● UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2024 will have 15 race weekends
● Cross-country, Downhill and Enduro will collectively visit 10 countries in Europe, North America and South America
● Six new locations added to the lineup
Warner Bros. Discovery and the UCI (International Cycling Union) are pleased to reveal the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar.
Once again, all major mountain biking formats have been aligned into a single calendar, which next year will take place in 10 countries across Europe, North America and South America – and includes six new locations.
The full UCI World Cup calendar for Olympic Cross Country (XCO), Short Track (XCC), Downhill (DHI) and Enduro (EDR), including E-Enduro (E-EDR) will cover 15 race weekends, with all formats enjoying independent and combined events. One of the highlights of the calendar will once again be the iconic festival in Haute-Savoie, France, which this year attracted more than 100,000 spectators.
More information about the UCI Cross-Country Marathon World Cup will be released in due course.
The season begins with cross-country featuring back-to-back race weekends in Brazil, with new facilities in Mairiporã, São Paulo, and Araxá, Minas Gerais, both making their UCI World Cup debuts. Joining them as hosts for the first time will be Bielsko-Biala in Poland, Crans-Montana and Aletsch Arena, Bellwald, both in the Valais region of Switzerland, and Mt Van Hoevenberg-Lake Placid in the USA.
“”We built a beautiful history in mountain biking in Araxá, spanning two decades, to reach this moment. I confess that in 2004, when we held the first stage of our competition in Araxá, I could not even imagine that 20 years later we would be celebrating the holding of a stage of the MTB World Cup in Minas Gerais. But, I know we did a lot to deserve it. With hard work and building strong bonds and great friendships, always with great respect for the Araxaense community. This is an achievement for all of us. We have to celebrate today and work hard over the next six months, to deliver an event that matches what is expected from Brazilian cycling. Thank you to everyone who was part of this story until we got here”, commented Rogério Bernardes, organizer of CIMTB, the team responsible for organizing the Araxá stage of the World Cup.
David Lappartient, President of the UCI, said: “With its innovative new format bringing together all the main formats of the discipline, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup was a great success in 2023, with, for the first time, a round – in Haute-Savoie, France – hosting all the specialties of the series program.”
“There will also be something new next year, with new locations being included in this important mountain biking series, not just in Europe, but also in North and South America. This testifies to the popularity of the sport, which the International Olympic Committee has just confirmed that it will be on the program for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Mountain biking continues to develop internationally and the UCI World Cup is, without a doubt, a key element in this progress”, he adds.
Chris Ball, vice president of cycling events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, said: “After an innovative 2023, I am proud to welcome iconic locations and new destinations to the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar. In the biggest expansion of international mountain biking in many years, six new venues will join the year-long blockbuster, bringing the total to 15 weekends of events.
“Expansion into South America and long-term agreements in Lake Placid in the USA, Trentino in Italy and Haute-Savoie in France are hallmarks of a season that offers more races than ever before. Switzerland also joins two new venues in the stunning Valais region and Poland joins the UCI World Cup calendar for the first time.”
Calendar 2024 marks the second year of a groundbreaking eight-year partnership between UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which sees WBD take on the broadcasting, promotion and organization of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, utilizing its extensive global reach to help develop the sport around the world.
History of CIMTB
The CIMTB organization held its first race in 1996. Since then, it has been innovating and actively contributing to the growth and strengthening of mountain biking and the bicycle market in Brazil. Counting points for the International Cycling Union (UCI) world ranking since 2004, the CIMTB has been selective for the Olympic Games in the cycles of Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. In 2022, the CIMTB increased further further its international relevance, with the opening stage of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike World Cup, in Petrópolis. Furthermore, he was responsible for building the mountain bike track for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, considered one of the best in the history of the Games since 1996, the first year of MTB at the Olympics.
More information about CIMTB:
Website: https://www.cimtb.com.br
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Press office
Gustavo Coelho
press@cimtb.com.br