What to expect if you're racing the 2026 Gravel Worlds in Western Australia

Supplied by Seven: Patrick Boere, Daniela Tommasi

"It sure is a long way to go in the middle of nowhere for a gravel race."

That was my thought while organising transportation and accomodation. I wanted to qualify for the UCI Gravel Worlds in October. I knew that if I didn't at least have the option, I'd regret it. I'd heard so many great things about Seven – the race that the World Champs course is based on – that this felt like the perfect time to experience it.

In the scheme of things, Nannup, Western Australia is genuinely remote. A four- to five-hour flight from Melbourne or Sydney to Perth, then a three-hour drive south. If you live outside of Australia, this gives you a tiny glimpse of the travel time you're committing to. It's even far for most Aussies. Flying direct into Busselton Airport cuts the drive to 30 minutes and makes everything simpler if you're travelling domestically. But it's only a small, single runway airport, so you'll likely need to book far ahead if you're wanting to hire a car or campervan there.

Regardless of the travel logistics, all my hesitations evaporated when I arrived last week. Within the first few kilometres of racing, my jaw had dropped. Green rolling highlands, near-perfect gravel roads etched into hillsides, clouds sitting below you in the valley. Everyone told me it was beautiful. They certainly weren't wrong.

Nannup

Nannup is small. Like 587 people small. That means it's unlikely you'll find accomodation in Nannup and you'll need to look at other towns that are within an hour's drive away such as Margaret River, Bridgetown, Manjimup, Pemberton, Northcliffe, Busselton, and so on. You can find more info on those towns here. Camping is also available and hiring a motorhome from Perth or Busselton Airport seems like one of the best options available.

The caravan park (i.e. campground) in Nannup has extensive power sites as do parks across the regional towns in Warren Blackwood including Balingup and Bridgetown.

The race organiser's official travel partner will help with transport and travel and will be based in Busselton. This looks like a convenient option if you're travelling from overseas.

For accomodation, you can head to the Southern Valley & Forest regional tourist board website to help with finding places to stay in the regional towns close to Nannup.

Who this is for

If you’re in the pro field, it’s unlikely you’re reading this. If you’re an age-grouper who has never ridden Seven before, this is intended to help you.

For context, this preview is coming from my perspective as a 50-year-old male age-grouper with a few dozen gravel races under my belt. I’m not at the pointy end of the field, but I’m also not at the back either. I'm pretty average if I must say so myself.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive travel guide. The race organisers have done a great job of pointing you in the right direction for hotels, ride routes, airports, etc. on their website. The official travel partner and the Southern Valley & Forest regional tourist board website are also helpful resources, as stated above.

This is more of a technical preview that attempts to answer all of the questions that I had before racing my first Seven last weekend (May 16, 2026). That’s the same course as the ‘medium’ course (123 km) in the UCI World Gravel Championships that will be raced by the 50-64-year-old men and age group/elite women. The ‘long’ course (141 km) raced by the elite men and 19–49-year-old men has another 18 km section with one more climb that you can see in blue on this map. This preview does not include this blue section as it was not raced in Seven and I haven't experienced it.

This post is for subscribers only

Become a member to get access to all content

Subscribe now