Gallery: Big tyres, taped-on tools and lost bidons - All the tech from the toughest UCI Gravel World Championships yet

Factor must have been pleased to see the Elara ridden to victory in the Elite men's race by gravel pro Magnus Bak Klaris.

This model had some extra tape applied around the computer, something of a theme amongst the race bikes we saw.

Wide to narrow on the Elara front end, which seems to have been well received by cycling tech fans this summer.

Black Inc. handlebars and wheels rounded out this build.

The latest Black Inc. gravel wheels have crazy specs: 30 mm wide internally and 64mm deep.

Some 57mm tyres actually foul the Elara fork, but it's going to depend on the model. This looks to be a 50mm.

Reddish-brown dirt featured a lot over the weekend; racers finished dusted in it.

We liked the colour contrast on the Wilier Triestina model. The headtube won't have been this clean for long.

Roval's latest squared off aero gravel wheels on show here.

This is cool; it's a Gen 4 Specialized Crux which provided a more classic frame silhouette than the more aero Gen 5 model which launched this year.

This bike had 50-34T Shimano 105 chainrings fitted to an Xcadey XpowerS power meter unit. Its rider had also used Rex chain wax, a good choice for the Australian dirt.

Two-piece bars and stems are becoming rarer, but this is still a clean-looking front end, and you can adjust the bar roll very easily.

New with old. A pedal toe strap keeping spare wheels together; some things never change.

This is probably one of the smaller spiders that can be found in Australia.

Bidon dirt. This is a good example of how the Nannup gravel covered everything. These were all in the ‘bottle-lost property’ area.

‘Make us proud’ - here’s a nice bidon message for a rider.

Classic bit of C02 canister taping here.

And here’s a plug tool on the top tube; note the clear protective tape on the top tube for protection.

Here’s one of the very popular Dyna Plug Racer Pro plug tools taped to a stem. Nice colour coordination.

This rider went for a burlier tubeless plug tool just behind their stem.

This one has a tubeless plug loaded up; just jab and push in the event of a flat.

Giant’s sculpted comfort-boosting seatpost is refreshing in the days of aero, everything.

Here’s Factor’s less racy gravel machine, the Aluto, which is more of an all-rounder.

Based on the lost bottles, we assume there were some bottles jumping out on course; this looks like some insurance. A lost bottle could end a race.

Same on the rear; perhaps this was to get through a particular section or an early moment in the race.

Here’s a 45mm Vittoria Terreno T30 in the Italian brand’s recycled brown rubber.

This SRAM bonus shift button was neatly fitted around this bike’s bar tape.

Here’s another inflation tool taped to a seatpost; it’s a common move for gravel racers who carry more spares and tools.

There were plenty of stem notes on display. Check out this aero Apidura top tube frame bag.

This is the Enve G Series dropper post lever. It can be toggled from the drops or the hoods. Neat cable job too.

There were a few dropper posts out there, though the course was relatively smooth.

Here’s the Gen 5 Crux from Specialized. A much more aerodynamic proposition than the Gen 4 model.

Here’s one of Silca’s new gravel tyres. The Protocol 3 is the range’s all-rounder.

The new Canyon Grail was being raced, and we got a close-up look at a couple of bikes. One was Carolin Schiff's, and the other was Larissa Hartog's.

Hartog was running a mix-and-match drivetrain with a wireless XTR rear mech, which should also provide improved chain retention in theory.

This CO2 inflator was neatly installed next to the seat tube bottle for a much cleaner look.

Dura-Ace cranks and power meter with a neat aftermarket 1x chainring. Note the double power meter setup, thanks to the Favero Pro MX SPD pedals.

You can see the chain wax in the chain pins here; the chain guide also looks very sturdy.

The Grail accommodates 57mm tyres comfortably now.

Hartog was using the Coros Dura solar computer, popular with long-distance riders due to its monster battery life.

This shot shows the Grail clearance with a 2.1” tyre fitted at the fork.

‘In doubt, flat it out' - we won’t know the whole story behind this one. I like to think it means throw caution to the wind with your racing, and if you flat, you flat.

Schiff had Schwalbe Race Pro Thunder Burt Speed tyres in a 2.1” size

Here’s Schiff’s inspirational bar message; this is the aero Canyon RACE bar.

Here’s a 2.25” Thunder Burt tread.

Schiff raced to 11th place on the day; her bike was set up a little differently.

This Grail had a different chainset setup: an SRM power meter paired to a 42-tooth Rotor chainring.

This bar has some textured tape applied to the top section and a Canyon Co2 inflator taped on.

The Grail has dedicated holder mounts, but electrical tape is still clearly a popular solution.

This was Sofía Gómez Villafañe’s bike after its day in the dirt.