Nathan Haas will be supported by Colnago to compete on the gravel circuit full time from the World Tour in 2022.

The Australian's racing program will include the main UCI Gravel World Series races, as well as events such as Unbound Gravel and Icelandic Rift Gravel races.

The move to gravel racing is something of a homecoming for Haas, who began his career as a mountain biker before competing on the World Tour for Garmin, Dimension Data, Katusha, and Cofidis for a decade.

"For me, cycling is about constant evolution, both as an athlete and as an expression of myself. My road cycling career is my greatest achievement to date, but I've never defined myself as a road cyclist."

Haas' last race as a Cofidis rider was the first edition of the Serenissima Gravel Race in Italy last October, where he finished third. 2022 will also be his first real foray into gravel racing, Italian style, as he will race on a Colnago G3-X bike

"I am a very good racer.

"For this new adventure in my career, I couldn't have asked for a better founding partner than Colnago. There will be no compromises in performance and I will go into every race with the best equipment imaginable.

Haas has had success around the world during his time on the road, including overall victories at the Tour of Britain and Herald Sun Tour, two wins at the Japan Cup, stage wins at the Tour of Oman and Vuelta a Burgos, and good results at the Amstel Gold Race, including fourth in 2017.

He has also won the Tour of Oman and the Vuelta a Burgos.

A similar spirit will be reflected in the program of gravel races that will travel across three continents in 2022. Haas' schedule includes Santa Vall (March 6) and The Traka (April 30-May 1) in Spain, and Unbound Gravel (June 4), BWR North Carolina (June 11), and SBT GRVL (August 14) in the US.

He will also compete in several events: the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya (June 23-26), The Rift in Iceland (July 23), King's Cup Gravel Race in England (September 24), Nova Eroica in Italy

Haas is scheduled to compete in several events at Nova Eroica in Italy.

Haas will be supplied with Colnago G3-X bikes in five different color schemes for the 2022 schedule, competing in Europe, the US, and Kenya. The bikes will be equipped with Campagnolo 13-speed Ekar gravel groupset and Shamal wheels, and Deda Elementi handlebars and stems. The aesthetics of Haas' Colnago bikes and Castelli clothing will be overseen by designer Richard Pearce.

"The most successful Italian brand in the history of off-road drop-bar bikes has found an ideal partner in Nathan Haas," said Manolo Bertocchi, Colnago's marketing director.

"Sense, creativity, style, and strength came together in a project that resulted in five unique, exclusive, and frankly beautiful bikes. Nathan is the perfect person to represent Colnago on gravel roads around the world. But it's not just about style; it's about winning races in style."