L’UCI ha svelato oggi il calendario gare per la mountain bike, avendo per la prima volta nella sua storia unito DH, XC ed Enduro. Sotto trovate il comunicato ufficiale. Dalla prossima stagione Warner Bros. Discovery si occuperà delle dirette.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) have unveiled the new calendar for the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series. The plan unifies all major mountain bike formats under one combined calendar for the first time and will take riders to ten countries across three continents.
As mountain bike enters a new era, riders and fans can look forward to cross-country Olympic, cross-country short track, downhill and enduro, aligning for the first time in the history of the sport. Further details around E-mountain bike enduro and cross-country marathon will be released in September 2022. The new-look calendar will see some mountain bike formats sit alongside one another for the first time, racing grouped by location to maximise sustainability and brand new venues making their global debut, while valued sites keep their place in the calendar.
The reinvigorated calendar was developed by the UCI in partnership with ESO Sports and Discovery Sports Events, two of WBD’s specialist sport organisations.
An enhanced and combined calendar to reflect the growth of mountain bike
With 15 rounds covering 34 races organised across the world, the 2023 combined calendar for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series will see action taking place in ten countries across three continents. Cross-country Olympic and cross-country short track each have nine rounds in total, while downhill and enduro each have eight. As well as brand new locations brought into the fold, established venues will welcome new formats onto their trails.
The new structure will reflect the growth of the sport, allowing each of mountain bike’s different formats to flourish, reach new audiences and enhance the experience for fans both on site and watching from home. ESO Sports, the owner and operator of the Enduro World Series (EWS) and in whom WBD recently invested, will drive the project to globally unify mountain bike and elevate it to new levels, in collaboration with the UCI. Discovery Sports Events, the global promoter and event management leader, is extending its relationship with the UCI to help promote the sport in support of further growing its global audience.
UCI President David Lappartient said:”The launch of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series calendar marks a major step forward in our work to modernise mountain bike, one of our five Olympic disciplines. With the integration of enduro, and soon also of cross-country marathon and E-mountain bike enduro to the events of the calendar, which already includes cross-country Olympic, cross-country short track and downhill, the events will take on a new dimension, bringing together even more athletes and fans. We also look forward to introducing new hosts for some rounds while welcoming back traditional venues that have been greatly appreciated over the years. The partnership between the UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery will significantly increase the international exposure for mountain bike, allowing the sport to continue to grow globally.”
Chris Ball, CEO of ESO Sports, said: “For the first time all major mountain bike formats align on one calendar, giving teams, athletes and fans new opportunities to experience their favourite racing with no date clashes.”
“We’ve done our best to group venues in close geographical proximity to reduce the season’s travel footprint and increase efficiencies for everyone on the tour. We’ll be hosting new event schedules combining formats that have never been combined before, giving riders a unique new experience and using the very best of the terrain available at each location to provide the best racing on the planet, while of course valued race tracks remain in the calendar.”
“Calendar classics sprinkled with some new venues – 2023 is going to be an incredibly exciting first step towards our long term plans for mountain bike racing worldwide.”
Poi i budget si sono ristretti ed team europei cominciavano a disdire le trasferte troppo costose...in Enduro hanno compensato creando le serie continentali.
È logico che l'organizzazione cerchi di avere un campionato più internazionale possibile, ma mi sembra che da quel che raccontano in giro nella mtb agonistica anche al più alto livello non è che girino tutti sti soldi come nel ciclismo su strada...ci sono poche realtà che sono come team di F1 e molte squadre composte da pochi elementi anche se di calibro elevato...
Mi sembra che fosse lo stesso Pidcock a ricordare che se fosse per lui farebbe solo mtb ma per prendere paga devi fare ciclismo su strada. Molti biker professionisti prendono molti più soldi dai loro sponsor di quello che chiedono per l'ingaggio...lo stesso EWS dicono sia tenuto su dai costruttori di bici che vi partecipano...
Quindi stando così la situazione l'organizzatore per il momento si deve accontentare del calendario che vedi..