The 2022 Downhill World Cup season kicks off in Lourdes, France, with all the best riders at the start. Follow all the Live and On-Demand action on Red Bull TV.
The countdown has begun for the highly anticipated 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. The atmosphere is set to be lively, with over 20.000 spectators expected to return to cheer on their favorites.
Opening hours
The Women Elite final will take place in Lourdes on Sunday 27 March at 12pm, followed by the Men Elite final at 30pm.
French superstar Myriam Nicole will also join the lineup, with everything to prove against Höll. Myriam narrowly missed out on the title last year by 50 points after falling in the final race in Snowshoe, USA.
Myriam Nicole says: "Lourdes is only four hours from my home. Family, friends and sponsors will participate. So yes, it means more pressure".
The last time a Mercedes-Benz UCI World Cup race took place here five years ago, Alexandre Fayolle (FRA) achieved his first and only victory in the UCI series. Can Loïc Bruni continue France's winning streak with his first ever home win? He definitely has the talent to do it.
Two weeks after Lourdes, the Cross-country where it will compete in Petrópolis, Brazil, for a single stage in South America. Located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the city is the birthplace of Henrique Avancini, the first Brazilian mountain biker to win a UCI world title (UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in 2018).
The season of Cross-country will be full of surprises. Last year's Mercedes-Benz UCI World Cup winners Mathias Flueckiger (SUI) and Loana Lecomte (FRA) will be looking to do it again, with the young French athlete starting her third Elite season with a new squad, Canyon CLLCTV.
The next race of Downhill will take place in Fort William, Great Britain, from 21 to 22 May. In total, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season features eight rounds of downhill racing and nine rounds of XC racing. The final competitions, as in previous seasons, will take place in Val di Sole (2022 world cup calendar).
LOURDES WORLD CUP PROGRAM
Thursday 24 March
• 09:30 - 10:30 // Inspection of the walking course - Elite teams
• 10:30 - 16:00 // Inspection of the walking course - All runners
Friday 25 March
• 08:45 - 11:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group B
• 11:15 - 12:30 // Official Downhill Training - Groups A and B
• 12:45 - 15:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group A
• 15:30 - 17:00 // Timed downhill training session - Top 60 elite men of the World Cup, top 15 elite women, top 10 junior men, top 3 junior women
• 17:00 - 17:45 // Inspection of the route on foot - Drivers and teams
Saturday March 26
• 08:45 - 10:15 // Official Downhill Training - Group B
• 10:15 - 11:45 // Official Downhill Training - Group A
• 12:15 // Seeding Run - Junior Women
• 12:30 // Qualifying round - Junior Men
• 13:30 // Qualifying round - Elite Women
• 14:00 // Qualifying round - Elite Men
• Followed by 30 minutes on foot. Inspection of the descent course - Drivers and Teams
Sunday, March 27
• 08:15 - 09:15 // Official Descent Training - Junior Women, Junior Men, Elite Women
• 09:45 // Final - Junior Men
• 10:30 // Final - Junior Women
• 10:50 - 11: 05 // Official Downhill Training - Elite Women
• 11:05 - 12:05 // Official Downhill Training - Elite Men
• 12:30 // Final - Elite Women
• 13:30 // Final - Elite Men followed by awards ceremony
