New Rules To Come Into Force For World Cup Downhill

The UCI have announced new rules that will reduce the number of riders competing in Downhill World Cups, particularly in the Women’s category. The rule changes are pretty straight forward –

• To reduce the number of riders by increasing the number of points required to participate (from 30 to 40 points);
• To reduce the number of riders participating in the final (15 Women Elite and 20 Juniors);
• To have a separate DHI Women Junior event.

The motivation for the change comes from a desire to protect the course during a race weekend and make the finals fairer for everyone. Essentially by having few riders on track the course remains in a better condition. Likewise the UCI, and some riders and teams, want to raise the level of competition in the World Cups by raising the bar for entry.

UCI President Brian Cookson said: “While it is important that we safeguard the essence of our cycling disciplines, we also need to be brave and embrace change in order to give our sport real meaning to those who are watching live or on screens across the world. The changes announced today show that we are moving with the times to ensure that our disciplines are presented in the most compelling way possible, and are rooted in the desire to attract and inspire even more fans into cycling.”

The 2017 Calendar has also been released –

09-10 Apr 16 UCI MTB WORLD CUP – DHI Lourdes
23-24 Apr 16 UCI MTB WORLD CUP – DHI Cairns AUS
04-05 Jun 16 UCI MTB WORLD CUP – DHI Fort William
11-12 Jun 16 UCI MTB WORLD CUP – DHI Leogang
09-10 Jul 16 UCI MTB WORLD CUP – DHI Lenzerheide
06-07 Aug 16 UCI MTB WORLD CUP – DHI Mont-Sainte-Anne
03-04 Sep 16 UCI MTB WORLD CUP – DHI Vallnord