Cross country marathon, enduro and e-enduro disciplines are being added to the racing calendar of the new UCI MTB World Cup organization managed by Warner Bros. Discovery in partnership with ESO Sports. All enduro events will last for one day and provide for a system of assigning points in each stage, which will determine the starting order of the last stage. The same concept also applies to the e-enduro category.
There is also news for the race format of the UCI DH World Cup events, with the inclusion in the program of a semifinal that will be broadcast on TV making visible the runs of all 60 men and 15 women who will have previously qualified in the prior round of qualification. The first 30 men and the first 10 women in the semifinal standings will advance to the final heat where the entire run will be broadcast. Also included is a bar for 10 athletes for access to the final of the Junior Women category whose final heat, together with that of the Junior Men, will be broadcast live.
The complete calendar for 2023 of all the events related to the UCI MTB World Cup will be published next week and we hope to receive clarifications also on the management of live television broadcasts.
[Press Release] – Cross-country marathon, enduro and E-enduro join reinvigorated UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from 2023
- UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to go through some of the biggest changes to the sport since its inception
- Cross-country Short Track (XCC) will now include a U23 category
- Downhill (DHI) to enjoy significant increase in broadcast and fan exposure thanks to the addition of a Semi Final
- The Enduro World Series (EWS) is elevated to UCI World Cup status and will be known as the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup (EDR) from 2023
- Cross-country Marathon (XCM) also promoted to a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from 2023 onwards with four new venues on next year’s calendar
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are pleased to announce that the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be further extended from 2023 with the introduction of enduro and E-enduro to the calendar. This follows the recent announcement of the addition of cross-country marathon (XCM) to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
The existing Enduro World Series (EWS) is elevated to UCI World Cup status and will feature alongside cross-country Olympic (XCO), cross-country short track (XCC) downhill (DHI) and XCM. All enduro events on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be one-day events.
New at each round of enduro racing at the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be a points system for each timed Special Stage. An overall classification according to points won will decide the order of riders for the last Special Stage, with the rider who has accumulated most points setting off last.
E-Enduro (E-EDR) follows the same principle but the courses will be slightly different, including challenging technical climbs suited to the attributes of an enduro E-mountain bike.
The integration of enduro and E-enduro into the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is another development for the discipline since the UCI’s partnership with ESO Sports and Discovery Sports Events, two of WBD Sports Europe’s specialist sport organisations. The integration of XCM into the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup programme and the introduction of Under 23 categories for the XCC were announced in September.
Another enhancement to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from 2023 will be increased screen time for the Elite downhill competitions thanks to the introduction, at each downhill round, of a semi-final between the qualification and final. Featuring the top 60 Elite Men and top 15 Elite Women from qualifying, the downhill semi-final will see men outside the top 30 and women outside the top 10 enjoy broadcast coverage for the first time. Forty Elite riders (30 men and 10 women) will qualify for the final, where the goal is to broadcast each of the 40 runs in their entirety live on WBD platforms.
In addition, thanks to the increased participation of Junior Women, a qualifying run will be introduced for this category, with the fastest 10 proceeding to the final. The Men Junior and Women Junior competitions will also be broadcast for the first time.
The full calendar of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be published next week.
UCI President David Lappartient said: “The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup has been delighting athletes and fans for more than 30 years with multiple rounds being held worldwide throughout the season. I am thrilled that this international series will also include enduro, E-enduro and cross-country marathon from 2023. These formats will add a new dimension to the reinvigorated series that is taking the mountain bike discipline to even greater heights.”
“Also thanks to our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, the spectacular downhill racing will benefit from greater exposure that will enchant existing fans and attract new audiences. I cannot wait to witness this new extended UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from 2023.”
Chris Ball, CEO of ESO Sports, added: “Mountain bike racing has reached an incredible level over the past few years and this latest evolution will allow the sport to change gear again and accelerate towards an exciting new future, celebrating the discipline in all its forms.
“With more racing in short track and a new Semi Final in downhill, fans will be treated to more action than ever. The awarding of UCI World Cup status for enduro, enduro-e and cross-country marathon will also put a greater spotlight on these incredible mountain bike formats and allow us to both push the front end of racing whilst maintaining amateur participation at many of our events.
“Along with the UCI, we believe these changes will help broaden the appeal of mountain biking and enhance the race experience for athletes, teams and fans alike.”
