Hardline, crankworx races, 1199 at Whistler, half the national champs around the world etc. Somebody who says you can't build and race a WC track in a...
Hardline, crankworx races, 1199 at Whistler, half the national champs around the world etc.
Somebody who says you can't build and race a WC track in a year has either never raced, or never built a track, but most likely both.
Will it gets gnarly and blown out, hell yeah, it's a WC track it happens to them anyway.
whoa. Yeah. I will admit I’ve never raced a World Cup downhill, nor have I built a track suitable for one. would it be okay if I sent over a list of topics I might want to discuss and you could sign off on them? I don’t want to blow it. Thanks boss!
Loudenvielle hosted a couple EWS dates, didn’t they? In their existing bike park? I dunno, still seems impossible…
Hardline, crankworx races, 1199 at Whistler, half the national champs around the world etc. Somebody who says you can't build and race a WC track in a...
Hardline, crankworx races, 1199 at Whistler, half the national champs around the world etc.
Somebody who says you can't build and race a WC track in a year has either never raced, or never built a track, but most likely both.
Will it gets gnarly and blown out, hell yeah, it's a WC track it happens to them anyway.
whoa. Yeah. I will admit I’ve never raced a World Cup downhill, nor have I built a track suitable for one. would it be okay if...
whoa. Yeah. I will admit I’ve never raced a World Cup downhill, nor have I built a track suitable for one. would it be okay if I sent over a list of topics I might want to discuss and you could sign off on them? I don’t want to blow it. Thanks boss!
Loudenvielle hosted a couple EWS dates, didn’t they? In their existing bike park? I dunno, still seems impossible…
Aaaah come on man, get over it.
These were just examples of how it already has been done in the past, not a criticism of your own feelings.
Sure, put me in front of a slope and tell me "now fella, build us a WC track to be raced next year, thank you very much" and I'll feel it seems impossible. And yet there would still be examples of success to look at. It's been done, that's all.
And sorry for being such an ass: hosting an EWS and creating a WC DH track from scratch is absolutely not the same deal. As we say in baguette: "déso fréro".
Somebody I know knows the management at Whiteface, so I got some info on the Lake Placid race course. Top of Lower McKenzie, though the glades, jumps off mid station, into Stag Brook, across Fox, then finishes at the bottom of the gondola.
"A common decision has been made, in agreement with all the stakeholders involved in the UCI E-Enduro World Cup format, to press pause on the UCI E-enduro World Cup to work with the industry towards a future format. However, E-enduro will maintain its UCI World Championship status and will remain an Open Racing category at the UCI Enduro World Cup."
"Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: "These new developments mark a major turning point for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and reflect our continued commitment to growing the sport, making it easier for fans around the world to follow their favorite teams and riders."
"A common decision has been made, in agreement with all the stakeholders involved in the UCI E-Enduro World Cup format, to press pause on the UCI E-enduro World Cup to work with the industry towards a future format. However, E-enduro will maintain its UCI World Championship status and will remain an Open Racing category at the UCI Enduro World Cup."
"Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: "These new developments mark a major turning point for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and reflect our continued commitment to growing the sport, making it easier for fans around the world to follow their favorite teams and riders."
Chris Ball said " everything is amazing and brilliant and everybody loves it and says it the best thing ever and no one complains because everything is amaaaaazing" but in corporate bs.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS UNVEILED FOR THE WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES Significant updates to the UCI Regulations for the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Word Series have been confirmed by the Union Cycliste Internationale.
These changes are designed to elevate the sport, create a clear pathway for athletes and enhance fan engagement beyond the core mountain biking community.
The new regulations are set to make the UCI World Cups more competitive while providing teams and athletes with greater opportunities for growth and visibility.
Cycling’s governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series global promoter, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports are announcing today amendments to the UCI Regulations for professional mountain biking. The 2025 season will see the biggest overhauls to the sport since the inception of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 1991.
The driving force for the changes is the desire to elevate the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. The series, that was launched in 2023, brings the major formats of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups under the same umbrella, to ensure that each round is contested by the world’s best riders and teams, reinforcing its position as the pinnacle of mountain biking.
The reform will bring significant changes to the qualification system for UCI World Cups, reviewing the number of riders competing at the sport’s pinnacle while creating a clear pathway for teams and riders to progress from National to Continental to UCI World Cup levels. This provides new opportunities for emerging talent and ensures that the best riders can showcase their skills on the world’s biggest stage.
ENHANCED COMPETITION One of the biggest shifts is the change in the qualifying process for a UCI World Cup. The new regulations will review the number of riders competing, focusing on the best riders and teams to create more competitive racing.
While the registration of UCI MTB Teams will continue to be handled by the UCI, from 2025, UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams (formerly known as UCI ELITE MTB Teams) will register under two categories: Gravity (downhill and enduro) and Endurance (cross-country and short track). This streamlined structure will boost visibility and engagement across all formats. A maximum of 20 Gravity Teams and 20 Endurance Teams will become UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams for the entire season. For both categories, 15 invitations to join this top tier of teams will be based on the annual UCI Team Ranking, with an additional five teams benefitting from wildcard invitations for the season.
UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams will benefit from multi-year commitments from 2026 onwards, supporting long-term planning and development. The UCI and WBD Sports will work closely with teams to offer increased exposure and marketing rights. Teams will register official brand colours for promotional purposes, helping to create a cohesive and recognizable presence across events and media.
In addition to the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams with season-long licences, at each round of the Series, up to eight additional UCI Teams will be given the opportunity to race as wildcard teams. National Federations will retain their designated quota. Qualification will not be limited to teams: individual riders can qualify if they meet specific ranking criteria, or if they are reigning National, Continental, or UCI World Champions in their format, or Olympic Champion (for cross-country Olympic).
There will also be the introduction of new multi-round Continental Series, in close collaboration with cycling’s five Continental Confederations, which will act as a springboard for a spot at UCI World Cups and will give riders across different continents the chance to qualify for the UCI World Cups, promoting global participation and competitiveness. More details on these new Continental Series will be revealed by the UCI soon.
NEW QUALIFYING SYSTEM FOR UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUPS A new UCI Downhill World Cup qualifying system for Elite riders will simplify the qualifying process and ensure the highest level of competition. From 2025, all Elite Downhill riders will compete in a Qualifying 1 (Q1) round, with the top 20 Men Elite and top 10 Women Elite proceeding directly to finals. All remaining riders will compete in Qualifying 2 (Q2) round, where the top 10 Men Elite and top 5 Women Elite will secure their finals spot. The protection status regulation will be removed, meaning that riders will no longer get preferential treatment because of their previous or current season’s results. Only the best riders at each venue will make it through to the finals, with the number of Women Elite qualifying for the final increasing from 10 to 15.
INTRODUCTION OF CAREER NUMBERS In addition to changes to the teams’ hierarchy and qualifying systems, the 2025 reform will also see alterations to how riders and teams present themselves, with the aim of aiding fan engagement.
All former Elite winners of a UCI World Cup round (in Cross-country Olympic or Downhill) who are still competing, will be required to select personal colours and a unique career number adding individuality and a sense of legacy to the competition on top of helping build rider identities and bringing fans closer to the sport.
Number 1 will be exclusively reserved for the current leader of the UCI World Cup standings for each of the two formats, superseding their unique career number. The leader’s jersey and number 1 plate will be awarded on the podium after each UCI World Cup.
ENDURO AND PAUSING OF E-ENDURO
A common decision has been made, in agreement with all the stakeholders involved in the UCI E-Enduro World Cup format, to press pause on the UCI E-enduro World Cup to work with the industry towards a future format. However, E-enduro will maintain its UCI World Championship status and will remain an Open Racing category at the UCI Enduro World Cup. Moreover, Men Junior and Women Junior categories will be introduced for Enduro at the UCI World Championships, offering young athletes more opportunities to shine on the world stage.
LOOKING AHEAD Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: "These new developments mark a major turning point for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and reflect our continued commitment to growing the sport, making it easier for fans around the world to follow their favorite teams and riders. I’m confident that it will further solidify the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series as the pinnacle of the sport”.
The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series will mark a bold step towards the future of mountain biking, fostering greater competitiveness and fan involvement.
UCI Sports Director Peter Van den Abeele said: “The introduction of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series two years ago has led to significant growth of mountain bike and an increase in its popularity. Together with WBD Sports, the UCI wishes to build on the momentum with these changes that will simplify certain processes, favour globalisation, and make competition formats easier to follow and therefore even more exciting for the fans.”
These amendments to the UCI Regulations will come into force on 1st January 2025. All details are available on the UCI regulations’ page.
i've pulled out some DH-specific changes/updates from the 54 page rulebook, including new points structure
Except for the UCI World Championships and UCI World Cup, enduro events are open to all riders aged 17 or over. At the UCI World Championships and at the UCI World Cup, separate enduro junior events must be organized for men and women (aged 17 and 18). For all other enduro events on the international calendar, the UCI points are awarded in relation to the riders’ time and not to their category. To ensure that this rule is correctly applied, only one combined result shall be sent to the UCI
The UCI may delegate the appointment of a technical delegate to the third party of its choice.
UCI International Elite Number System 4.1.049 Riders who have won an Elite UCI World Cup race (XCO, DHI) will be asked to select a career number (2-999). Upon retirement being confirmed to the UCI or communicated publicly, a rider's unique career number will be made available for allocation to other riders. Elite riders will be asked to select their number in descending order starting with the rider who currently has the highest number of UCI World Cup wins. For the UCI World Cup, the current UCI World Cup leader will race with number 1, superseding his unique career number.
Downhill events are composed of: A single run format for the final must be used. Prior thereto, there shall be: - One or two a qualifying run(s), called the qualifying round(s) following which a predetermined number of riders set by the particular race regulations are admitted to a semi-final or final. The fastest rider of the final is declared the winner. - a seeding run that determines the start order for a single run in which the rider with the fastest time wins.
Venue transport systems must support 250 riders per hour now instead of 150. Does that disqualify Les Gets? Seems like if there are less riders, then the transport system wouldn't need to be much, and more venues could apply, ie Lourdes.
so the PR mentions the continental series - "There will also be the introduction of new multi-round Continental Series, in close collaboration with cycling’s five Continental Confederations,"
The year is nearly over and the series is still vaporware. How do riders or teams or whomever plan their season if they don't know what the races are yet?
so the PR mentions the continental series - "There will also be the introduction of new multi-round Continental Series, in close collaboration with cycling’s five Continental...
so the PR mentions the continental series - "There will also be the introduction of new multi-round Continental Series, in close collaboration with cycling’s five Continental Confederations,"
The year is nearly over and the series is still vaporware. How do riders or teams or whomever plan their season if they don't know what the races are yet?
whoa. Yeah. I will admit I’ve never raced a World Cup downhill, nor have I built a track suitable for one. would it be okay if I sent over a list of topics I might want to discuss and you could sign off on them? I don’t want to blow it. Thanks boss!
Loudenvielle hosted a couple EWS dates, didn’t they? In their existing bike park? I dunno, still seems impossible…
Aaaah come on man, get over it.
These were just examples of how it already has been done in the past, not a criticism of your own feelings.
Sure, put me in front of a slope and tell me "now fella, build us a WC track to be raced next year, thank you very much" and I'll feel it seems impossible. And yet there would still be examples of success to look at. It's been done, that's all.
And sorry for being such an ass: hosting an EWS and creating a WC DH track from scratch is absolutely not the same deal. As we say in baguette: "déso fréro".
Somebody I know knows the management at Whiteface, so I got some info on the Lake Placid race course. Top of Lower McKenzie, though the glades, jumps off mid station, into Stag Brook, across Fox, then finishes at the bottom of the gondola.
Updated rules from the UCI, PB has the presser too
https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/42H9bdLhZapXY8bU7Y66xJ/c5cab52fd752fdae150d97eb9b8faf1c/2025_UCI_MTB_Rules_-_Part_IV_-_Rule_Changes_-_EN.pdf
"A common decision has been made, in agreement with all the stakeholders involved in the UCI E-Enduro World Cup format, to press pause on the UCI E-enduro World Cup to work with the industry towards a future format. However, E-enduro will maintain its UCI World Championship status and will remain an Open Racing category at the UCI Enduro World Cup."
"Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: "These new developments mark a major turning point for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and reflect our continued commitment to growing the sport, making it easier for fans around the world to follow their favorite teams and riders."
Chris Ball said " everything is amazing and brilliant and everybody loves it and says it the best thing ever and no one complains because everything is amaaaaazing" but in corporate bs.
here is the press release text in full
KEY DEVELOPMENTS UNVEILED FOR THE WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES
Significant updates to the UCI Regulations for the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Word Series have been confirmed by the Union Cycliste Internationale.
These changes are designed to elevate the sport, create a clear pathway for athletes and enhance fan engagement beyond the core mountain biking community.
The new regulations are set to make the UCI World Cups more competitive while providing teams and athletes with greater opportunities for growth and visibility.
Cycling’s governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series global promoter, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports are announcing today amendments to the UCI Regulations for professional mountain biking. The 2025 season will see the biggest overhauls to the sport since the inception of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 1991.
The driving force for the changes is the desire to elevate the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. The series, that was launched in 2023, brings the major formats of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups under the same umbrella, to ensure that each round is contested by the world’s best riders and teams, reinforcing its position as the pinnacle of mountain biking.
The reform will bring significant changes to the qualification system for UCI World Cups, reviewing the number of riders competing at the sport’s pinnacle while creating a clear pathway for teams and riders to progress from National to Continental to UCI World Cup levels. This provides new opportunities for emerging talent and ensures that the best riders can showcase their skills on the world’s biggest stage.
ENHANCED COMPETITION
One of the biggest shifts is the change in the qualifying process for a UCI World Cup. The new regulations will review the number of riders competing, focusing on the best riders and teams to create more competitive racing.
While the registration of UCI MTB Teams will continue to be handled by the UCI, from 2025, UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams (formerly known as UCI ELITE MTB Teams) will register under two categories: Gravity (downhill and enduro) and Endurance (cross-country and short track). This streamlined structure will boost visibility and engagement across all formats. A maximum of 20 Gravity Teams and 20 Endurance Teams will become UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams for the entire season. For both categories, 15 invitations to join this top tier of teams will be based on the annual UCI Team Ranking, with an additional five teams benefitting from wildcard invitations for the season.
UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams will benefit from multi-year commitments from 2026 onwards, supporting long-term planning and development. The UCI and WBD Sports will work closely with teams to offer increased exposure and marketing rights. Teams will register official brand colours for promotional purposes, helping to create a cohesive and recognizable presence across events and media.
In addition to the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams with season-long licences, at each round of the Series, up to eight additional UCI Teams will be given the opportunity to race as wildcard teams. National Federations will retain their designated quota. Qualification will not be limited to teams: individual riders can qualify if they meet specific ranking criteria, or if they are reigning National, Continental, or UCI World Champions in their format, or Olympic Champion (for cross-country Olympic).
There will also be the introduction of new multi-round Continental Series, in close collaboration with cycling’s five Continental Confederations, which will act as a springboard for a spot at UCI World Cups and will give riders across different continents the chance to qualify for the UCI World Cups, promoting global participation and competitiveness. More details on these new Continental Series will be revealed by the UCI soon.
NEW QUALIFYING SYSTEM FOR UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUPS
A new UCI Downhill World Cup qualifying system for Elite riders will simplify the qualifying process and ensure the highest level of competition.
From 2025, all Elite Downhill riders will compete in a Qualifying 1 (Q1) round, with the top 20 Men Elite and top 10 Women Elite proceeding directly to finals. All remaining riders will compete in Qualifying 2 (Q2) round, where the top 10 Men Elite and top 5 Women Elite will secure their finals spot. The protection status regulation will be removed, meaning that riders will no longer get preferential treatment because of their previous or current season’s results. Only the best riders at each venue will make it through to the finals, with the number of Women Elite qualifying for the final increasing from 10 to 15.
INTRODUCTION OF CAREER NUMBERS
In addition to changes to the teams’ hierarchy and qualifying systems, the 2025 reform will also see alterations to how riders and teams present themselves, with the aim of aiding fan engagement.
All former Elite winners of a UCI World Cup round (in Cross-country Olympic or Downhill) who are still competing, will be required to select personal colours and a unique career number adding individuality and a sense of legacy to the competition on top of helping build rider identities and bringing fans closer to the sport.
Number 1 will be exclusively reserved for the current leader of the UCI World Cup standings for each of the two formats, superseding their unique career number. The leader’s jersey and number 1 plate will be awarded on the podium after each UCI World Cup.
ENDURO AND PAUSING OF E-ENDURO
A common decision has been made, in agreement with all the stakeholders involved in the UCI E-Enduro World Cup format, to press pause on the UCI E-enduro World Cup to work with the industry towards a future format. However, E-enduro will maintain its UCI World Championship status and will remain an Open Racing category at the UCI Enduro World Cup.
Moreover, Men Junior and Women Junior categories will be introduced for Enduro at the UCI World Championships, offering young athletes more opportunities to shine on the world stage.
LOOKING AHEAD
Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: "These new developments mark a major turning point for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and reflect our continued commitment to growing the sport, making it easier for fans around the world to follow their favorite teams and riders. I’m confident that it will further solidify the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series as the pinnacle of the sport”.
The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series will mark a bold step towards the future of mountain biking, fostering greater competitiveness and fan involvement.
UCI Sports Director Peter Van den Abeele said: “The introduction of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series two years ago has led to significant growth of mountain bike and an increase in its popularity. Together with WBD Sports, the UCI wishes to build on the momentum with these changes that will simplify certain processes, favour globalisation, and make competition formats easier to follow and therefore even more exciting for the fans.”
These amendments to the UCI Regulations will come into force on 1st January 2025. All details are available on the UCI regulations’ page.
USDH is so hot right now. When can we get that Monster Energy Pro Downhill 2025 calendar!
i've pulled out some DH-specific changes/updates from the 54 page rulebook, including new points structure
Except for the UCI World Championships and UCI World Cup, enduro events are open to all riders aged 17 or over. At the UCI World Championships and at the UCI World Cup, separate enduro junior events must be organized for men and women (aged 17 and 18). For all other enduro events on the international calendar, the UCI points are awarded in relation to the riders’ time and not to their category. To ensure that this rule is correctly applied, only one combined result shall be sent to the UCI
The UCI may delegate the appointment of a technical delegate to the third party of its choice.
UCI International Elite Number System
4.1.049 Riders who have won an Elite UCI World Cup race (XCO, DHI) will be asked to select a career number (2-999). Upon retirement being confirmed to the UCI or communicated publicly, a rider's unique career number will be made available for allocation to other riders. Elite riders will be asked to select their number in descending order starting with the rider who currently has the highest number of UCI World Cup wins. For the UCI World Cup, the current UCI World Cup leader will race with number 1, superseding his unique career number.
Downhill events are composed of:
A single run format for the final must be used. Prior thereto, there shall be:
- One or two a qualifying run(s), called the qualifying round(s) following which a predetermined number of riders set by the particular race regulations are admitted to a semi-final or final. The fastest rider of the final is declared the winner.
- a seeding run that determines the start order for a single run in which the rider with the fastest time wins.
Chris Hall posted this (he's got a bunch of other stuff in his stories too, I imagine he'll be doing a deep dive on his podcast soon).
Venue transport systems must support 250 riders per hour now instead of 150. Does that disqualify Les Gets? Seems like if there are less riders, then the transport system wouldn't need to be much, and more venues could apply, ie Lourdes.
so the PR mentions the continental series - "There will also be the introduction of new multi-round Continental Series, in close collaboration with cycling’s five Continental Confederations,"
The year is nearly over and the series is still vaporware. How do riders or teams or whomever plan their season if they don't know what the races are yet?
All of the sudden that Frameworks/Specialized partnership starts to make a little more sense.
Welcome to management by WBD 😁
All I want to know is who's gonna rock the #199.
Any guesses as to who will go for number 666?
Post a reply to: 2025 Race Talk