After the 2013 European Championships in Bern and the Mountain Bike World Championships in Champéry in 2011, international mountain bike competitions will once again be held on Swiss soil in the future. The overall project includes the organization of World Cup races in the years 2015 to 2017 as well as the World Championships in 2018. The Swiss Cycling Association is pleased about the awarding of the international events: "It is very important that events of this size take place in Switzerland. On the one hand, this allows the sport of mountain biking to develop further and raise its profile, and on the other, it gives our young athletes the opportunity to present themselves in front of a home crowd. This should help them to rise to the top of the world rankings and ensure Switzerland's high standard of performance in the long term. I am also delighted with the excellent cooperation with the organizers in Lenzerheide, both in the past and in the future," says Thomas Peter, Head of the Competitive Sports Department at Swiss Cycling.

The people responsible for Lenzerheide are also delighted with the UCI's decision. "The work in recent years and the consistent implementation of the bike strategy throughout the destination have paid off. The vision of MTB World Championships in the home of biking is coming true," says a delighted Bruno Fläcklin, Tourism Director of the Lenzerheide vacation region. However, there is still a long way to go before the 2018 World Championships, and the organizational preparations will be tackled in the coming weeks and months. The initial focus will be on holding the BMC Racing Cup and iXS Swiss Downhill Cup test events in July 2014. From 2015 to 2017, a Mountain Bike World Cup will then be held every year at the Rothorn valley station in Lenzerheide, featuring the disciplines of Cross Country, Eliminator and Downhill.

Source: Press release