Warner Bros. Discovery, which currently has the streaming rights to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, has made the decision to reduce the World Cup podium from five riders to three. The decision has been met with resistance from many of the top mountain bike racers on the planet. 187 XCO racers and 13 race teams today issued a statement opposing the change. The list of racers includes a who’s who of the best in the world: Nino Schurter, Alessandra Keller, Kate Courtney, Thomas Pidcock… the list goes on and on.
Many racers, including Schurter and Courtney, posted the statement on their personal social media accounts on Wednesday, April 2. Collectively, the posts have received tens of thousands of likes and comments as of press time.
Update, April 3, 2025: Today, 61 World Cup downhill racers have added their names to the original statement, with many of the greats, such as Loic Bruni and Valentina Höll, putting their names to the demand for a five-rider podium.
The statement reads:
=A Statement to Warner Brothers Discovery from the UCI XCO Mountain Bike Athletes:
For more than 30 years, the podium at the mountain bike World Cup has been five riders. A podium unique to mountain bike, it has provided countless riders and teams with more exposure and opportunities. It’s been the breakthrough for many athletes and given life to smaller teams. Chasing a podium in our sport at the highest level has always meant a Top 5. It has added value and depth to the sport, given riders more chance to shine in the spotlight and added value to riders, teams and all of the sponsors and brands behind us who are the backbone of professional mountain bike racing.
Warner Brothers Discovery have only one reason for reducing the podium to three riders, conformity. To conform to the norm, to the other sports. A decision that has been made despite strong pushback from the athletes who are the very heart of the sport. We have been ignored and are left without a voice as the future of our sport changes.
As our fans know, mountain biking has never been about conformity, we have carved our own path since the inception of World Cup racing in the 1990’s and we want to keep our unique character. The vast majority of teams and riders feel completely unheard on this topic.
This is our sport and we won’t let conformity strip away its character! We demand the 5 rider podium in 2025!
Signed by the Athletes
Update, April 7, 2025: UCI issues statement, doesn’t back down from podium change
Following extensive consultation with all stakeholders involved in mountain biking, including members of the UCI Mountain Bike Commission — where rider representatives are actively involved — the UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports have introduced a modification to the podium protocol for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Effective from 1 January 2025, podium recognition is now limited to the top three riders, aligning this protocol with the UCI World Championships, other mountain bike UCI World Cup formats, the Olympics and other cycling disciplines. This decision was part of a series of amendments aimed at enhancing the sport’s structure and was publicly announced on 17 October 2024, after being approved by the UCI Management Committee.
These changes were developed through a thorough and transparent process, reflecting our commitment to aligning mountain biking with broader sporting standards and improving the sport’s presentation. The updated podium protocol is a key part of our long-term strategy for the sport and is intended to remain consistent going forward.
We now look forward to a great opening weekend in Araxá and a brilliant season ahead!
What do you think: Should the World Cup podium include five riders, or just three?
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