The UCI announced the schedule for the Mountain Bike World Cup 2024 on Tuesday evening. Significant changes have been made to the planning of the cross country and short track races, which are of interest to, among others, Mathieu van der Poel and Puck Pieterse.
In the Olympic year - with the Olympic title battle taking place at the beginning of August on the Elancourt hill, near Paris - the Mountain Bike World Cup starts in April in Brazil. On April 12th (just days after Paris-Roubaix), the event moves to Mairipora and lands in Araxa a week later. Then, the mountain bikers get almost a month of rest.
From May 24th, Nove Mesto, a true classic, is on the schedule. June is packed with mountain bike races: Val di Sole and Crans Montana in Italy, as well as Haute-Savoie in France. That region will also host the Super Cycling World Championships in 2027. Other familiar names like Lenzerheide, Albstadt, and Leogang are not included in this year's World Cup.
Like this season, the mountain biking year concludes on the other side of the Atlantic: Lake Placid in the USA replaces Snowshoe, while Monte-Sainte-Anne (Canada) again serves as the finale.
From a Dutch perspective, the question quickly arises as to where Van der Poel, who is likely targeting the Olympic Games, will compete. IDLProCycling.com recently posed this question to national coach Gerben de Knegt. "After the Olympic test event, he did indicate that he needed to do more mountain biking," the coach pointed out. "I was pleased to hear that, but then the follow-up questions arise: when will it fit into his schedule and how does it coincide with road racing? It's always a complex puzzle, but I think he needs to participate in some mountain bike races to get into the rhythm for the 2024 Olympic Games." Where exactly he will compete will undoubtedly be announced in the coming weeks/months.
12 - 14 April: Mairipora (Brazil)
19 - 21 April: Araxa (Brazil)
24 - 26 May: Nove Mesto (Czech Republic)
14 - 16 June: Val di Sole (Italy)
21 - 23 June: Crans Montana (Italy)
28 June - 7 July: Haute-Savoie (France)
27 - 29 September: Lake Placid (United States)
4 - 6 October: Monte-Sainte-Anne (Canada)