How to Qualify for the UCI Gran Fondo and Gravel World Championships 2027

The UCI Gran Fondo World Championships and the UCI Gravel World Championships are the world championships for amateur riders, raced by age group. You don't need a pro licence or a team. You need a qualifying result.

In 2027 both championships come to the same region: Haute-Savoie, France, as part of the UCI Cycling World Championships.

The 2027 World Championships at a glance

How qualification works

The rule is the same for both series: at each qualifying event, the top 25% of finishers in each age group qualify for the World Championships.

What that means in practice:

1. Choose a qualifier in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series (road) or the UCI Gravel World Series (gravel). There are dozens of events worldwide every season.
2. Race in your age group. You are ranked only against riders of your gender and age category, not the whole field.
3. Finish in the top 25% of your age group. Your result gives you the right to enter the World Championships.
4. Register for the Worlds through the official championship registration once you are qualified. Registration dates and fees are published by the organisers – check the official UCI series websites.

Some riders need two or three attempts. That is why it helps to plan more than one qualifier into your season.

Qualifiers close to Spain and Portugal

Dates change during the season – always check the official calendars before you plan travel.

Road (UCI Gran Fondo World Series)

• Granfondo Leiria Region, Portugal – our favourite qualifier, formerly the UCI Granfondo Coimbra. The 2026 edition was held in late March, starting and finishing in Pombal. 2027 date to be announced – come and race it with us.
• Granfondo La Nucía, Spain – Costa Blanca, about 20 km from Calpe. Autumn 2026 – check the official calendar for the exact date.
• Millars Gran Fondo, Castellón, Spain – listed for March 14, 2027.

Gravel (UCI Gravel World Series)

• UCI Gravel Alentejo, Ourique, Portugal – October 2026, part of the 2027 qualifying season. Our founder won her age category here.
• UCI Gravel Elvas–Badajoz (Portugal/Spain border) – the March 2026 edition was a qualifier for the 2026 Worlds; 2027 date to be announced.

More events are added through the season. Check the official calendars (links below).

We have done this ourselves

This guide is not theory. Our founder Darina Balabai has been cycling for four years and has qualified for UCI World Championships four times, in both disciplines:

• Gran Fondo World Championships 2024 and 2025 – she raced the 2024 Worlds in Denmark.
• Gravel World Championships 2026 – qualified with second place in her age group (Master B) at her very first gravel race, UCI Gravel Elvas–Badajoz, in March 2026.
• Gravel World Championships 2027 – qualified with her first UCI win: first in her age category at UCI Gravel Alentejo in Ourique, in October 2026.

Next goal: qualifying for the 2027 Gran Fondo Worlds. Other members of our team have also qualified for and raced World Championships.

We know what the qualifier season feels like – the travel, the nerves at the start, the maths of the top 25% – and we build our camps with that in mind.

How to choose your qualifier

• Timing: choose a race where you can arrive fit. A spring qualifier gives you time to try again if it doesn't work out.
• Course: pick a profile that suits you. Climbers should look for hilly races; powerful riders for faster, flatter courses.
• Field size: top 25% of a large age group means more riders ahead of you – but also more spots.
• Travel: a qualifier you can reach without a long trip means less stress and better recovery.
• Backup: plan a second qualifier 4–8 weeks later.

What it takes to finish in the top 25%

There is no fixed number – it depends on the race, the course and your age group. What all qualifiers have in common:

• Endurance for 3–5 hours at race pace, not just a good hour.
• Repeated hard efforts on climbs and in the bunch.
• Group riding skills – on the road, sitting in the right group saves more energy than any training block.
• Fuelling and pacing – many riders lose their place in the last hour, not the first.
• For gravel: technical skills. Time lost in corners and on descents is hard to win back.

A sample season towards the 2027 Worlds

• November–December: base training, strength, testing.
• January: a structured training camp to set your baseline and plan.
• March–May: first qualifier, backup qualifier if needed.
• May–June: specific block – long climbs and race-specific work. If you plan altitude before the Worlds, finish it about 10–15 days before the race.
• July: race-specific work, taper.
• Late August: World Championships in Haute-Savoie.

Read the full guide: How to prepare for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships →

How our camps fit the road to the Worlds

• Open The Season · Calpe, January 2027 – lactate and FTP testing, a coach-built race calendar for the year and 3 months of remote coaching as your season starts. A strong base before spring qualifiers such as Millars (March 14). The roads around Calpe are the same Costa Blanca roads as Granfondo La Nucía.
• Altitude Road Camp · Sierra Nevada, May 17–31, 2027 – a structured altitude block for gran fondo riders and amateur racers. It fits best before an early-summer goal. For the late-August Worlds, an altitude block usually has to end much closer to the race – see how to prepare for the Worlds.
• Gravel Skills Camp · Granada, May 9–15, 2027 – for gravel qualifiers: cornering, braking and descending on loose terrain with a pro-team gravel coach.