion Henrique Avancini (Brazil) and Belgian gravel champion Daan Soete.
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The most notable omission among the list of Australians is top gravel rider Brendan Johnston, who earlier in the year claimed victory at the SEVEN UCI Gravel World series event, run on a course that mostly replicated what's on offer for the rainbow jersey race. Not only that, but he also has claimed every one of the three Australian UCI Gravel World Series races this year, is a former national gravel champion and currently sits third overall in the prestigious Life Time Grand Prix series.
The World Championships, however, conflicts with an event in that US-based series, Little Sugar MTB, so he is left with a tricky choice, and expressed uncertainty over attending the World Championships when Cyclingnews spoke to him earlier this month. However, given he has already qualified for the race via his UCI Gravel World Series win, not being named on the team put forward by the Australian federation does not necessarily rule out a late entry. The registration deadline is September 30.
In the women's elite field Oceania champion Nicole Frain, who after four wins in the 2026 UCI Gravel World Series is sitting second overall, and retiring Australian gravel champion Tiffany Cromwell were already among the confirmed starters. They will also be joined by 2022 Australian gravel champion Holly Harris, with the five-time national champion on the mountain bike having also swept up a world series win at The Devils Cardigan this year. Ella Bloor was also among those named in a six strong elite women's team announced by AusCycling.
The group will be facing a fiercely competitive women's field, including 2024 winner Marianne Vos (Netherlands), two-time Unbound 200 winner Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Argentina), 2025 European champion Erica Magnaldi (Italy), The Traka 560 winner Maddy Nutt (Great Britain) and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (South Africa).
The announcement that Australia would host the UCI Gravel World Championships this year was made back in 2022, just as the nation was farewelling the Wollongong Road World Championships.
Elite riders can either qualify for the Gravel World Championships via the UCI Gravel World Series or a wildcard system, with national federations able to award a maximum of ten elite wild cards – five women and five men – but the home nation are also allowed to award an additional ten. Gravel national and continental champions also gain an automatic place, along with the defending world champions.
Australia's Elite Women's team
- Tori Barry
- Ella Bloor
- Sophie Byrne
- Tiffany Cromwell
- Nicole Frain
- Holly Harris
Australia's Elite Men's team
- Harry Bebbington
- Mark Chong
- Joel Green
- Oliver Johnston
- Tasman Nankervis
- Mark O'Brien
- Freddy Ovett
- Brent Rees
- Connor Sens
- Oliver Stenning
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