If you’re not on a seriously well-funded team, you can kiss your chance of racing a world cup goodbye. That is, unless you can work the new continental series to your advantage. The top five finishers in any continental series event earn Golden Ticket entries to a world cup of their choice, while the top five in the overall standings secure entries to all world cup rounds the following season.
The UCI today unveiled the continental series for mountain biking, set to begin in 2025. Designed to boost international racing opportunities and bridge the gap to the UCI world cup. This series includes events across the Americas, Europe and Oceania.
Each continent will feature multiple stops in XCO and DH disciplines.
So far there will be twelve events in the Americas (seven XCO and five DH events), nine events in Europe (four XCO, four DH and one combining both formats) and seven events in Oceania (two XCO, four DH and one combining both formats).
Canada to host two major stops
Two of the twelve North American events will be in Canada: the Canmore Canada Cup XCO and the Silverstar Canada Cup DH.
Canmore Canada Cup XCO: June 11-14
The Canmore Canada Cup XCO kicks off June 11-14 in Canmore, Alberta. Hosted by the Alberta Nationals Mountain Bike Race Association, the event has long been a staple of Canada’s cross-country racing calendar.
“Since 2017, we’ve been building towards this moment,” says event director Ron Sadesky. “Canmore is ready to welcome higher-level international competition and earning UCI continental series status is a huge milestone. This will elevate XCO racing in North America and showcase everything we’ve built over the years.”
Silverstar Canada Cup DH: August 2-3
On August 2-3, the SilverStar Canada Cup DH takes center stage at Silverstar Mountain Resort in British Columbia. Hosted as part of the Crankworx Summer Series, this stop highlights a venue with a storied downhill racing history.
“SilverStar has been delivering gravity-fueled racing since hosting the Grundig World Cup in 1994,” says Ian Jenkins, director of sales, marketing and events. “Being chosen as the first UCI DH Continental Series stop for 2025 reflects our 30-year commitment to building one of North America’s premier bike parks.”
What’s the point?
Key benefits of the continental series include:
- Golden Ticket entries to world cup rounds for…
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