The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that the first edition of the UCI Snow Bike World Championships will take place on 10 and 11 February 2024 in Châtel, Haute-Savoie (France).
Source: UCI press release
Two competition formats on the snow, inspired by alpine skiing, scheduled for this first edition of the event: the super-G and the dual slalom.
The races of SuperG they will take place in a single heat on a slope with a difference in altitude between 350 and 650 meters depending on the chosen route. The distance between the gates will be approximately 20-25 meters, as in alpine skiing. The runners will start one by one at regular intervals.
Il dual slalom (comparable to parallel slalom in snowboarding and alpine skiing) is an event consisting of a series of elimination races in which two riders go head-to-head on two parallel slalom courses. They compete against each other in two heats, switching courses for the second heat. The rider with the fastest combined time advances to the next round of the competition. The trails will take approximately 30 seconds to descend.
These two competition formats will take place on downhill mountain bikes and will be open to all cyclists holding a license from a UCI-affiliated national federation.
Further information on the technical details of the competitions will be published on the UCI website in due course.
UCI President David Lappartient he said: “The awarding of the first UCI Snow Bike World Championships to Châtel represents a key moment in the structuring of the discipline worldwide. At a time when ski resorts are increasingly eager to diversify their range of activities, snow biking offers them a new opportunity, this winter sport adds to the mountain bike specialties that have been growing strongly in the sector for several years tourist and increasingly practiced from spring to autumn.”
Il president of the Fédération Française de Cyclisme (FFC) Michel Callot he said: “France is a leading nation in mountain biking, which means that the Fédération Française de Cyclisme is interested in all developments within the discipline. So it stands to reason that snow biking has been established in our country thanks to a national circuit. The awarding of the first UCI Snow Bike World Championships in Châtel celebrates the dynamism of Châtel and the Haute-Savoie region in terms of cycling, and implements the initiatives developed by our Federation to promote this discipline".
Nicolas Rubin, mayor of Châtel, said: “Snow as a backdrop for a mountain bike trail? What a great idea and symbol for mountain sports. This first edition of the UCI Snow Bike World Championships is very welcome in Châtel and Haute-Savoie, France, and will be a milestone for the future.”
Il president of the departmental council of Haute-Savoie Martial Saddier declared: “With the arrival of a new discipline on its territory, Haute-Savoie proves once again that it is a land of cycling, both in summer and in winter! I am happy with this sporting adventure, and I would like to thank in particular the mayor of Châtel, Nicolas Rubin, who is working to ensure that Haute-Savoie remains a land of innovation".
