The UCI and the World E-Bike Series Management (WES) have partnered to form a UCI sanctioned eMTB World Cup series. The WES, which started in 2019, has been working with cycling’s governing body to bring the eMTB cross-country format to fruition and they say that the partnership will be a great step toward improving eMTB technology and helping progress the sport of eMTB racing.
WES CEO and founder Francesco Di Biase said, “We are delighted to unveil the first-ever UCI E-MTB XC WORLD CUP as a result of the hard work done in collaboration with the UCI over the last couple of years. We hope that this prestigious title will encourage both well-known and young athletes to challenge themselves in this fascinating discipline”.
Last year the UCI held the first-ever eMTB World Championships at Mont-Sainte-Anne, but it was a one-off race without a full series.
“It gives me great pleasure to launch the inaugural UCI E-Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup, and I am thrilled that the UCI can bank on the recognized expertise of World E-Bike Series for its organization,” said UCI President David Lappartient. “The discipline now has a World Cup to go with the UCI World Championships, and I have every confidence in the development of E-MTB at the elite level and among amateur and recreational riders.”
In a press release, the UCI and WES say that eMTBs make use of two forms of energy: human power and the electronic motor that assists the rider. In competition, motors will have a maximum rating of 250 watts and will stop providing power at 25kmh.
So far, the World E-Bike Series has announced a series schedule, but it won’t follow the UCI XCO schedule.
- Monaco 6-7 March
- Switzerland, Ascona-Locarno 17-18 April
- Italy, Bologna 5-6 June
- TBA, 11-12 September
- Spain, Barcelona 2-3 October
The schedule looks like it would clash with some of the UCI XCO race dates, but not with the eMTB Enduro World Series races that were announced in October last year.
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