US Gravel Nationals add enticement of 10 elite spots for UCI World Championships to hefty prize purse

The pairing of a cash purse totalling $40,000 along with the red, white and blue of the stars-and-stripes jerseys and a chance to represent the nation at the UCI Gravel World Championships are the highlights of the menu for elite riders at the 2024 USA Cycling Gravel National Championships. 

Now in its second edition, Gravel Nationals return to Gering, Nebraska on Sunday, September 8. While the prize money split equally among elite men and women is 33% less than last year, USA Cycling confirmed to Cycling News that the overall elite gravel winners will each receive $10,000 compared to $12,000 previously. 

There is, however, an increase in the number of top finishers who will share in the purse, the payouts going seven riders deep rather than just the top five last year. Second place pays $5,000, third place $2,000, fourth place $1,500, and fifth, sixth and seventh taking the remaining cheques worth $750, $500 and $250, respectively.

In addition, automatic qualifications for the UCI Gravel World Championships will be expanded to the top five for elite women and men, bumped from just the top 3 last year. Age group National Champions will continue, with each winner qualifying for Worlds.

“We are pleased to offer a $40,000 prize purse for the Elite races, with an equal pay out for men and women. As an organization, we are committed to supporting the sport of gravel racing, and this prize purse is testament to that,” said Kyle Knott, USA Cycling’s Director of National Events.

At last year’s inaugural Gravel National Championships, the $60,000 prize purse was used to entice top riders in the discipline to carve out time on the busy schedule to travel to western Nebraska, the closest major airport three hours away in Denver, Colorado. USA Cycling CEO Brendan Quirk noted that the funds were generated from entry fees and sponsorship. 

Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles) and Lauren Stephens (now with Cynisca Cycling) received $12,000 each for winning the elite titles. At the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships in Italy, the newly-crowned national champions were the top US finishers in the elite categories, where Swenson was fifth and Stephens sixth. 

Last year a total of 544 participants took part in the inaugural championships, with 41 separate categories offering titles. The schedule will be the same as last year, with the elite men taking the long course of 131.4 miles with men’s open 19-plus category at 6:30 a.m. local time, then the elite women taking the same course alongside women’s open 19-plus division 15 minutes later. 

A wave of riders across several age groups, the single speed division and non-binary division will follow another 15 minutes after the elite women on the long course. Three other distances – 88.2 miles, 56.9 miles, and 24.8 miles – will be used for three other waves of riders.

All courses will remain the same as last year, using 90% dirt and gravel roads in western Nebraska, which will pass famous rock formations at Scotts Bluff National Monument and Chimney Rock that once served as landmarks for Native Americans and settlers traveling west on the Oregon Trail. 

The prize purse for the US Gravel National Championships is still among the top cash payouts for a single day of off-road racing in the US. The highest this year was Valley of Tears Gravel Bike Race in Turkey, Texas. The first-time March race advertised a $26,000 prize purse, which was doubled to $52,000 the morning of the race,with the proceeds coming from a generous sponsor, and paid 20 deep. SBT GRVL has a $22,000 purse, with winners each earning $5,000, and payouts going five deep.

US Gravel National Championships 2024 schedule