[the_ad id="5357"]
[ad_1]
One week after making sweeping changes to the World Cup series, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) released the full 2023 race calendar. There are significant changes from the provisional calendar that came out a few months ago, including the notable absence of any Whistler enduro (ERD) World Cup.
With two new disciplines – enduro and marathon cross country – joining the World Cup series, there is a lot to digest in the new calendar.
2023 UCI World Cup calendar
There are a few new notable events on the World Cup calendar for 2023. The first is-10 day run of World Cup races in Les Gets, France from September 7-17. Les Gets is the only where all disciplines will be together on the same weekend.
It’s a mixed bag for Canadian race fans. Whistler is missing from the enduro calendar but Mont-Sainte-Anne will be the grand finale of the 2023 World Cup for cross country and downhill racing.
Enduro skips Whistler
World Cup racing starts with two Enduro World Cup (formerly Enduro World Series) rounds in Australia. Maydena, Tas. starts the season off on March 25-26. Derby, Tas. continues ERD racing a week later on April 1-2. From there, EDR joins the new XC Marathon series in Finale Ligure, Italy. A few combined and enduro-only weekends follow before the big new event in Les Gets.
The big news for Canadian enduro fans is that Whistler is back off of the calendar. Whistler’s iconic EWS round was initially included on Discovery’s provisional calendar, but it is absent from the final version below. As are all U.S. enduro rounds. That is likely a huge disappointment for Canadian racers, who usually perform well at Whistler and have few (now zero) chances to race without travelling overseas. It’s also a huge downer for Canadians looking to catch reigning EWS/EDR champion Jesse Melamed race on home soil this year.
Downhill: new venues and MSA finale
As mentioned, Mont-Sainte-Anne will host the final round of World Cup downhill racing in 2023. That requires a shift from the venue’s usual August spot to an early October date. Racers might have to bundle up when the series lands in Quebec Oct. 6-8.
The downhill starts June 9-11, when Lenzerheide, Switz. will debut the new three-race-run format that UCI/WBD are trying out in 2023. One new stop along the way to MSA will be a stop in Loudenvielle, France. Loudenvielle has hosted the Enuro World Series (now EDR) in the past and should prove an exciting new stop for the DH…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…
[ad_2]