Albany cyclist Vince Bascombe heading to the Netherlands to compete in UCI Gravel World Championships

Albany’s Vince Bascombe will be racing some of the best cyclists on the planet when he lines up at the UCI Gravel World Championships in the Netherlands on October 12.

Competing in the 19-34 age group, Bascombe faces a ride of 180km — just over three laps of a 50km circuit, finishing in the city of Maastricht.

Despite the Netherlands’ reputation as a flat nation, the main test will be a climb of more than 1km at an average gradient of 8 per cent.

Bascombe, a member of Albany Cycle Club, said he was looking forward to the challenge on a surface he loved to ride on.

“I looked at the start list and there are about eight pages of names,” he said.

“There are pros, ex-pros, wannabe pros, and punters like me.

“I don’t expect to win but it’ll be great to see what happens.

“I love the gravel; it’s a great way of doing road-style kilometres without being on the road.”

Rather more than just a “punter”, Bascombe qualified for the championships in May when he finished 19th in his age group at the Seven Gravel event in Nannup.

Since then, he has been combining training for the biggest race of his life with competing in events in a busy year that has included outings on the road, on a mountain bike, and cross-country.

He was introduced to cycling by his father when he was about four years old — and Bascombe admitted it didn’t go too well at first.

“He took me on a mountain bike when I was pre-primary age, and I had a massive crash,” he said.

“I think he thought I would never want to ride again.”

The world championships are a three-day affair with an opening ceremony on October 10.

The elite women and several age groups compete on October 11, with Bascombe’s age group battling alongside the elite men the following day.

On his return from the Netherlands, Bascombe will be riding for the Perth Cycling IT Professionals Team in the Tour of Margaret River from October 31-November 2.