In this special episode, Thomas sits down with Paul to get an exclusive preview of the UCI Gravel World Championship course in the Netherlands. Paul, who successfully reconned the course just a few weeks after his surgery, shares his expert tactical breakdown.Topics in this Episode: The Unbelievable Comeback: Paul's journey back to the start line just three weeks after collarbone surgery and his secret weapon: a highly skilled surgeon. Course Conditions & Profile: An in-depth look at the 180km men's and 130km women's course. It's almost 50-50 tarmac/gravel and currently in muddy/slippery conditions. Paul confirms it is more technically demanding than it looks, with lots of small, steep hills and constant changes of direction. The Mud Analysis: It's "slimy" farm-road mud, not deep "peanut buttery" mud, meaning riders can get by with standard tire clearance. The Controversial Rules: Discussion on the new UCI rules that allow feeding/wheel exchanges anywhere on tarmac (not on a descent), making race organization significantly harder and "worse for privateers" without big team support. Tactics & Race Dynamics: Paul predicts a "really open" men's race without the control of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, creating a greater chance for a strong, early breakaway to succeed. World Champion Favorites: Paul shares his early predictions for the men's and women's races, The Spectator Problem: Why the late start time for the live broadcast means fans will likely miss the decisive early breakaway action.Featured in this Episode: Paul Voss: Professional cyclist, who is scheduled to race the UCI Gravel World Championship. Follow Paul on Instagram. Thomas Euler: Host of the Gracing Podcast and author of the The Gravel Stack Newsletter. Follow Thomas on Instagram.Don't forget to subscribe! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to Gracing and leave us a rating.

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