A mountain bike World Cup could hardly come to a more spectacular end. In Mont Sainte-Anne, Canada, the cross-country elite battled for important points in adverse conditions on a technically demanding course. Shooting star Pidcock crossed the finish line in first place, while 14th place was enough for Swiss rider Nino Schurter to take his ninth overall victory. German Luca Schwarzbauer secured a strong 5th place in the overall XCO standings and overall victory in the short track. In the women's race, 21-year-old Puck Pieterse (NL) was at the top at the end of the season. A surprise for many, but not for everyone. "I always knew how strong Puck is," says compatriot Anne Terpstra. The Dutchwoman finished in the top ten.
The downhillers had a bit more luck with the weather on the previous day, but gritted their teeth on the rock-strewn World Cup course. "It was a thriller right to the end," says downhill veteran Marcus Klausmann about the final World Cup stage. Germany's downhill hopeful Max Hartenstern made it into the top 20 overall as the best German. The season is barely over and the rumour mill is already buzzing. In 2025, there will be additional World Cup stops in Asia, South America and Oceania. "I don't think it's a smart decision - not all the top athletes will be competing everywhere," Schwarzbauer surmises, showing little euphoria.
There is surprisingly bad news from the Enduro World Cup, which has only just been founded for 2023. The first major racing teams are pulling out, partly because it is rumoured that there will only be an E-Enduro World Cup in 2025 and the organic counterpart is to be dropped. There was no official confirmation of the rumours by the editorial deadline. You can find the UCI race calendar for the 2024 season further down in the article.
World Cup faces that made the headlines in 2023
Paris is a huge event - maybe we can win a medal. - Luca Schwarzbauer on BIKE demand
Top 10 results XCO / ED / DH
The UCI World Cup calendar for 2024
Press release of the UCI (excerpts)
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery are pleased to announce the calendar for the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
Once again, all important mountain bike formats will be combined in a single calendar. Next year's events will take place in 10 countries in Europe, North and South America. The calendar includes six new venues.
The calendar for the UCI World Cups in Olympic Cross-Country (XCO), Cross-Country Short Track (XCC), Downhill (DHI) and Enduro (EDR) - including E-Enduro (E-EDR) - comprises 15 competition weekends, with all formats having both stand-alone events and events in combination with other formats. One of the highlights of the season will once again be the flagship festival in Haute-Savoie, France, which attracted over 100,000 spectators in 2023.
Further information about the UCI World Cup in Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) will be announced at a later date.
The season will open with two consecutive cross-country weekends in Brazil, with the new venues of Mairiporã and Araxá, Minas Gerais, making their UCI Mountain Bike World Cup debut. Other first-time hosts are: Bielsko Biała in Poland, Crans-Montana and Aletsch Arena - Bellwald, both in Valais in Switzerland, and Mt Van Hoevenberg - Lake Placid in the USA.
Laurin Lehner
Editor
