Gravel teams were unheard of three years ago, but nowadays, it is paramount to count not only on a support team on the side of the road but also on teammates who can play a role during the race. For better or worse, race tactics tend to offset the raw power of a solo rider, and the jerseys at the front of the race are more homogenous than in the initial stage of this discipline.

Classified, the Belgian brand that launched the innovative powershift system in 2021, was ahead of the rest when coming up with a professional gravel racing team two years after commencing production and sales. Back then, Nick Sannen, performance athlete manager at Classified, was asked to look for opportunities in the gravel scene, and aware of the evolving professionalization of the discipline, he decided that rather than teaming up with a privateer, a proper team with the name of the company was the way to go.

History of the team

Everything started with Piotr Havik, who already in his years racing for BEAT Cycling showed that he excelled in races with some gravel sectors, like Tro Bro Leon or Antwerp Port Epic. The Dutch rider caught Nick’s attention with his performance in the first-ever Gravel World Championships, finishing 12th overall even if he started in the amateur category. Later in the season, Daan Grosemans joined the squad. Like many young Belgians, he progressed through the ranks as a teenager, and after a racing hiatus, he started taking part in gravel races for fun and quickly achieved great results.

The pair traveled around Europe to race and “the team using that new shifting system” quickly was in the word of mouth among gravel enthusiasts. Several relevant podium places were collected, in both UCI Gravel World Series and Gravel Earth Series races. Gravel was the perfect test ground for showing the advantages of Classified’s products.

Multiple brands saw the potential and joined the team, allowing extra riders to be added ahead of 2024. Toby Perry achieved one of the stand-out results in the young history of the team – a silver medal at the European Championships in Italy. Annabel Fisher arrived as one of the most dominant figures in the women’s field and delivered very important results and visibility. Arno van den Broeck joined Classified by surprise as a replacement for Daan at Unbound, and he played a key role in Piotr’s remarkable 4th place.

The ball kept rolling, and for 2025 the Belgian professional gravel racing team has found a partner that also excels in innovation and performance: Rose Bikes. The German bike brand takes over as the main sponsor, and the team has become Classified x Rose fueled by Foodmaker.

Combination of innovative technologies

Rose was one of the first bike brands to believe in the potential of the Powershift system, and already since its market launch, one could find high-end gravel and road bikes with the system in Rose’s portfolio. In the same way that Classified is proud of the advantages that its products provide to the riders of the team, Rose is confident that its Rose Backroad FF will elevate the performance of the riders to the next level.

“The joint racing team will now impressively prove that the combination of Rose Backroad FF and Powershift technology is ready to take on the toughest gravel races in the world.” Anatol Sostmann, Director of Product & Brand at Rose Bikes

This gravel racing machine is inspired by Rose’s XLITE road model, with an aero-optimized frame and full internal cable routing. The design of the Rose Backroad FF is striking, with aggressive tube shapes and a one-piece cockpit. The tire clearance is up to 45 mm so the team riders and all Rose users will be able to tackle tough terrain with the required tires.

Already introduced late last season, the Classified G42 are the wheels of choice of the team riders, with the right rim depth to balance strength and aerodynamics The groupset is based almost exclusively on Classified components, with their own new direct-mount aero crankset that complements its innovative internal gear hub. The chainring was designed and tested together with Wolf Tooth components, and it is available in 46, 48, 50,52 and 54T. The purple version is turning heads wherever they line up to race, and it is fair to say that they have been quite active in this early part of the season.

2025 roster

Same as for most gravel riders, Santa Vall in Girona was the first race of the season. It was also in the Catalan town where they did the shooting to present the 2025 team, with the big surprise of Thomas De Gent joining the team. He needs no introduction, and we can imagine the reaction of all the potential competitors when they heard that the breakaway expert would focus on gravel from now on. In gravel, rolling resistance favors those who can ride fast solo, so we expect Thomas to achieve important results in the most prestigious gravel races.

The current squad comprises five men and Lucy Hempstead, who is also transitioning from the road to gravel and has big ambitions for her first year with the team. The Canadian rider born in 2001 placed 4th at The Traka 100 last year, the same rank as in Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Gravel Locos. Her endurance might be her biggest strength, and proof of that is the Guinness World Record she holds for the most kilometers on a stationary trainer in 24 hours, 812.

Shaking off the racing cobwebs

It was a rough start of the season with riders not being able to show up at the startline of Santa Vall due to illness and others being overwhelmed by the level of the competitors that took part in the race. One week later, in Sahara Gravel, there were already promising signs of important things to come. Thomas and Daan took part in the first edition of the stage race in Morocco, collected a stage podium and both finished in the top 10 overall.

Over the last few weeks, the team has been announcing the different partner brands for the year and it is clear that they will be supported like no other gravel team. We can highlight Nimbl as a shoe partner, Posedla providing saddle comfort, plus many other top-range brands that provide equipment, tools and gear on and off the bike.

Even if most riders appearing in the final top 10 of major gravel races are privateers, Classified x Rose fueled by Foodmaker is confident that by adapting the structures of the professional road teams to modern gravel racing, they will be able to dominate the field as a recognizable unit through collaboration.

They have clear ambitions, backed by previous performances. They will go to Unbound with the goal of improving their 4th place, and those who could not be there to support Piotr – like Daan because of the broken neck injury he suffered, and Nick, who could not travel with the team due to a recently born kid – will surely provide the extra gunpower to put the name of the team in the headlines.

Before that, they will also target The Traka. The team members residing in Girona have been doing some scouting of the gently modified routes, and the likes of Thomas will have accumulated enough gravel experience by then to be competitive for the win. When it comes to race series, the Gravel Earth Series will be prioritized over the UCI Gravel World Series as soon as the riders of the team qualify for the Gravel World Championships.