For the first time, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series will unite all major mountain bike formats under a single brand. The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is set to be the culmination of this new structure, allowing all formats to flourish independently, but also to stand alongside each other at selected races and provide athletes and teams with additional exposure.

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series will also provide opportunities for amateurs and those looking to make the leap to the elite stage. At some events, amateurs will be able to compete in marathon, enduro and e-enduro races in their categories alongside their sporting heroes. Meanwhile, aspiring athletes can also earn qualifying points for promotion to the elite categories.

This coordination of formats and races will be perfectly staged in September in Les Gets, Morzine and Châtel (France), the venues of the first ten-day UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival. The festival, which will host all major UCI Mountain Bike World Cup formats as well as amateur races, is set to set the benchmark for this new era of mountain biking.

With one of the world's biggest sports broadcasters backing the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, there will be more live coverage and more ways to watch the races than ever before. The cross-country, short track and downhill events will be available live and on-demand on discovery+*, the Eurosport app and worldwide on GCN+ (Global Cycling Network). World Cup races in Marathon, Enduro and E-Enduro will benefit from in-depth highlight shows at each round. Further opportunities to watch will be announced in the coming months.

UCI President David Lappartient said: "The global popularity of mountain biking is growing, and by combining all the major formats and uniting races for elite and amateur riders into one big series, we will further enhance the appeal of the sport. With its festival atmosphere, mix of racing and extended live coverage, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series offers a new and attractive experience for athletes, die-hard fans and newcomers to the mountain bike
mountain bike community."

Chris Ball, CEO of ESO Sports, says: "By creating a single global platform that brings together the major race formats with UCI World Cup status, the new UCI Mountain Bike World Series also enables the integration and growth of amateur and festival racing into the UCI World Cup. Our goal is to upgrade the major race formats of the UCI World Cup and to raise the athletes and teams to a new level. We also want to be able to entertain mountain bikers of all levels at all levels. The future is incredibly exciting and we are honored to be ushering in a new era of the sport."

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