Switzerland has a long tradition in the Mountain Bike World Cup, with venues in six different places. The downhill races were also held in Champéry, Lenzerheide and Leysin. Switzerland has hosted four Mountain Bike World Championships, which puts it in second place after Italy in terms of the number of events held. Both the cross country and downhill disciplines have been held at all of the Swiss World Championships.

Switzerland's palmares in the Cross Country World Cup speak for themselves: five men and four women have secured multiple medal places in the overall rankings. Since the World Cup was founded in 1991, Switzerland has only failed to win a medal in four years, making it the undisputed leader of the nations' rankings, at least in the endurance discipline.

The history of the Downhill World Cup is two years shorter, with the first downhill race being held in Cap-d'Ail in 1993. However, Switzerland's success story is only slightly more recent. Marielle Saner and Camille Balanche are the only Swiss women to have made it into the top three in the overall rankings. For the men, the number is zero. Noel Niederberger, Swiss World Cup rider and team boss, sums up the challenge: "The potential of our riders is huge. It's a shame they can't look up to someone who can ride into the top 20 and make a good living out of it."

Bike Kingdom, as a venue for World Cups and World Championships, has set out to explore the reasons for Switzerland's comparatively modest presence in the Downhill World Cup. Bike Kingdom's mission is to recognize this gap and contribute to the development of the downhill scene in Switzerland.

Promotion means responsibility

A key aspect of this effort is the introduction of the Bike Kingdom Kids Cup. This race series was created to promote talented youngsters and lay the foundations for the future of Swiss downhill sport. With three races, each attended by 300 enthusiastic children, the Kids Cup was a resounding success. All events were completely sold out, underlining the growing interest in the sport.

In addition to promoting young talent, Bike Kingdom has also launched the Bike Kingdom Academy. This grassroots program provides talented young riders with professional coaching and resources to take their skills to the next level, but most importantly, to continue the fun of riding. The establishment of the Bike Kingdom Academy marks a step towards the sustainable development and promotion of downhill talent in Switzerland. Through targeted training programs and coaching measures by former World Cup bikers, Carina Cappellari and Basil Weber, the Bike Kingdom Academy strives to maintain and promote the racing interest of the selected young athletes.  

The Bike Kingdom Academy was captured in a three-part video series. These episodes not only offer a look behind the scenes of the Academy, but also allow current World Cup athletes such as Camille Balanche and Noel Niederberger as well as Swiss teams to have their say. In gripping stories, the two Academy young athletes are accompanied on their way to their first triumphs and setbacks, making the series a captivating journey through the highs and lows of young downhill athletes.