UCI Snow Bike World Championships 2024: Second edition of the crazy downhill action
Maik Schröder
· 22.11.2024
When the UCI Snow Bike World Championships took place for the first time in February, we were amazed to see how the downhill MTBs, equipped with spikes, rode down the ski slopes in Châtel. Although it was criticised that the really big names stayed away from this event, the second edition of this event will definitely bring one thing back: Spectacle on two wheels!
Freestyle pro Fabio Wibmer has already impressively demonstrated what the whole thing looks like. Wibmer raced down the legendary Hahnenkamm downhill run in Kitzbühel, the Streif, on his MTB. Austrian Markus Stöckl has also conquered this descent on his bike before - Speed and adrenalin are guaranteed here... And this is how the UCI Snow Bike World Championships in the first edition in 2024.
UCI Snow Bike World Championships 2025: New format
On Saturday 8 February 2025, the UCI Snow Bike World Championships will take place in a new one-day format in Châtel (Haute-Savoie), France. Châtel already hosted the first edition in 2024 and has also been selected to host the championships in 2025 and 2026.
For the 2025 edition, racers will once again compete in both the Super-G and the Dual Slalom. In 2024, the two competitions took place on consecutive days; next year, both are scheduled for the same day: The Super-G will start at 9am and the Dual Slalom will follow in the evening at 6pm on a floodlit course.
Both competition formats are inspired by alpine skiing. They will take place on the same slopes as in 2024, but with slightly modified courses.
Two competitions and a modified programme
The Super-G will be held over a single run next year on the L'Aity and Stade du Linga ski slopes. The participants will start one after the other at regular intervals. In February 2024, Morgane Such and Pierre Thévenard were crowned UCI super-G world champions.
The Dual slalom (comparable to the parallel slalom in snowboarding and alpine skiing) also takes place at the Stade du Linga. This competition consists of a series of elimination races in which two skiers compete head-to-head on two parallel slalom courses. They race against each other twice and change tracks for the second run. The driver with the slower time from the first run starts the second run with a penalty time corresponding to the time difference from the first run; however, this must not be more than 0.5 seconds. Whoever reaches the finish line first qualifies for the next round.
At the first edition this year, Pierre Thévenard won his second title of the event while Lisa Baumann from Switzerland took the women's victory in the dual slalom.
What do I need to take part?
The same bike must be used for both competition formats. It is recommended to use downhill mountain bikes, although this is not mandatory. The use of spike tyres is regulated according to the equipment chapter of the technical guide published on the UCI website. This guide contains all technical information - including rules, course maps and participation rates per nation.
Maik Schröder
Editor
