At last weekend’s 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships, Belgium and the Netherlands dominated the elite races, with both events unfolding as grueling battles of attrition.
Florian Vermeersch (Belgium) soloed to victory in the men’s elite race, while Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) took the win in the women’s elite event.
As for the bikes? As often happens with UCI-approved gravel events, some critics felt the course lacked the length or technical challenge to qualify as “true” gravel racing. That said, this wasn’t an event filled with the aero-barred mountain bikes sometimes seen at races like Unbound Gravel—nearly everyone rode what could be considered a proper gravel bike, just with wider tires.
Let’s take a closer look at the setups some of the top riders used on the Limburg course.
Florian Vermeersch’s Colnago G4-X
Florian Vermeersch’s Colnago G4-X is a pure racing machine. After finishing second in the previous two UCI Gravel World Championships, his persistence finally paid off with a well-executed solo victory.
The G4-X is the Italian brand’s gravel race bike, featuring aggressive geometry and aerodynamic shaping inspired by its all-rounder V4Rs and V5Rs road bikes.
It can accommodate tires up to 45mm wide on 700c wheels, though Colnago noted Vermeersch opted for slightly narrower 40mm rubber.
With dry conditions on the day, he chose Continental Terra Speed TR tires—a fast-rolling gravel tire with a low-profile tread—helping him maintain speed on paved sections between the gravel sectors.
These were mounted to a set of ENVE SES 4.5 wheels—the older, wider, hookless rim version, not the newer, narrower SES 4.5 Pro model used by Tadej Pogačar on the road this season.
Up front, Vermeersch used a two-piece bar and stem setup—an ENVE Aero In-Route flared handlebar (37/42cm width) paired with a long 135mm stem—rather than a fully integrated cockpit.
Like Mathieu van der Poel at last year’s event, Vermeersch ran a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset with road-specific gearing: a 54/40T chainset and an 11-34T cassette.
His bike was finished with a Fizik Argo Adaptive 3D-printed saddle and a pair of Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL road pedals.
Matej Mohorič’s Unreleased Merida Prototype Gravel Racer
Also on the elite men’s podium was Slovenian rider Matej Mohorič, who took third place aboard an unreleased Merida gravel bike.
Details are limited, but Merida confirmed this is a “new race gravel and all-road model” scheduled for release in early November.
Based on photos, it appears to be a beefed-up version of the brand’s Scultura road bike, blending lightweight aero tube shaping with a compliance-optimized rear end.
This suggests it will slot into Merida’s range as a “gravel race” bike, complementing the more mountain bike-inspired Silex, which Mohorič rode to victory at the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships.
Like Vermeersch, Mohorič used a Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 road groupset and what appear to be relatively narrow (by modern gravel standards) Continental Terra Speed TR tires, paired with low-profile Vision wheels.
Despite the relatively slim tires, clearance looks tight, indicating this won’t be a bike designed for off-road mountain bike-sized rubber.
Unsurprisingly, given the course’s hard-packed gravel and off-road trail surfaces, few riders opted for XC-style tires, at least in the front groups.
Mohorič’s prototype gravel bike was finished with a Vision one-piece integrated cockpit, set up long and narrow with significant flare from the hoods to the drops.
Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello Dogma GR
British rider Tom Pidcock, who finished sixth, opted for relatively narrow tires on his Pinarello Dogma GR.
While he raced his usual Scott Addict RC at Il Lombardia the day before, Pidcock switched to Pinarello’s new Dogma GR for the Gravel World Championships.
Though it’s unusual to see a pro ride different brands in the same season, Pidcock’s agreement with his Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team stipulates he rides Scott bikes in road-based events and Pinarello for all off-road activities.
The Italian brand’s latest gravel race bike was released just a few months ago, blending attributes of the Dogma F road bike, Crossista cyclocross bike, and Dogma XC mountain bike.
As a dedicated race machine, the Dogma GR features airfoil-shaped tubing throughout, an integrated cockpit, and clearance for up to 45mm tires at the front and 42mm at the rear. Pinarello states its Grevil F can accommodate 50mm-wide tires with a 1x drivetrain.
Pidcock’s bike featured a striking cherry red and gold paint job, SRAM Red XPLR AXS transmission, and a set of Vision SC 48 i25 wheels.
These Vision wheels are designed for both road and gravel use, with a 48mm rim depth, 25mm internal width, and a claimed weight of 1,594 grams per pair.
Pidcock paired them with biscuit-brown Vittoria Terreno Pro T30 tires, measuring just 35mm wide.
Lorena Wiebes’ Specialized S-Works Crux
With over 20 riders in orange on the start list, the Dutch team understandably dominated the women’s elite race.
Given the relatively mild course, Wiebes could have chosen the slightly more aero-optimized Specialized Roubaix SL8, which fits tires up to 40mm wide.
Instead, she rode Specialized’s most race-oriented gravel offering, the S-Works Crux, though she paired the lightweight frame with Roval’s Rapide cockpit.
Following her Team SD Worx-Protime trade team sponsorship, Wiebes used a SRAM Red XPLR AXS groupset with a large single-ring aero chainset at the front.
The build was completed with Roval Terra CLX II gravel wheels and Specialized’s latest Pathfinder TLR tires.
Marianne Vos’ Cervélo Aspero-5
In contrast to Wiebes’ relatively clean setup, Marianne Vos went all-in with a futuristic configuration that nearly earned her a second consecutive world title.
Where Wiebes’ Crux uses round tubes focused on light weight, Vos’ Cervélo Aspero-5 more closely resembles an off-road aero bike, drawing inspiration from the S5.
Vos took it a step further, ditching a two-piece cockpit for the same integrated bar and stem setup seen on Matteo Jorgenson’s Cervélo R5 at this year’s Tour de France.
Her tire choice was also notable: a grippier 45mm Vittoria Terreno T70 at the front, paired with a smooth, 42mm Corsa Pro Control TLR at the rear for reduced rolling resistance.
The theory is to balance off-road traction with speed, particularly on muddy sections of the course.
It’s also worth noting that the 42mm Corsa Pro Control remains an exclusive model for Cervélo’s gravel bikes—the Italian brand’s catalog lists 34c as the maximum option elsewhere.
This marks a significant change from Vos’ setup at last year’s UCI Gravel World Championships, where she used 33mm-wide Dugast cyclocross tires.
One piece of tech she carried over from last year is the Gravaa KAPS hub in her Reserve wheels.
These hubs allow riders to deflate and re-inflate their tires on the fly via a remote on the handlebar.
In theory, this offers a notable performance gain, as the ideal tire pressure for paved sections is much higher than for rough off-road segments.
However, as Vos told media at last year’s event, the biggest challenge is remembering to use it at the right moments during the heat of racing.
Vos’ bike was finished with a SRAM Red XPLR AXS groupset and, like Wiebes, a large aero 1x chainset at the front.
