Former World Pro Tour rider Nathan Haas will be kickstarting his Trek UCI Gravel World Series campaign in the Western Australian town of Nannup this May, at the SEVEN Gravel Race. The Spain-based Australian has recently retired from road racing at the professional level to focus his attention on the thriving gravel scene.
In a recent Cycling Tips interview, Haas shared why he decided to retire from the road, expressing his desire to become a ‘gravel pioneer’:
“…these races are starting to matter on a global scale and also a commercial scale. And I think the time for gravel is now. And I kind of want to see if I can be a big part of defining and shaping this new inception of the sport.” Haas explained. “The whole gravel sphere is just really suiting me on a human level”, he added.
Haas’ passion for gravel runs deep. In June 2021, he launched The Gravelog with Nathan Haas podcast, offering access and insights into the world of gravel racing that can only be gleaned by the professional insider.
The new Trek UCI Gravel World Series offers fifteen events across the world in 2022. In each event, top 25% in each age and gender category qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships in October, with the coveted rainbow jersey as the ultimate goal. The first event in the series was raced in Bongabon, Philippines on April 4th. SEVEN Gravel Race is the second event in the series, being raced in the South West town of Nannup on May 15th.
The Series offers elite and amateur cyclists the chance to race alongside some of the world’s top pro riders and take their shot at the rainbow jersey. Haas’ drive to perform well at the Gravel World Championships is clear, “I don’t want to get ahead of myself and say “I’m here to win the World Championships. I’m going to win all of this kind of stuff.” But what I’m trying to say to myself is like “Dude, I want to go all in; 100% all in and go for it.”” he said.
“The reality is gravel is cool anyway. I don’t need to put extra paint on the canvas to be “this is such a laid-back sport. It’s great.” It is a laid back sport and it is great.”
We agree with you Nathan. See you in May.
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EVENT: SEVEN Gravel Race, 2022
