Keegan Swenson to Compete at UCI Gravel World Championships

Keegan Swenson confirmed that he added the UCI Gravel World Championships to his packed schedule following his MTB Marathon Worlds title defense. Swenson, a six-time Leadville winner, will join an eight-rider US team for the UCI Mountain Bike Elite Marathon World Championships on September 12, 2026, in the Italian Dolomites. After that event, he indicated to Cyclingnews that he has planned to travel to Western Australia for the UCI Gravel World Championships on October 11, 2026.

Although Swenson hasn’t yet received confirmation from Team USA as a wildcard participant, he will adjust his participation in the Life Time Grand Prix series, preparing to race at Chequamegon MTB in Wisconsin the week after the UCI MTB Marathon Worlds event and then competing in Big Sugar Gravel in Arkansas the week after the UCI Gravel Worlds. Despite the conflict with Little Sugar MTB, which he has decided to forgo as a drop race, competing at both Chequamegon and Big Sugar is crucial for him. Each athlete in the exclusive field must complete at least five of the six races to qualify for a share of the $350,000 prize purse, distributed evenly between the top 10 men and top 10 women.

Swenson currently leads the elite men’s rankings in the Life Time Grand Prix, having established a double-digit point advantage over competitors such as Bradyn Lange, Matt Beers, and Brendan Johnston. This follows his sixth victory at the Leadville Trail 100 MTB this past July. His goal at the MTB marathon in Primiero San Martino di Castrozza is to retain the world champion title that he earned while wearing the rainbow stripes at Leadville. The competition will be fierce; the Italian team brings 21 riders to the elite men's race, led by Samuele Porro, who finished only 26 seconds behind Swenson in last year’s XCM.

The upcoming Marathon Worlds will follow the same challenging routes as the famed Italian mountain bike race, the Mythos Primiero Dolomiti, covering 95.2 kilometers with an elevation gain of 4,000 meters. The course features two high-category climbs with gradients exceeding 12% in the challenging final 25 kilometers.

To stay eligible for top prizes, which include €5,000 for elite winners, top contenders from the Life Time Grand Prix such as Beers, Germany’s Andreas Seewald, Canada’s Andrew L’Esperance, alongside US riders Lange and Cole Paton, will also be racing. The elite races are set to begin at 9:00 a.m. local time for men, followed by women at 9:30 a.m.