Belgian cycling legend Johan Museeuw is back on the start line, and at a World Championship, no less. The “Lion of Flanders,” now nearing 60, appears on the entry list for the 2025 UCI Gravel World Championships in Limburg, the Netherlands, this weekend.
What makes the Gravel Worlds unique is that professionals and amateurs compete side by side. Unlike traditional championships, which are limited to junior, U23 and elite categories, the UCI Gravel Worlds feature Elite and Age Group classes. Amateur riders (as well as some elite ones) can qualify by finishing in the top 25% at one of 33 UCI Gravel World Series events held throughout the year.
So while the likes of Tom Pidcock, Matej Mohorič, Marianne Vos and Kasia Niewiadoma will be chasing their own rainbow jerseys, so too will Johan Museeuw, proving that some riders never lose the thrill of racing.
Museeuw, a three-time winner of the Tour of Flanders, is set to compete in the 60–64 age group, which boasts a sizable field of 157 riders. The roads of Limburg should bring up fond memories for the Belgian, who won the Amstel Gold Race in this very region back in April 1994. At the time, he was the undisputed king of the cobbled classics. A rider whose power, resilience and race craft defined an era.
In addition to his Tour of Flanders victories, Museeuw also triumphed three times at Paris–Roubaix and claimed the rainbow jersey in 1996. His palmarès stretches far beyond those headline wins, with more than seventy professional victories and countless podiums in the hardest one-day races on the calendar. To this day, his mud-splattered image, pointing to his once-shattered knee after victory in Roubaix, remains one of cycling’s most enduring icons.
Gravel has long been the siren song that lures retired WorldTour riders back, and it appears Museeuw has heard it too. Whether he’s chasing a medal or simply savouring the ride, his presence adds a touch of history.
He won’t be the only legend on the start line, either. Other notable names taking the amateur qualification route include Alejandro Valverde, Greg Van Avermaet, Romain Bardet, and even Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas.
