DONOVEN FRANCIS.

UNITED STATES · SWEDEN · ELITE GRAVEL

DONOVEN
FRANCIS.

Swedish-American cyclist building toward the WorldTour through elite gravel racing.

Watch the filmRead the River reportPartner
24 YEARS OLD6′4.5″ ROULEURDALLAS, TEXAS
Donoven Francis smiling in the Team USA skinsuit beneath the UCI Gravel World Championships start archTEAM USA · UCI GRAVEL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
01 / ORIGIN

THE BOY · THE FAMILY · THE CHOICE

Built in Texas.
Forged in Sweden.

Born in the United States to a Swedish mother and a father of Cape Verdean descent, Donoven grew up at the intersection of two cultures and a family shaped by sport.

To family and the friends who know him best, he is simply Byrd.

His mother came from Sweden to Clemson on an 800-meter track scholarship. His father played basketball, and his grandfather played professionally. Donoven found his own arena on two wheels, shaped by Swedish summers, Texas heat, and a family that understood what serious sport demands.

He learned to ride on Swedish roads with his grandfather, trained through four years at Texas State University, completed his Communications degree in 2025, and only then committed full time to the professional goal.

Sport was already in the family.
Cycling became his own.

Donoven as a boy with his first bike beside a Swedish lake
SWEDEN · THE FIRST BIKE
02 / THE ENGINE

LAB-TESTED · RACE-PROVEN

The numbers support
the ambition.

390WCRITICAL POWER
473WFIVE-MINUTE POWER
703WONE-MINUTE POWER
1,542WPEAK SPRINT
75.3KGRACE WEIGHT
120G/HRRACE FUELING
03 / THE COMEBACK · UNBOUND GRAVEL 100

Taken down.
Not taken out.

A crash at mile 10 sent him back to 36th. He spent the next four hours riding through the field to finish eighth in the Elite Men’s race, setting his 30-minute and one-hour power records in the middle of the fight.

36THAFTER THE CRASH
8THELITE MEN
30 MINPOWER RECORD
1 HOURPOWER RECORD
Donoven after finishing Unbound Gravel 100
UNBOUND · AFTER THE FIGHT
04 / CHARACTER

THE RIDER INSIDE THE TEAM

Character is revealed
long before victory is earned.

Donoven at the World Championships start, eyes closed and centered before racingCecilia walking beside Donoven before a race start
THE MOMENT BEFORE THE START MOTHER AND SON · TOGETHER BEFORE THE RACE

Donoven is a selfless competitor and a committed teammate. He listens, learns quickly, accepts coaching, and is willing to work for the objectives of the group—not simply his own result. Humble by nature and relentless when racing gets difficult, he keeps fighting long after the easier decision would have been to stop.

01

COACHABLE

He listens, learns, and applies it. Every day.

02

SELFLESS

He rides for the team and the mission.

03

RELENTLESS

He keeps fighting when it hurts most.

04

TEAM FIRST

He puts the group before himself.

Donoven with his father and Cecilia under a race start arch
FAMILY AT THE START · BWR
Donoven with his father at the UCI Gravel World Championships
WITH HIS FATHER · WORLDS
Donoven and Cecilia laughing together in Belgium
WITH CECILIA · BELGIUM
SCOUT REPORT

“I have watched Donoven empty himself for the race, for the objective, and for the people around him time and time again. He is humble, coachable, unselfish, and extraordinarily determined. Any team that gives him an opportunity will get much more than an athlete. They will get an exceptional young man who will give them everything he has.”

CHAUN HARPER · COACH & ATHLETE MANAGER · CE&C PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT
05 / EUROPE

NEXT PLANNED RACES · SEPTEMBER 2026

The campaign moves
across a continent.

Next planned start: Sea Otter Europe, Girona, on 19 September. The European campaign continues in Halmstad on 26 September. Plans remain subject to race-day confirmation.

Sea Otter Europe

Girona, Spain

UCI WORLD SERIES

Gravel Grit ’n Grind

Halmstad, Sweden

UCI WORLD SERIES

Event information: Girona, 19 September · Halmstad, 26 September. Earlier scheduled events: European Gravel Championships, 30 August; The River, 6 September. Read the River report.

RACE REPORT · BOUILLON, BELGIUM · 6 SEPTEMBER 2026

The River.
Part of the climb.

In top-25 contention around 67.7 km before a flat changed the race. Donoven’s account describes racing in the second group at The River by The Traka. This was an in-race position, not an official top-25 finish.

Donoven Francis fighting back toward the front group at The River by The Traka
THE RIVER BY THE TRAKA · FIGHTING BACK TOWARD THE FRONT GROUP
Donoven taking a roadside selfie with other cyclists in the background
THE MOMENTS BETWEEN · AT THE ROADSIDE
Cyclists riding along a narrow street in Belgium
THE EUROPEAN CHAPTER · THROUGH TOWN

Behind the race results is a person, a family, and years of work. Meet Donoven Francis—known to family and close friends as Byrd—and explore the story behind The Climb.

Read the full race reportFilm and media kit
06 / THE PROFESSIONAL
Donoven riding gravel with Romain Bardet
TRAINED WITH · RECEIVED PERSONAL GUIDANCE

A brand representative
before the logo.

“I never have to wonder whether he will represent a partner the right way.”CHAUN HARPER · COACH & ATHLETE MANAGER
07 / MEDIA

FILM · PHOTOGRAPHY · RACE STORY

The audience
rides along.

THE DONOVEN FRANCIS FILM · 2026

The climb has already started.

Watch the complete athlete film without leaving the site.

Download media kitInstagramTikTok
08 / RESULTS

RACE RECORD · PROGRESSION

The proof lives
on the road.

2026

Unbound Gravel 100

Crash at mile 10; rode back from 36th

8TH ELITE MEN
2026

Arkansas Highlands Classic

UCI Gravel World Series qualification

7TH
2026

Jailbreak Gravel Challenge

100-mile podium

3RD
3×

UCI Gravel Worlds qualifier

Raced Worlds in Team USA kit

TEAM USA
EG3CONSULTING, LLC

TITLE SPONSOR

Backed by belief.
Built for the climb.

EG3 Consulting, LLC is the title sponsor of Donoven Francis—supporting the athlete, the work, and the long-term pursuit of cycling’s highest level.

THE
CLIMB.

Donoven is building long-term relationships with product partners who believe in the athlete, the work, and where the story can go.

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