TakeWorlds2 hours ago
Keegan Swenson confirmed he's adding the UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup to a schedule that already has him defending his XCM Marathon title in Italy eight days earlier. Specialized Off-Road isn't hedging its bets across two disciplines — it's betting its rider can win a rainbow jersey in one and chase another in the same week.
The UCI Mountain Bike Elite Marathon World Championships run October 3 in Trentino, Italy; the UCI Gravel World Championships follow October 11 in Western Australia. That's a transcontinental jump between a title defence and a fresh title bid, with barely a week to travel and reset — Swenson finished fifth at the inaugural Gravel Worlds in 2023 and isn't the reigning champion there. Specialized Off-Road lists both events among its named 2026 targets, and Swenson — already sitting on a double-digit Life Time Grand Prix points lead after a sixth straight Leadville win — would shuffle his domestic calendar around Chequamegon and Big Sugar to fit it in, pending Team USA confirming him as a wildcard for the gravel squad. That's not a scheduling accident; it's a team deciding one rider can pursue two Worlds titles in two sports at once.
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