After the news that Warner Bros Discovery was awarded the task of televising international mountain biking for the next eight years, more details have become available, which include major changes to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup – in all disciplines! Here’s a summary what to expect in 2023 – and the full calendar.
By Sean Badenhorst
There was widespread disappointment at the news recently that Red Bull would not have its contract extended to televise live international mountain bike racing beyond 2022. There was much speculation about how Warner Bros Discovery would be able to fill the large shoes left by Red Bull, which delivered a decade of incredible live footage that took mountain bike racing to a high level.
Not only will televising the racing become the responsibility of Warner Bros Discovery, but the actual organising and marketing of the World Cup Series for the UCI has been entrusted to ESO Sports, which Warner Bros Discovery co-owns. There was an air of pessimism around this, but recent ground-breaking announcements will have mountain bike racing fans around the world excited about what’s to come.
Here are the key changes – so far:
There will be 15 World Cup rounds
We have become accustomed to between six and nine World Cup rounds in recent years, but in 2023 there will be 15 World Cup rounds in 10 countries on three continents.
Enduro and eEnduro will join the World Cup Series
The increasingly popular discipline of Enduro had its own international racing series for the past few years, known as the Enduro World Series (EWS). This has now been reworked to be added to the UCI’s World Cup Series, along with eEnduro (eBikes).
Downhill will have a Semi-Final
In recent years, the Downhill format has seen a qualifying round and then a final. From 2023, there will be a Qualifying Round, a Semi-final and a Final. The top 60 Elite Men and top 15 Elite women will race in the Semi-final.
Downhill Semi-final and Final will be broadcast
In the past, only the Downhill final was broadcast. From 2023, the Semi-Final, which will take place on the Saturday and the Final, which will take place on the Sunday, will both be broadcast. The full run of each rider will be broadcast for the Final.
Downhill points structure will change
With the addition of a Semi-final, the points allocation will change. For Elite men, the winner of Qualifying will get 50 points, rolling down to 5 points for 20th. Similar for Elite women, but down to 10th. The Semi-final will award 200 points the winner of the Elite men, rolling down to 1 point for 60th. The Elite women will earn 150 points for the Semi-final win rolling down to 5 points for 15th. In the Elite men’s final, the winner will early 250 points rolling down to 10 points for 30th, while the Elite women’s final winner will earn 200 points, rolling down to 20 points for 10th.
Downhill will get some season-long race numbers
In the past, race numbers for World Cups have changed according to the riders’ World Cup ranking. But from 2023, the top 10 Elite men and the top five Elite women will have season-long race numbers. These will be based on final standings from the previous year’s World Cup season. South Africa’s Greg Minnaar will have No 10 as his season-long race number next year.
Marathon will be added as a World Cup Series discipline
For the first time, the discipline of Marathon will be added to the UCI World Cup Series. There are four Marathon race rounds scheduled for the 2023 season.
There are eight rounds of XCO and XCC
Now inextricably linked, XCO and XCC will continue as foundation disciplines and will each have eight rounds in the 2023 World Cup.
One round will feature all six disciplines
From 7-17 September, the UCI MTB World Cup will feature all six disciplines in France at various venues in the Haute-Savoie region.
Amateurs can race in two of the disciplines
There will be an amateur racing category for Marathon at all four rounds and amateurs will be included as six of the seven Enduro World Cup rounds in an effort to increase participation and progression of those disciplines.
There’s a long break in July/August
No World Cup rounds are scheduled between early July and late August. This is to give riders a break and time to prepare for and compete in the 2023 UCI World Championships, which will be held in Scotland from 3-13 August.
No word yet on TV/streaming coverage
While the UCI World Cup Series was free to view on the Red Bull TV app for the past decade, there’s still no word on how Warner Bros Discovery will handle the broadcasting. But since Discovery + is a streaming service, it’s likely we will need to download the app and subscribe to watch the World Cup racing 2023 and beyond. There’s also the likelihood that SuperSport will acquire the rights and broadcast it to DSTV subscribers. We’re eagerly awaiting this announcement.
2023 UCI MTB World Cup Calendar:
