As mountain biking enters a new era, riders and fans can look forward to seeing Olympic cross-country, short-track cross-country, downhill and enduro racing together for the first time in history. of discipline. Additional information about the E-mountain bike enduro and the cross-country marathon will be communicated in September 2022. With this new version of the calendar, certain mountain bike specialties will share the poster for the first time, the events will be grouped together geographically for the sake of sustainability, and brand new sites will make their big international debut, while well-known events will retain their place in the calendar.
This reinvigorated calendar has been developed by the UCI in partnership with ESO Sports and Discovery Sports Events, two of WBD’s specialist sports entities.
A combined and enriched calendar that reflects the rise of mountain biking
With 15 rounds and 34 events staged across the globe, the combined 2023 calendar will see competitors in action across ten countries and three continents. Olympic Cross Country and Short Track Cross Country each have nine runs in total, while Downhill and Enduro will have eight. Brand new venues are appearing while established stations will welcome new formats to their domains.
The new structure will reflect the growth of the discipline by allowing each of the different specialties of mountain biking to develop, to address new audiences and to enrich the experience of fans, whether they are spectators or television viewers. ESO Sports, which owns and operates the Enduro World Series (EWS), and was recently the subject of an investment by WBD, will lead the project to unify mountain biking on a global scale and take it new levels, in collaboration with the UCI. A global promoter and organizer of events, Discovery Sports Events continues its relationship with the UCI to help promote the sport with a view to further developing its global audience.
the UCI President David Lappartient said: “The release of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series calendar is a big step forward in the modernization of mountain biking, one of our five Olympic disciplines.
“With the integration of enduro, and soon to be cross-country marathon and E-mountain bike enduro into events on the calendar alongside Olympic cross-country, cross-country short track and downhill which are already included, the events of the discipline will take on a new dimension to bring together even more athletes and fans.
“We can also be delighted with the appearance of new hosts for several rounds, who will come to join traditional sites that have been unanimously appreciated for many years. The UCI’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery will also allow mountain biking to benefit from a significantly increased international exposure thanks to which it will continue its global growth.”
Chris Ball, ESO Sports PDFsaid: “For the first time, all the major mountain biking specialties are lined up in one calendar, which will offer teams, athletes and fans new possibilities to experience their favorite events without conflicting dates.
“We have made every effort to bring together sites with geographical proximity in order to reduce travel during the season and optimize the operation of all players on the circuit. We will set up new programs which will combine specialties never associated before, which will offer a new unique experience to the competitors and will make the best use of the ground of each site in order to propose the most beautiful competitions, while of course leaving their place in the calendar at reputable sites.
“Combining the unmissable events on the calendar with a few new venues, the year 2023 will be an exciting first step in our long-term plan for the international influence of mountain bike competitions.”