The Mountain Bike World Cup will also stop in Lenzerheide in 2023

The die is cast: Lenzerheide is also on the UCI race calendar in 2023 and the location of the world's highest mountain bike race series. The next UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Lenzerheide will be held from June 9 to 11, 2023. The program traditionally includes Short Track on Friday, Downhill on Saturday and Cross Country Olympic on Sunday. After months of uncertainty, the organizers are all the more delighted to have won the bid. The entire World Cup calendar will also be published.

The relief is palpable among the organizers, as when the recent World Cup was dismantled, they did not know whether they would meet again in the same constellation and put on an event together. "There was a lot of uncertainty for months and we had to invest a lot to secure this great event for next year in Lenzerheide," says OC President Christoph Müller. "But now we are delighted to be able to start planning for 2023 immediately together with our partners."

What will change from 2023?
From 2023, the organization and promotion of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be taken over by Discovery Sports. This was announced by the UCI in February 2022. Discovery Sports is a corporate brand that includes (television) channels such as Eurosport and media such as GCN and GMBN. "The new constellation brings with it a number of strategic and operational changes that should raise the quality of the World Cup events and the sport of mountain biking itself to a new level. We are looking forward to working with our new sparing partners and are convinced that we will benefit from the new direction," says Christoph Müller.
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Race calendar 2023 with four disciplines

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) unveil the new calendar for the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series, bringing together all major mountain bike formats in one combined calendar for the first time and taking riders to ten countries across three continents.

With the dawn of a new era in mountain biking, riders and fans can look forward to cross country, short track, downhill and enduro coming together for the first time in the history of the sport. Further details on E-Enduro and Marathon will be announced in September 2022. The redesigned calendar will see some mountain bike formats side-by-side for the first time, races grouped by location to maximize sustainability, and new venues making their global debut while established locations retain their place on the calendar. The redesigned calendar has been developed by the UCI in partnership with ESO Sports and Discovery Sports Events, two of Warner Bros. Discovery's specialist sports organizations.

Combined calendar reflects the growth of mountain biking

The combined 2023 calendar for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series includes 15 rounds of 34 races around the world, taking place in ten countries across three continents. The Olympic cross-country races and the cross-country short track races will each have nine rounds, while the downhill and enduro races will each have eight rounds. In addition to new venues, established venues will also welcome new formats to their courses.

The new structure is designed to reflect the growth of the sport and allow each of the different mountain bike formats to flourish, reaching new audiences and enhancing the experience for fans both locally and at home. ESO Sports, owner and operator of the Enduro World Series (EWS), in which Warner Bros. Discovery recently invested, will drive the project to unify the sport of mountain biking globally in partnership with the UCI and take it to a new level. Discovery Sports Events, the world's leading promoter and event manager, is expanding its relationship with the UCI to promote the sport and further grow its global audience.

UCI President David Lappartient says: "The launch of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series calendar is an important step in our work to modernize mountain biking, one of our five Olympic disciplines. With the integration of enduro and soon cross-country marathon and e-mountain bike enduro into the events on the calendar, which already includes cross-country, short track and downhill races, the events will take on a new dimension and bring even more athletes and fans together. We are also looking forward to introducing new hosts for some rounds while welcoming back traditional venues that have been much appreciated over the years. The partnership between the UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery will significantly raise the international profile of mountain biking so that the sport can continue to grow worldwide."

"We have done our best to group the venues in close geographical proximity to reduce travel for the season and increase efficiency for all Tour participants. We will host new events combining formats that have never been combined before to give riders a unique new experience and utilize the best terrain in each location to deliver the best racing in the world, while of course keeping treasured race courses on the calendar," explains Chris Ball, CEO of ESO Sports, predicting, "Calendar classics peppered with some new venues - 2023 will be an incredibly exciting first step towards our long-term plans for mountain bike racing worldwide.