2024 MTB World Series Racing Was A Big Success
The stats don’t lie, there was more of everything, from viewers to drones, and this year’s MTB World Series was a huge success. Big changes afoot for next year promise to ‘mark a bold step towards the future of mountain bike, fostering greater competitiveness and fan involvement’. We can hardly wait! This year’s racing was certainly thrilling, props to the riders as ever. Here’s the official PR from the organisers:
WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Celebrates a Successful Second Season of Growth
Cutting-edge technology, a wealth of expert pundits, and new partners ensured the second season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series saw record-breaking TV viewership and growth across nearly every metric.
As we look back before the end of the year, we reflect on the season’s key figures, setting the stage for an even more exciting 2025 season.
The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series was one for the books, with thrilling competition across all mountain bike formats crowning 44 UCI World Cup winners.
Thanks to a ground-breaking long-term partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), in 2023 all major mountain bike formats were unified under a single brand for the first-time, creating the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.
2024 marked the second season of WBD Sports taking full control of the global broadcast, promotion and organisation of the Series, expanding its reach and delivering coverage to more fans than ever before.
The 2024 season saw 15 race weekends from April to October, collectively visiting 16 venues in 10 countries across Europe and the Americas. It also introduced six exciting new locations, bringing the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series to some of mountain bike’s most iconic spots.
The world’s best athletes from 58 nations battled it out in the formats of Cross-country, Enduro and Downhill. Over seven months of competition, 134 UCI World Cup races took place, with a record-breaking 114 athletes reaching the podium. In total, 3,860km of racing took place across most of the UCI World Cup formats.
As we look back before the end of the year, we reflect on the season’s key figures, setting the stage for an even more exciting 2025 season, filled with new challenges and continued growth.
RECORD-BREAKING VIEWERSHIP
The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series was broadcast live across the globe on WBD Sports’ network, including Max, Eurosport, discovery+ and TNT Sports for the first time ever, as well as a host of broadcast partners, broadening the series’ reach across the world. WBD’s channels saw a significant increase in cumulative views, with an average of half a million more views per round in 2024 vs. 2023.
This season, WBD Sports also expanded its collaboration with more partner broadcasters to bring live racing to fans in 76 countries. Over 20 TV and streaming channels aired more than 2,100 hours of coverage, which were watched for a combined 29 million hours by fans worldwide.
To ensure no winning move was missed, WBD Sports deployed more camera operators, drones, and staff to events, enhancing the experience for the millions of fans watching around the world. Graphics were also optimised to present race data in a clear and accessible format, making it easier for viewers to follow the action.
WHOOP, a key partner in the Series, keeps developing its collaboration with WBD Sports year after year to take the cycling coverage one step further. By integrating WHOOP’s key performance data, including rider heartrate and strain in real time, fans and viewers were able to better connect with the athletes while understanding and witnessing the extraordinary level of elite performance. This innovative feature elevated the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series broadcast by providing premium insights that not only enhanced the viewing experience but also made the sport more understandable and immersive.
Led by the experienced sports presenter, Kate Mason, pre- and post-race discussions helped set the scene before each UCI World Cup race and provided immediate analysis after the winners crossed the finish line. The coverage also featured expert insights from former riders, including Aaron Gwin, Myriam Nicole, Reece Wilson, or Oli Beckinsale, offering fans a deeper understanding of the races, and elevating the overall commentary.
CONNECTING FANS GLOBALLY
Along with the millions of viewers watching at home, 365,500 fans attended the events on-site. 98% of attending fans said they would return to another WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series event in the future and scored ‘quality of racing’ 9.1 out of 10 for satisfaction, one of the highest scoring metrics this season.
Millions more engaged with the sport through other digital platforms with WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series social media accounts reaching fans in over 160 countries resulting in 230 million impressions, 23% more than last year. A total of 162 million video views were also achieved over the course of the season, up by a staggering 133% vs. 2023.
This season delivered even more action and high-quality racing than the inaugural season in 2023, resulting in increased media attention from news outlets across the world with over 9,600 articles being published in over 40 countries.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS FOR 2025
The 2025 season will bring key developments for the sport and the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series format, some of these being the biggest overhauls to the discipline since the inception of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 1991. The driving force for the changes is the desire to elevate the Series and ensure that each round is contested by the world’s best athletes and teams, reinforcing its position as the pinnacle of mountain bike.
The new UCI Regulations include a major change in the UCI World Cups qualifying process, now focusing on top riders and teams to increase competition. Starting in 2025, UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams will register under two categories: Gravity (downhill and enduro) and Endurance (cross-country and short track). Each category will feature up to 20 teams offering better visibility and engagement on the track side and TV across formats. The introduction of unique career numbers will also make it easier for new fans to follow and fall in love with the sport.
This week, the UCI also unveiled additional details about the Continental Series, which will debut on the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike Calendar, offering riders from various continents with new opportunities to qualify for the UCI World Cups.
The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series will mark a bold step towards the future of mountain bike, fostering greater competitiveness and fan involvement. More information on the key changes set to take effect from 2025 is available here.
Reflecting on the success of the second season, UCI President David Lappartient said: “The launch of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series two years ago brought significant growth for the mountain bike discipline and helped it grow in popularity. This momentum has only continued and picked up over the past year, as shown by the great results shared today. The innovative spirit behind this progress will also be at work next season, and we are confident that mountain bike still has a lot of room to grow, both as a competitive discipline with different formats and as a popular outdoor activity.”
Chris Ball, VP – Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “The second year of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series has been truly extraordinary. From thrilling new venues and innovative technology to heart-stopping racing, we’ve witnessed record-breaking TV viewership and impressive growth across nearly every metric. We look forward to the exciting changes to next season’s competition, as we continue to elevate the sport to new heights.”
ISO CERTIFIED PROMOTER
As the global promoter of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, WBD Sports has been recognised for its commitment to sustainable event management and been granted ISO20121 certification.
The certification approves the structured framework that integrates sustainability into event management practices. Along with enhancing social inclusion and ensuring economic viability for all stakeholders, the framework includes setting long-term goals, implementing sustainable practices, measuring performance, and continually improving the internal and external processes and policies – all to reduce the environmental and social impact of the large-scale international events promoted while maintaining their economic viability.