The Mountain Bike World Cup will have a new and more diverse division for the 2025 season: in addition to the existing men's and women's categories, a new Neutral category will be introduced for people who cannot or do not want to be assigned to any of the traditional gender roles.

The Neutral class will be judged for the first time at the start of the Cross-Country World Cup in Brazil, with the regulation also coming into force in the Downhill class in mid-May. In Brazil, the neutral start list in the elite class currently comprises 13 riders. For the World Championships in Valais, the new classification will also be introduced in the junior categories, where it is expected to be more popular because the next generations are much more open to this topic.

The UCI explains the innovation by saying that they want to take up the signs of the times in this way. Mountain biking is the right environment for this because it has always been the most progressive discipline in cycling. At the same time, the association explains that it is already working on further development. Athletes currently have to decide on a category at the start of the season. They are working on a concept in which the gender can be specified shortly before the races - depending on individual feelings.

ucimtbworldseries.com

Message published on April 1, 2025