2017 UCI World Cup Calendar Released

Jun 8, 2016
by Pinkbike Staff  
After more second places than we can count Loic waited until it mattered most to take his first big win. Congratulations Loic Bruni you are the champion of the world.

We spotted on the UCI calendar an update to the 2017 World Cup series. Here is how the season is playing out next year.

2017 UCI World Cup Calendar

29-30 April UCI MTB WORLD CUP - DHI Lourdes FRA
20-21 May UCI MTB WORLD CUP - XCO Nove Mesto na Morave CZE
27-28 May UCI MTB WORLD CUP - XCO Albstadt GER
3-4 June UCI MTB WORLD CUP - DHI Fort William GBR
10-11 June UCI MTB WORLD CUP - DHI Leogang AUT
24-25 June UCI MTB MARATHON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - XCM Singen GER
24-25 June UCI Mountain Bike Masters World Championships Vallnord AND
1-2 July UCI MTB WORLD CUP - XCO - DHI Vallnord AND
8-9 July UCI MTB WORLD CUP - XCO Lenzerheide SUI
5-6 August UCI MTB WORLD CUP - XCO - DHI Mont-Sainte-Anne CAN
26-27 August UCI MTB WORLD CUP - XCO - DHI Val Di Sole ITA
5-10 Sept UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS XCO/XCR/DHI Cairns AUS


N.B. - Information is shared as it was found on http://www.uci.ch.

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214 Comments
  • 811 6
 The schedule needs to be longer, six DH stops just isn't enough.
  • 137 1
 -- generic comment to give this ^ more props --
  • 186 1
 There should be a seventh stop in Hafjell, always one of the sickest races there.
  • 140 1
 @lumpfboldbiker121 or champery
  • 48 2
 Thats not a final calendar, and I've been told there's one event not on there yet...
  • 18 0
 @fraserbritton: don't ... me young man! Give us some details!
  • 2 3
 edit
  • 6 3
 @sewer-rat: the 7th in Cairns is World Champs which is a separate event, i.e. not part of the world cup series
  • 38 2
 right on!

a wc in whistler just before crankworx...so rad!!!!!!

oh wait a minute............

poop.

we can dream can't we?
  • 35 2
 I thought lenzeirheide was contracted for three DH races? Also, Cairns world champs, really? Track needs to be epic! By all means put it in Australia, but there are dozens of better better tracks there...
  • 7 2
 @lumpfboldbiker121: where stevie won his first race Smile
  • 108 0
 #bringbackschladming
  • 49 1
 6 races is pointless, should be at least 8.
  • 3 1
 @RedBurn: I'll never forget that day. Was live there in the finish area Wink
  • 3 3
 @lumpfboldbiker121: wished I was there to see Stevie's dream finally come true ! ride in Paradise Legend ! We miss you so much ... Frown
  • 3 0
 @lumpfboldbiker121: or Schladming...
  • 2 0
 @Ont26rider 7 races are on the schedule, mate. But I know it's not enough...
  • 37 5
 It should come back to the US. Like in Snowshoe, or Angel Fire.
  • 2 0
 @JackMazury: I'm with you

I want drifts
  • 12 1
 Still not sure why there isn't a stop in BC of all places. MTB heaven. The different terrain you can find throughout this province is crazy, drive a few hours and the mountains and dirt are totally different
  • 3 1
 @sdaly: Like, a race at the Kamloops ranch?

Now that would be one to watch
  • 2 0
 Literally the exact same as this year but in a different order.
  • 5 0
 @TreyDownhill: That 01 Vail track is awesome. Still would hold up today.
  • 2 0
 @Waldon83: They have a BC Cup there - it's less than 2 min long.
  • 1 0
 @stacykohut: There is a rumour....
  • 6 0
 @lumpfboldbiker121: meribel would also be a great choice. it was an awesome race back in 2014, i have no idea why its not in the calendar anymore. www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ccZ3r1Lqak
  • 2 0
 @fraserbritton: Whistler WC 2017 sounds good!
  • 7 1
 @TreyDownhill: only windham put in a bid. More venues needa go for it. Esp snowshoe
  • 1 0
 @alexisdevinci01: was thinking that myself, I counted 7
  • 5 0
 Watch John Oliver explain FIFA except replace FIFA with UCI and there you have it.
  • 2 0
 in super cross they have the indoor/outdoors race series, dh needs to do the same have say the redbull wc of 6races then another 6 races as say monster energy IXC world series that runs after, maybe even a monster energy cup to go with world champs. 2series 14 races and 2 special races, IXS is already running just needs the sponsorship and dates with the wc rearranging. Sadly it'd never happen though as the uci would never change its dates and teams wouldn't be interested as wc series is where they get all the promotion/coverage from Frown
  • 3 0
 This calendar is a heavy joke
  • 1 0
 @transitionrob: got one 15 mins from where I live. 600m elevation. No access tho.not even a road to the top. Illinbah near the Gold Coast would be good. Cairns is still a rad track tho
  • 5 1
 Ya wtf..you got 2 of the best DH seasons going down with some of the best young upcoming talent, and you only put 6 races up. Come on,,capture the momentum, damn. How about more races, more coverage, and more on track cameras. Tired of watching only 7-8 sections
  • 1 0
 I hear the problem is a new Hotel to be built in Lenzerheide, and the building site takes too much place from the team area. Discussion is ongoing (XC and DH on two weekends?), decision expexted next week.
  • 2 1
 @stacykohut: whistler is not the place for a WC dh race. Whistler is on another level compared to the likes of Fort William and has Crankworx. You could argue that crankworx is bigger than the entire world cup season.. or just that it's different and fits the whistler theme. Let's face it... only in whistler do you have a local Wednesday race which is bigger than our national series.
  • 2 0
 @racer303: Windham was one heck of a course. I raced it and it was gnarly. It is just kind of short for a world cup course. Snowshoe has a perfect length and terain for a wc
  • 7 0
 Crazy to realize that there are dozens of regional race series with more stops than the world cup. Whistler Wednesday nights, Angel Fire, ProGRT, NW Cup all spring to mind.

6 stops is ridiculous. Weekend warriors consistently hit more races than that in a season, and you're telling me riders who have made it to the world cup level can't do 10 races, and that 5/6 have to be in Europe?

UCI, you are being terrible advocates for the sport. Not getting enough bids? maybe that has something to do with your fee structure.
  • 3 0
 If they could get it to be geographically reasonable then they could do a longer series.
5 Races in the North / South American Continents
5 Races in Europe / Asia.

4 Weeks break in between.
World Champs somewhere in there.

I understand getting the support rigs must be difficult, but the season could be longer if there wasn't logistic issues.
  • 2 0
 @sdaly: bc and somewhere west coast usa..mammoth, Colorado...
  • 5 0
 @betsie: riiiiiight.

and monaco is a crappy place for a f1 race, and glen helen sure couldn't hold a mxgp or ama mx, and we all know anaheim really sucks for sx. that disneyland place could never put on a sx....

whistler not having a world cup is a travesty.
have one the first sat of crankworx..........................hell, hold it at the creekside loading zone, olympic style.

thanks for the heads up that whistler isn't the place for a world cup.

lol.
  • 4 0
 @betsie: You're high as a kite.
  • 2 0
 @fraserbritton: he must have got some mail order form 99north!

www.99northdispensary.com


braaaaaaaaaaaaap.
  • 2 0
 @TreyDownhill: I agree, Windham was gnarly to watch, but like you said, too short. I was hoping to see Angel Fire on there. I asked them on their FB page if they were planning to put in a bid. I got no response.
  • 2 0
 @TreyDownhill: great to hear it, I am actually the builder there. Our biggest problem is that the middle third of the track is really flat-so we have to run it straight and full of jumps. The other peak has so much more potential, but takes 2 lifts to get to. If we could slow the speeds down without ruining it we could get to a 3.30 track
  • 1 0
 @racer303: Sweet! Thanks for the trails! That would be awesome. The location is also very nice for it, being just out of NYC, it makes it easier for the wc riders. Angel Fire and Snowshoe are a bit of a handful to get to.
  • 1 0
 @fraserbritton: Whistler????
  • 1 0
 @TreyDownhill: why doesn't it come to the states?
  • 122 4
 Another year, another skipped US date. I have no idea why we can't get world cup DH but I promise that the good people in Colorado could host one hell of an event. Our mountains have massive runs and the towns can handle the crowds.
  • 21 1
 It comes down to money. In other countries, the federations help pay for the costs. In the states the town or the resorts pay for everything to host the event. Windham never broke even, if they did it was the last year. The first year they took a MASSIVE hit.
  • 9 1
 Maybe some bikeparks make more money running normally for the weekend than shutting down for an event
  • 7 1
 @hillman-hunter: Windham never shut down during the WC weekends. They held amateur races and the mountain was open for freeriding...
  • 5 0
 @SnowshoeRider4Life: I randomly ended up talking to some guy who worked for the Windham chamber of commerce and he told me they were going to try to get it back for 2017. He said it wasn't coming in 2016 because the schedule was too tight with the olympics this summer. Wonder if they did put a bid in for 2017.
  • 2 0
 @SnowshoeRider4Life: it's a damn shame too, the turnout for Windham was great the last 2 years. Such a great time.

IMO they probably took a huge hit the first year because they had virtually no riding aside from the race courses - even last year they only had a couple runs open. Now that they actually have somewhat of a bike park and are open more than just WC weekend I have to imagine some of that enthusiasm would translate to people coming back and riding. But idk.

Looks like I'll have to make the drive to MSA this year Smile
  • 6 0
 @JayTucc: Windham put in a bid for 16 with xc and dh. The XC was too close to the olympics and they were asked to re-bid with a DH only event. As far as I was told, this never happenned.
  • 11 2
 I was lucky enough to attend the Windham World Cup 3 times and always a great crowd... Now living in south west CO with an even more involved cycling community and real mountains I also can't understand why the hell we can't get more UCI World Cup events here. It's madding!! just in CO alone there's enough mountains and varied terrain to just hold to whole damn series here
  • 6 3
 colorado would be the bomb. vail so would snow summit in calif.
  • 15 1
 Uci = switzerland = money .. They wont listen to what we want
  • 2 0
 Not to mention I don't really understand flying all the way to a new continent for ONE RACE, then flying back to Europe ONE RACE, then Australia. How hard would it be to have one or two more stops in NA instead of back to Italy??
  • 13 1
 How about bootleg canyon? World cups don't only have to be trees, and gwin even said it was worthy.
  • 12 1
 And I wish we could discover new tracks rather than see the same ones all the time... I'm not excited at all to watch them... The tracks are always 95% similar...
We could use some fresh ones!
  • 8 13
flag myanh (Jun 8, 2016 at 15:09) (Below Threshold)
 You have trump
  • 2 4
 @SnowshoeRider4Life: do you even ride bro?
  • 4 0
 Start gate on top of the Highland Bowl in Aspen....
  • 2 0
 I know Snowshoe aims to host a WC in the future. They've hosted collegiate nationals, and they're looking to host nationals as the next step. So it may take a while but they have the facilities.
  • 3 0
 Frown I really wanted to go to my first WC at Windham next year Frown
  • 5 0
 Word on the street is Windham applied, and got denied by the UCI. Lame as fucking lame can be.
  • 2 2
 @thook: Bootleg is too gnarly for the World Cup
  • 1 0
 This man speaks the truth
  • 1 0
 @stacykohut: flashback of Shaun Palmer.....
  • 5 0
 Remember Mt Snow, Vermont back in the 90's ? I went every year and the DH track is very difficult to say the least. Get the worlds best on some slick wet roots. Most of the track is like the new woods section from Fort William. And it's close enough to Mt St Anne for a back to back weekend
  • 4 0
 @thook: Can you imagine Gee's crash at Bootleg?! He would have been skinned alive.
  • 69 0
 Wow! Who would expect the UCI to mix things up like that. Oh! Wait a minute, same old tracks. Short schedule. No news here!
  • 21 0
 Yes been watching DH on these tracks for ever ,time for change !
  • 5 1
 I'm pretty sure only fort bill and mnt st Anne are the only year on year stops on that calendar. Could do with more races though
  • 1 0
 @randybadger: Exactly!! We have already seen Val Di Sole and Leogang so many times, Lourdes will be the 3rd year in a row... Come on...
One new track a year wouldn't be too much asking I think. It would be nice for riders as well... I mean, they already know 90% of the tracks (and 100% if there are no changes), so they already know a good part of their lines already... That's boring!!! We want challenge!!
  • 6 1
 "Same old tracks!" *takes VDS off the schedule "NO VDS!? WTF! RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!"
  • 68 2
 Bring a World Cup to New Zealand !!!!!!!!!!
  • 57 1
 Bring the World Cup to the World, or just f*ck the UCI
  • 4 0
 This ! That as well!
  • 2 0
 THIS^
  • 16 0
 New Zealand should definitely be on the list and Schladming in Austria hasn't been used for a world cup in quite a while unfortunately. I wish the UCI would step up, grow a set of balls, listen to the riders / teams and help put on events where everyone wants there to be a race. I honestly believe it should have a minimum of 9 races in season. Currently if a rider misses just one event due to an injury then their season is pretty screwed with so few events to gain points from..................Just my opinion though.....
  • 2 0
 there needs to be enough events a year where they can drop their lowest result, with only 6 they are doing now its just too few events to realistically do this
  • 21 0
 especially when there is a race in Cairns. it is logical for a New Zealand race to take place a week before or after. Much better value for money for the teams. they have to fly all their team and kit halfway around the world for one race. might as well do two. kind of like how they used to have Windham and mont st anne in consecutive weeks.
  • 5 1
 @bthomson84: Yes Windham and Mont St Anne is a prime example for it making sense to do so. Also the fact that New Zealand has some of the best riders out there and incredible tracks too, do wish the UCI would contribute to each venues running costs to make the possibility of seeing all the top tracks on the calender and a few more parts of the world exposed to people. The enduro world series looks to have some stunning locations and in places that I never imagined could have such great riding.
  • 3 0
 This schedule makes no sense in terms of nice logistics for teams and athletes. Canada, 3 weeks later Italy, then 2 weeks later Australia. I can see people not bothering with the val di sol world cup and just hanging in Canada then coming to Aussie for worlds
  • 1 0
 @bthomson84: Thats an excellent point! As it is go all the way to the other side of the world for one race. Good to see that its world champs but yeah would be a rad lead up to it for a race ( and do xc too ) arround Queestown maybe..Definitely got the infrastructure with the lifts accommodation and culture etc.
  • 1 0
 agreed - there should be at least 1 Southern Hemisphere stop of the WC circuit. I understand that travel is a real issue for a lot of the teams..but that needs to be factored in with enough leeway before or after. I am also sure there are some spectacular courses in South America waiting to be discovered
  • 2 1
 Any country with more than a couple riders on the circuit should have a race. New Zeland has given is the Masters brothers, in return, UCI should give them a race. North America should have 2 in Canada, 2-3 in the USA, and at least 1 in Mexico. From there, Brazil and Columbia should each have a race, eventually 2-3 more in South America. Not sure where to race in Africa, Worlds in SA was meh, but Africa is a big place, there has to be at least a couple areas you could host a race. Oh, and Asia, why not?

Make the season last 9 months, have at least 20 races. Right now, if you have any sort of injury, your entire season is scrapped. Bruni, Seagrave, Mullaly, and a grip of other riders seasons are over due to fairly short term issues. You should be able to miss, or fail at a race or two and still put in a good result. I
  • 1 0
 @maxyedor: the top elites aren't interested in racing that much. They are smashed physically and mentally by the end of the season as it is
  • 3 0
 @bthomson84: then kiwis and Aussies can make a boys week or two of it and watch 2 world cups.
  • 2 0
 @stretchza: There are MANY. Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru & Ecuador have insane trails, But probably not enough dinero to pay service to the UCI.. maybe Columbia has a big enough cycling federation with enough roadies for UCI's liking to host, but probably not enough funding as well..pity, some of the most insane, rough and wild descents to be found on this little chunk of space rock.
  • 53 0
 What an original calendar, so many new events..
  • 11 0
 Shladming, Pila, Champery, Maribor, Spicak.......shame on UCI
  • 2 0
 @AdamOdh: Forget about the Maribor in the foreseeable future, the whole resort is currently in a though spot, it hurts to see such a potential being thrown away... Frown
  • 4 0
 I think the biggest issue is the fees that have to be paid to UCI....and therein lies the problem
  • 32 0
 Six races is barely what you can call a world cup - How can a rider anywhere back in points, miss a race, or have an injury, or whatever, try to come back and rack up points with just six races? It's got to be one of the shortest WC events out of the many sports that host WC events. Kind of sad.
  • 5 0
 Agreed, complete bullshit!
  • 23 1
 I know money plays a part, but let's imagine the UCI was Australian, and we had 5 rounds in Australia, one in New Zealand, and then made a big fuss about one race in an 'exotic location' like Germany and called it the World Cup! It's amazing anyone from the Southern Hemisphere is able to race WC Downhill... UCI, this is a joke. Bring back Windham, bring back Val Di Sole, and give us something in NZ!!!
  • 22 0
 Such a short DH schedule its a joke.
  • 22 1
 We would all like it if this article was instead titled "2017 UCI is released from World Cup"
  • 18 1
 Fuck Leogang! All the pro's want Schladming!
  • 17 4
 Every year when the calendar is released we get a bunch of comments complaining about places that would be great for races, and why don' they have it at this place, or this country, etc. Can everyone please understand that in order to have a WC race an organizer and venue need to want to hold the race and place a bid for it. Its not simply a matter of the UCI picking where ever they want the race or picking places the riders want to ride. They can only chose from those venues that submit bids to hold the races.
  • 3 3
 Hey someone gets it.
  • 16 2
 That's true, but what would have happen if the UCI wanted less money to make the bid?
  • 2 1
 THIS
  • 1 0
 @szusz: probably bad events would be put on. Its not just the money that is paid to the UCI. An event needs to prove it has the funds to properly and safely run the event as well. Otherwise we my have events with no enough Medical or security etc... No one benefits from an organizers who may not be prepared to host en event.
  • 1 0
 @scissors888: That's true, but how EWS runs events for far less money? Still having them organized properly.
  • 4 0
 And why do you think so few places want a race? Perhaps they don't want to stuff the pockets of a bunch of greedy UCI officials. Just like the IOC, fewer and fewer countries are bidding for the Olympics because it's all a sham. Bribery and corruption abound. I don't blame these locations one bit. They have to been over backwards for these a-holes all while losing $. It's a farce.
  • 2 0
 @szusz: EWS should be held up as a shining example. Im sure there are still issues, but as a whole they are defiantly ahead of the UCI. I don't think I am holding the UCI as some great organization, they are not. But its become oh so fashionable to blame everything on the UCI. The EWS will run into cost issues as well as they continue to grow, the one advantage they have is its not televised. If people were cool not being able to watch the race, there could easily be more place interested in running an event.
  • 11 0
 The UCI are a joke. They clearly don't care about spreading mtb globally with a calendar like this. Compare it with the EWS calendar many of the locations change every year and there are loads more dates.
  • 4 0
 It's up to organisers to make a submission usually
  • 12 1
 Add at least 3 - 4 more races minimum.

1) New Zealand
2) Canadian West Coast
3) Colorado or Cali
4) Maybe even a second US stop?

Make it a real series! 6 races plus a World Champs is ridiculous.
  • 14 1
 Unbelievable
  • 3 0
 Guess the good ole US of A will just have to keep sending it's best riders over to Europe!
  • 7 0
 I posted this at Vital MTB, but I think it's worth posting here

"Once again, shaking my head at UCI.

Less rounds means every round is more important and makes the pressure for points that much higher. If a top guy misses out on one race for whatever reason, or crashes, their whole season is pretty much ruined, and that sucks.

It's also the same venues just being recycled with the same tracks, and in my opinion (and probably the pro riders too) that makes for some boring racing. Don't get me wrong, val di sol and Mont-Sainte-Anne are amazing venues, but ft. william and leogang are pretty burnt out tracks. (once again, my opinion.) I really want to see new and exciting tracks being put in place that get both riders and viewers stoked. There are amazing tracks and amazing bike parks all over the world (looking at you north america), why is the world cup still confined to these venues?

Is there any way we can get racers to collectively petition against UCI and insist some kind of radical change? The guys riding rampage managed to create change within their event, why can't everyone in the world cup stand behind a shift in how and where UCI organizes races. I know it's all politics and UCI would love to keep on doing what they do, but something needs to change. We need better/newer tracks, more rounds, and more relaxed rules and regulations. I also want Rob Warner swearing and saying wild shit again, he sounds like a news anchor these days. Viva la world cup Revolution"
  • 7 0
 The team that organise the EWS should diversify and start a DWS they would do a far better job than the UCI. The whole DH World Cup is underselling Down Hill Mountain Bike racing, it needs to be bigger with the addtion of a few more tracks (one of them in NZ of course) the races themselves deserve more than what they currently get in the way of exposure. The sport itself is great entertainment whether it be live or on TV it should go to the next level however it's not going to in it's current format which is a little sad
  • 1 1
 EWS is Urge helmets and others enduro companies...
  • 1 0
 @torero: Plenty of the companies supporting the EWS are also producing DH products.
  • 10 0
 NewZealand should hold a run! Give this props
  • 2 0
 Yes sir. As a lead up to world champs in Aus. Logical!!
  • 8 0
 in my opinion there need to be far ore stops around the world as a majority are in europe
  • 5 0
 i can imagine at least 4 or 5 more stops....New Zealand. Italy (Livigno...or Pila). Germany (Winterberg), Slovenia, Spain, Canada again...i mean we are full of freaking mountains in europe and nord america. with a good organization it's possible to optimize the movements, like in the ski world cup. i think UCI has only to gain by increasing tìhe number of stops
  • 2 0
 no way I want to see a worldcup race in winterberg... Bad Wildbad or even Lac Blanc or Willingen could be nice bit winterberg is a motorway
  • 1 0
 @Nicolai-ion-rider: yeah Bad Wildbad also is pretty wild...i live in karlsruhe and i've been there lot of time. Never been to lac blanc but they all tell me it's the real shit...especially La Nuts track
  • 9 2
 North America should be at least 3 weekends in a row, go from MSA to somewhere in Colorado/Utah, to the West Coast. Year after to Windham, Snowshoe, and then head west.
  • 5 2
 Jackson Hole could build an epic track
  • 2 1
 @hamncheez: dude, yeah!
  • 2 2
 Killington in Vermont could easily afford it - perfect place with everything.
  • 5 0
 Most US resorts/venues don't have the patience or need to deal with the UCI. They demand too much money and concessions to be worth the bother. Numerous locations in the US can build WC level DH tracks, have in the past, or even have partial courses.

The other side of the coin is that the UCI could really care less about aggressively growing DH by reaching out to other venues. I livel in Colorado and several people I know connected with the major resorts voice this virw of the UCI. They take the lazy route. I know that sounds like a lazy DH "bro" mindset. However, until through UCI shows some type of commitment to growing the sport outside road events , I and many Pinkbike viewers will probably feel the same. Thus is not a dig against all the great Euro courses and venues. It's a direct shot against the UCI.
  • 4 0
 If all the big to medium sized DH teams/riders attended the Crankworks events it really would be like having two series to watch and follow in the same year - and I'm down with that. Crankworks DH is a good event to watch, but it's just not the same as a WC. Have the top 40 riders in the world all attend Crankworks and watch viewership and prize money go through the roof. I understand there is a team and sponsor cost here but more great events=moreinterestinthesport=morebikesales=ABETTERPLANET!!
  • 8 1
 UCI's Euro with one stop in Canada cup. Bit of a mouthful, i know. But more truthful than UCI World Cup.
  • 4 0
 Oh we almost forgot about Australia, but did forget New Zealand and the U.S.A..
  • 8 0
 same tracks every year, it's getting boring
  • 2 0
 Mt St Anne and Ft Bill are NEVER boring though.
  • 1 0
 @atrokz: Yeah, but i feel they should try something new.
  • 5 1
 What is it really going to take to get a world cup xc/dh series to be a legitimate size? a 12-17 round series like sx/mx (yes different sports, can't compare, etc). This calendar shows that we are taking a big step backwards. I think what we are missing is the details, the transparency. Is there a UCI Official or technical delegate that we can really reach out to as a group of fans and get a good discussion going with. A lot of what we know is second hand knowledge, does anybody think it would be possible to have numbers on all these things. How much does it cost to host a world cup? What are the technical venue requirements for a world cup? What are the teams concerns as far as budgets and scheduling? Do teams have a say, like a union? What are the UCI's interests and concerns with having more races? Would they be receptive to input from riders, teams, organizers, and fanbase groups? One of the concerns that always comes up is the costs for a small team, but with a big 12-17 race series you can have some kind of regional (continental?) overall competition for the small teams similar to West and East Lites in SX (again I already know that its a different sport and we shouldn't compare). Maybe the European stops count towards overall for small, under 100k a year budget teams. North and South American stops count towards American Overall and Africa, Australia, Asia counts towards Oceania Overall. The reason MX is always being brought up when talking about schedules is because they are doing something really right. For over a decade a lot of us have been wanting a series that truly is a World Cup and it's not going to happen in 2017 or 2018 or 2022, but maybe by 2025 we have 10 stops and by 2030 we get to 12-15 stops. There has to be more that we can do as concerned fans, somebody that we can reach out to as a group to get a conversation going with transparency and detail to grow the sport. In EWS Richard Cunynghame seems to be the guy that we as fans have built a relationship with through his deep involvement in all aspects of the events including video hosting. Mountain Biking can't be so political that we can't get the answers and work towards the solutions, we are a small group of people and a lot of the riders graduate to major roles as team managers, company owners, and UCI and national federation staff. We should start there.
  • 8 1
 Where are USA and NZL ? Where are the new ??? We need new destinations, new landscapes, new tracks !!! :@
  • 3 0
 Where is the new *
  • 7 0
 DH and UCI need to part ways. The EWS is doing it right, unfortunately i think DH is just in way to deep to change.
  • 10 3
 No stops in the good ol U.S.A.?? We need better tracks!
  • 14 0
 At least the North American continent has a stop in Canada. None in Africa, Asia or South America. 5 out of 7 DH races in Europe. DH needs to get more diverse with its WC tracks.
  • 3 0
 @djm35: eh, I kinda get it. There's a pretty massive fanbase in Europe and lots of classic tracks, plus it keeps teams' travel costs down when you have shorter distances between events.... but then XCO is going from SUI -> CAN -> ITA -> AUS?? What sense does that make?

I wish they'd find a better way to work it out so the rest of the world gets some WC exposure though. Like maybe one year it's half Europe and half Americas, then next it's half Europe and Aus/NZ. Not really sure there's much point looking at Asia yet though.

Not sure if people would be any less pissed about that schedule, but it would at least spread the love while avoiding 4+ transoceanic flights for the teams.
  • 2 0
 @bkm303:
I don't think dh is quite big enough to have a truely global calendar. A lot of the lack of diversity might come down to team finance.
How many teams can afford to run more races on different continents?
We aren't formula 1 big
  • 2 0
 @randybadger: idk man, hopping back and forth on continents for one race at a time like they currently do is probably more expensive than the half and half type plan I was proposing. And while Africa and Asia aren't big markets for mtb, USA, CAN, AUS, NZ, maybe even parts of South America definitely have tons of people who ride and would go to a race. Vail, Whistler, Mammoth, etc are not exactly niche venues.

Not just talking DH either. I'd love to have more XC races come through. And honestly I'd love to have XC races in all the DH locations anyway, cuz those tracks are usually awesome.
  • 1 0
 @bkm303: The Asian races are massive! I wouldn't be surprised that they would get more turn out than any other western race if they got the opportunity to host one
  • 2 0
 @rrsport: for some reason I'm not surprised at that
  • 1 0
 @bkm303: I get thats where the fans are (mainly in Europe) and how the sport has grown from summer time use of ski resorts. Africa and South America have had stops in the past and the sport of mountain biking is rapidly growing in popularity on these continents (but that's probably more to do with mass-media and marketing) . Teams still have to pay to go places like Australia and will often send their riders to training camps on the other side of the world during the off season. Also the vast majority of the worlds bikes are produced and owned in Asia so why not get them into it too? I think a stop in the Himalayas would mix it up a bit.
  • 2 0
 Has nothing to do with our tracks, and has everything to do with not wanting to get raped financially by the UCI. You don't think they are top level tracks here?!
  • 1 0
 @rrsport: good to know... are the tracks good? Cuz that Chinese one in the Polygon video a while back looked super lame.
  • 1 0
 Lots of good potential up and down the Americas From the mountains of Canada to the streets of the south Americas, Maybe they(UCI) should consider moving to this side of the pond for a series!
  • 5 0
 I'd like to see a round in New Zealand while down under either before or after the Australisn stop? Queens town would be sick!
  • 9 2
 Strange when multiple wc winner Gwin in American
  • 2 0
 Is there no way to change this through us (the community)? Surely a peaceful and strong initiative could have big effect if the riders agree etc. Would be awesome, and a definite development for the sport if "smaller" places could start bidding and seeing it as an investment.
  • 2 0
 Same tracks every year! Boaring.! So many epic tracks worthy of UCI dh in the southern hemisphere. Let's get new & exciting. New is good.....same old is boring & last year & year before & year before & year before.......etc
  • 4 0
 I know it´s an old question, but... why no new spots? It´s getting monotonous
  • 1 0
 Windham did put in a bid for 2017 but was advised by UCI that due to budgetary constraints they could not afford 2 stops in North America and were reducing the schedule to 6 events.
Frankly really disappointing for Windham for both 2016 and 2017 considering the effort that was put forth and the success of the previous WC events there, especially the 2015 event.
Might be that other venues in the USA are loath to apply for a WC event because they see how the UCI operates and its a losing proposition financially in the USA. Very difficult to break even or make any profit so you have to have other reasons to hold a race such as promoting your venue/developing a bike park and summer recreation, enticing visitors to the area for recreation and promoting the local recreation economy and businesses.
  • 1 0
 I think there should be nine events plus the world champs: (in no particular order) Fort William, Mt Saint Anne, Hafjell, Whister(pre crankworx), Cairns, NZ( Rotorua or Queens Town), A French round (Lourdes, Meribel, Les Gets!), Lenzerheide, Val di Sol and a South America round - This is a WORLD cup after all!!!
  • 1 0
 Hell I mean 10 and world champs. forgot Leogang! Dem tree carvings. so cool and what a tribute #longlivechainsaw
  • 1 0
 Think the uci could do with a good PR person. Someone to go out and really sell the whole mtb circus to the venues. There's plenty in Europe, never a hassle there. But surely they could find 4 tracks in US/Canada that are world cup worthy and have the facilities to hold 1. The same for Australia/NZ. A bit of planning to keep the travel to a minimum, say starting in Australia and finish in US. Races 1 week apart, 2 weeks when travelling to a different continent. Then 2 week break till the world champs which could be a lottery to where it's held. Try and sell it more to the media, more media coverage can only be a good thing. Let's face it if you could catch the world cup on mainstream TV who wouldn't be happy with that?
Just my views.
  • 2 0
 Thanks heaps for showing this so early pinkbike! I'm a shift worker and usually have to call in sick for work when the WC dh, now I'll be able to give me boss plenty of time to sort my roster :-) cheers!
  • 2 0
 This is just getting f*cking boring, same tracks year fter year. Keep the classic, but make it longer then. And one year in advance, I mean, what sign is that of any kind of consedering to make more stop? get rid of uci.
  • 3 0
 I love any article on this website that has UCI in the headline just for the comment section
  • 4 3
 Anyone else sick of Cairns?! A flat sprint to the finish should not define the World Champion! What an awful venue choice for world champs. And naturally as an American i'm sad there is no Windham stop either.
  • 1 0
 @UCI time to wake up and smell the movement... This sport is growing rapidly and so are the fans of DH racing. DH racing is our F1 to a car enthusiast... This sport and fans deserves more stops on the circuit!
  • 2 0
 I can see people skipping Val Di Sol... Who decided it was a good idea to go Mt Saint Anne, Val Di Sol then Cairns that close together?
  • 1 1
 Stoked to see Vallnord but missing so much great race, I think they need to change wc because 7 races is enough but it is all time the same. I know For Williams, Mont Saint Anne are in history but .... we can come back latter no ?
  • 2 0
 Should be at least 10 events to make it a proper series. As it is 1 bad event and its season over. Maybe 10 events best 7 or 8 count. That would make it far more interesting.
  • 1 0
 Whistler has the infrastructure and has the Canadian open DH. That would be such a good venue for a WC!
Keystone has the trails and a great base village. A WC there would be sweet!
A few US/Western Canada stops is key!
  • 2 1
 How about Champery, Schladming, Val Di sole, Something in BC (Sun Peaks?), Something in NZ (Coronet?) and something in South America?
  • 2 0
 St Anne will never leave the schedule because it's the best.
  • 3 2
 calendar should be (in no particular order)
val di sole
schladming
champery
mont saint anne
lourdes
vallnord
fort william
  • 1 0
 No windham thats crazy, didnt they see the crowd last year???? Was growing each year. I even heard windham never broke even. UCI is a bunch of theives!!
  • 1 0
 Pull UCI out of the mix, no value add with their participation and their fee alone probably pulls many of the venues from even making a bid
  • 1 0
 They need to bring back Windham and Hefjell, I would also love to see a round at Whistler, but a completely new track build for the race I think that would be amazing!
  • 2 1
 So same as this year but different order and subtract a race. There needs to be a rule no same track in back to back years that would force diversity
  • 1 0
 What's the difference between the European DH Cup and the UCI World Cup?
Ah yeah, that race in Canada makes the difference;0)
  • 3 0
 Riders
  • 1 0
 @torero: you are right, Riders make the difference but when it comes to the venues i think a World Cup with only one race outside Europe is not right, what about a race in SA, USA, or Asia that would be great! I think half of the races should be somewhere else than Europe.
  • 3 1
 Come on... They should've added Windham. That race is always great!
  • 2 0
 really want them to come back to south africa
  • 1 0
 Downhill needs to ditch the UCI. the EWS managers fine without them....... For now
  • 2 0
 Put Bootleg Canyon on the list!
  • 1 0
 It is like a movie trailer it waits like 4 months for the movie to come out
  • 1 0
 How I hope world cup had races around the world, South America, Japan, Russia...
  • 2 1
 What happened to USA?????!!!!!########
  • 2 1
 Ya , just wondering why there isn't 1 or 2 races in the US?
  • 1 0
 Bring the Worldcup back to schladming and forget leogang
  • 1 0
 but i'm still at uni in September... far out
  • 1 0
 Downhill needs to ditch the UCI the managers without them....... for now
  • 2 0
 Only 6 rounds??? S#iT Frown
  • 2 0
 #bringbackschladming
  • 1 0
 U......useless
C......c@#$s
I........internationale
  • 1 0
 I need to make it to the one in quebec one of these years
  • 1 0
 West Coast Canada / USA needs a stop please!
  • 2 2
 April is open. Sea Otter anyone?
  • 1 1
 No Windham... That blows a$$!
  • 1 1
 And Snow summit misses yet another year to host a World Cup!
  • 1 0
 Cairns in spring!
  • 1 0
 fuck off uci
  • 1 0
 #bringbackchampery
  • 1 0
 Cape Town please!
  • 3 4
 No Snowshoe WV....
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