The changes to the UCI Mountain Bike Regulations, approved by the UCI Management Committee, will come into force on 1 January 2025. One of the most important changes concerns the qualification process for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.
Source: press release
The UCI ELITE MTB TEAMS will become UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team, with this level of teams divided into two categories : Gravity (downhill and enduro) and Endurance (cross-country and short track). A maximum of 20 Gravity teams and 20 Endurance teams will become UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams for the full season. For both team categories, 15 invitations to join this team level will be based on the annual UCI Team Ranking, with a further five teams benefiting from wild card invitations for the season.
Additionally, at each individual round of the series, up to eight additional UCI teams will have the opportunity to compete as wildcard teams. National Federations will retain their designated quota.
Qualification for the UCI Mountain Bike World Series will not be limited to teams: individual riders will also be able to qualify if they meet specific ranking criteria or if they are reigning UCI national, continental or world champions in their format, or Olympic champions (for the cross-country Olympic).
In addition, a new Continental Series will be introduced, in close collaboration with the five Continental Confederations, creating another route to qualify. This will give cyclists from all continents the chance to participate, promoting globalization and competitiveness. More details on this new Continental Series will be revealed soon.
For the races of the UCI Downhill World Cup a will be introduced new simplified qualification system for Elite riders , ensuring the highest level of competition.
From 2025, all Elite Downhill riders will compete in a Qualification 1 (Q1) round, with the top 20 Elite Men and top 10 Elite Women advancing directly to the Final. All remaining riders will compete in a Qualification 2 (Q2) round, where the top 10 Elite Men and top 5 Elite Women will secure a spot in the Final. The protected status rule will be removed, meaning riders will no longer receive preferential treatment based on previous or current season results. Only the top riders from each venue will advance to the Final, with the number of Elite Women qualifiers increasing from 10 to 15.
A further change in 2025 will be the introduction of Career Numbers for all former Elite winners of a UCI World Cup round (in cross-country Olympic or downhill) who are still competing. These riders will have to select a unique career number that will make them easily identifiable during competition. The number 1 will be reserved exclusively for the current leader of the UCI World Cup ranking for each of the two formats, replacing their unique career number.
As regards E-enduro, following the agreement with the interested parties, it was decided to interrupt the UCI E-enduro World Cup and to work towards a different format for the future. However, E-enduro will retain its status as a UCI World Championship and will continue to be contested as an Open Race category at the UCI Enduro World Cup.
Additionally, Junior Men and Junior Women categories for Enduro will be introduced at the UCI World Championships, giving young athletes more opportunities to shine on the world stage.
UCI Sports Director Peter Van den Abeele he has declared: “The introduction of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series two years ago has led to significant growth in mountain biking and an increase in its popularity. Together with WBD Sports, the UCI wants to build on the momentum with these changes that will streamline certain processes, foster globalization and make competition formats easier to follow and therefore even more exciting for fans.”
Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said : “These new developments mark a major milestone for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and reflect our ongoing commitment to growing the sport by making it easier for fans around the world to follow their favorite teams and riders. I am confident that it will further cement the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series as the pinnacle of the sport.”
The amended regulation is available on UCI website .
