PRESS RELEASE: Enduro World SeriesThe Enduro World Series (EWS) announces the next step in its short - but action packed - history as it today reaches a historic agreement with the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
The new partnership signifies the progression of the EWS, cementing its place as the world’s leading enduro series and recognising the rapid progression of the discipline over the last six years.
The tight racing, exciting venues and great trails that are the hallmarks of the EWS will remain unchanged following this new agreement, and the Enduro World Series championship will continue as one of the hardest fought and most prestigious individual titles in mountain biking.
Alongside the individual EWS titles, and to promote the ethos of team work, strategy and sportsmanship, from 2019 the UCI will award the iconic UCI Rainbow Jerseys to the winning national teams at the annual
Trophy of Nations event, marking a new era for international team competition.
The EWS will now begin working closely with the UCI to continue developing the discipline, advise the UCI Mountain Bike Commission, train Commissaires and integrate anti-doping policies into the sport of enduro worldwide.
Chris Ball, Managing Director of the EWS said: “It’s been no secret we have remained in close communication with the UCI for the past six years whilst the EWS has spearheaded the growth of enduro. As the discipline continues its rapid expansion, the time is now right to add a layer of neutral governance - I’ve always been a firm believer that every sport needs checks, balances and transparency in place.
“This agreement has been a long time in the making and following the election of new UCI President David Lappartient in 2017, our relationship has strengthened and negotiations have accelerated. I am now pleased to announce that the EWS and the UCI from today will begin a new way of working together for the best of the sport, that will maintain the EWS’ position at the top of the discipline. This will allow the EWS to represent and guide the direction of enduro within the UCI, bring anti-doping best practice from the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) and award the fabled UCI Rainbow Jerseys at the Trophy of Nations in 2019. I thank Mr Lappartient and UCI Deputy Sports Director and Head of Off-Road Peter Van den Abeele for following our vision and together starting another new chapter for the great sport of mountain biking.”
UCI President David Lappartient declared: “I am looking forward to mountain bike Enduro joining the specialities recognised by the UCI thanks to the inclusion of the Enduro World Series on the UCI Mountain Bike International Calendar. Established in 2012, this very popular series includes no fewer than eight rounds which are of great sporting interest and impeccably organised. Thanks to this partnership, it will now benefit from a broader international reach and an unprecedented capacity to develop through our 190 National Federations. Moreover, I am convinced that the relaunch of the Trophy of Nations will attract a growing number of athletes, motivated by the idea of being awarded the iconic UCI Rainbow Jersey alongside their national team mates.”
MENTIONS: @EnduroWorldSeries
first kenny smith on an e-bike, now ews going uci............... peeps street cred at an alltime low.
#youcannevergoback
I've always wondered where EWS gets the $$$ to put on their events, it can't be cheap.
People seem to moan about atheletes doping, but it's the corrupt people in these organisations that really disgust me. I'd rather have a doped up athelete field and a clean organising body...
Ok..Wow..
Must read for those who are still not convinced (as i was)
/ E.W.S. \
2012-2018
I fear this means we will have to deal with them and the UCI if we want to host EWS qualifiers/Continental Champ/EWS races in the future. If so I'm not so sure we would still be interested.
Disappointed but expected this change at some point.
_______________________________________
Well, I know you can't run World Enduro all your life
but don't sign that paper tonight,
they said,
but it's too late.
And I don't remember what I read,
don't remember what they said,
I guess it doesn't matter,
I guess it doesn't matter anymore.
[chorus]
You're gonna go to the bicycle store
You're gonna give 'em all your money
While the UCI shows what they want you to see
They tell me it's cool but I just don't believe it...
Sell out, with me oh yea, sell out, with me tonight
The UCI’s gonna give me lots of money
and everything's gonna be (all right)
[verse]
No more marking courses, arbitrating course disputes,
You know I don't want that no more,
And I didn't ask when we'd get paid, start order’s messed up anyway,
I guess it doesn't matter, I guess it doesn't matter anymore
[chorus]
You're gonna go to the bicycle store
You're gonna give 'em all your money
While the UCI shows what they want you to see
They tell me it's cool but I just don't believe it...
Sell out, with me oh yea, sell out, with me tonight
The UCI’s gonna give me lots of money
and everything's gonna be all right
[bridge]
I don't think it'll be so bad
I know it won't be so bad
cause Baller said "that's the way it is"
and Lappartient said "it don't get better than this" no no no noo
[chorus]
So I signed on with UCI,
They say they're gonna really try,
To not screw up the enduro series next year,
They tell me it's cool, and yeah I sure believe it...
Sell out, with me oh yea, sell out, with me tonight
The UCI’s gonna give me lots of money and
Everything's gonna be all right.
exciting venues and great trails that are the hallmarks of the EWS will remain unchanged - time will tell.
the Enduro World Series championship will continue as one of the hardest fought and most prestigious individual titles in mountain biking - so the credibility and kudos of the series win and title is already recognised and desired......
the UCI will award the iconic UCI Rainbow Jerseys to the winning national teams at the annual Trophy of Nations event, marking a new era for international team competition - is this something the riders, sponsors and teams said was lacking of the series, or its the carrot UCI brought that is actually not worth the bait?
UCI to continue developing the discipline - the discipline needed development?
time is now right to add a layer of neutral governance - I’ve always been a firm believer that every sport needs checks, balances and transparency in place. - is that what UCI has proved to be, a bastion of neutral governance. If so I think you may have a whitewashing issue of recent cycling history. Transparency .....or Organisational interests?
strengthened and negotiations have accelerated - the truth to all this is in this statement. This is a business development deal, sold by one party to the other for the commercial benefit of both. Terms agreed and conditions imposed for the terms, and to paint EWS as remaining free and unencumbered post this commercial arrangement is a fallacy.
“I am looking forward to mountain bike Enduro joining the specialities recognised by the UCI thanks to the inclusion of the Enduro World Series on the UCI Mountain Bike International Calendar. Established in 2012, this very popular series includes no fewer than eight rounds [we are reviewing this at present with our larger strategic plan and other broadcast rights and disciplines and the conditions imposed on this deal] which are of great sporting interest and impeccably organised (so was acknowledged fine already....). Thanks to this partnership [commercial deal where we have purchased the rights in management and control], it will now benefit from a broader international reach (because one thing EWS has was an issue with participation and uptake globally...) and an unprecedented capacity to develop through our 190 National Federations [this deal is critical to remaining vibrant and non stagnant for the UCI strategic and business objectives, of an issue not of EWS concern, but we will use this new EWS tool at our disposal to primarily address and target issues of UCI not EWS concern first and foremost]. Moreover, I am convinced that the relaunch of the Trophy of Nations will attract a growing number of athletes, motivated by the idea of being awarded the iconic UCI Rainbow Jersey alongside their national team mates (because the EWS has had a real issue with motivation and engagement of athletes as proven by attendance, growth and drain of participants from traditional UCI disciplines).”
I have had our lawyers review this arrangement and deal, and conclude we need to seal this deal for the benefit of UCI and its objectives. We have thrown in a rainbow jersey, some trinket change to appear to bring kudos and benefit for this amazing opportunity it presents us. After 6 years we finally have captured our erstwhile prey.- UCI President David Lappartient
Will my 2017 EWS race licence and race event entry rise 15% to cover this later of administration as a result of the EWS UCI Broadcast rights partnership?
Will my individual and non pro ability to enter and validity to be qualified to enter be restricted due need to hold and maintain additional licences, status, qualifications, endorsements or recognition by national bodies, or there will be caps or restrictions on entry over the open system as experienced in 2017/2018?
Gunna be pretty interesting to see if this shakes some things up.
I just wonder one thing: the season was started with the rule that the winner of the overall is crowned World Champ. Will it change? Or will there be 2 World Champs in each category ???
????????????????
Bummer news, but hopefully the popularity of EWS pre-UCI gives EWS the clout to retain a good level of autonomy.
- Lets work with the UCI
Everyone (Michael Scott)
- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WHY GOD NO
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Don't get me wrong, I love watching UCI downhill racing but it's to bad more resorts can't afford hosting races.
*sarcasm font engaged.
The UCI do far more than 99% of people here realise...
Listen to this for a start: www.vitalmtb.com/features/The-Inside-Line-Podcast-Martin-Whiteley,2374
digbmx.com/dig-this/why-we-need-to-keep-the-uci-out-of-bmx
The UCI has its problems and has made its fair share of mistakes, even Martin admitted that, but I do think this is the right move for the EWS, especially on the doping front. Enduro is becoming more professional and people are making more money, which will lead to more doping - its what happens in sports.
I do recommend people listen to the inside line pod with Martin - it's very interesting. My biggest two takeaways were the DH WC does an horrible job with PR in regards to issues about the WC. Explaining what goes on with the live feed (issues they have like at Ft. Bill), what they are trying to do to address problems, etc. Take the NBA for example, they do a pretty good job discussing and trying to explain league issues that they are working to address. Some things may be a total logistical cluster for some DH events and we, as fans, don't know it are left to assume that its just the UCI sucking at their job. The second is, we need to more clearly divide what is needed at the elite end of the sport vs. the grassroots level. A group like the UCI is probably best for the elite end, but struggles with the grassroots stuff, which probably needs more people on this forum helping foster that stuff than bitching about the UCI on pinkbike...
The UCI definitely has a horrible track record at the grassroots level. I see it here in the US and several friends I have in the UK echo our woes. True Pinkbike forum can be a bitch fest. However, there have been many attempts over the years to show UCI how grassroots efforts should be approached, but they dismiss or at best receive the suggestions only to revise them into regressive tactics. At the elite level it isn't a secret the amount of money the UCI demands for a WC event. That isn't even including the lavish accommodations required for the bureaucrats shuttled to each event. This is the reason many promoters and/or ski resorts scoff at hosting a WC race. The cost vastly outweigh the benefits. The UCI prices the events as if they are World Series or NFL game.
I understand this sounds overly negative or 'whining'. However, I have been around, raced MTB and BMX since the early 90's (yes I am old) and with a few exceptions see nothing beneficial at the local/national level from the UCI. As a long time spectator of the WC scene, my view is similar with regards to the UCI.
You can try to have wider acceptance and more tv action, or you can have a relatively closed off series that people outside of a sub-section of mountain biking don't know anything about.
You want people to keep getting paid? Probably even paid better? All while helping the sport reach a wider audience which then helps the industry in turn? Then you have to deal with things like this happening.
Prove us wrong, but this is retrograde and cant see the sport benefit vs the lost control here. Just become like a function of many in a large organisations strategy, and control will naturally diminish.
The bike industry will love this... As will the fans...
Oceania - 3 voting delegates of 45 total
Africa - the cycling powerhouse, has 9
Europe - 15 voting delegates
Tell me more how Enduro is not going to be effected by the pure structural fact of how UCI works day to day, now that is has but obtained the right to "....allow the EWS to represent and guide the direction of enduro within the UCI".
Hopefully it doesn't go the way of UCI DH...
EWS should have swayed over DH events and let UCI manage roadies...