The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the sport of
mountain bike racing relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in
Purgatory, Colorado. The first mountain biking world cup series took place in 1991. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents - Europe and North America - and was sponsored by
Grundig. In 1992, the Grundig-UCI world cup circuit expanded to ten races, and remained a
trans-Atlantic series. Cross-country racing was the only world cup sport at this time, then in 1993
a six-event downhill world cup was introduced. In 1996, cross country mountain biking events were
added to the Olympic Games. NORBA refers to the Board of Trustees that represent the sport of mountain bike
racing for USA Cycling. There are three USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars- Endurance, Gravity and Ultra-Endurance. USA
Cycling runs the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. In 2006 cross country mountain biking events will become part
of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA. ([1])
Types of mountain bike races
- Cross-country - Cross-country (XCO) racing is held on a varied terrain
circuit, normally around 6-8 km and is always a massed-start race. Under the controversial new 2006 UCI rules, elite, U23, and
Junior Expert riders at UCI sanctioned races, are allowed technical assistance, but only in designated zones and only by an
authorized team mechanic. However, riders in the same team can help each other at any point in the race. Under NORBA rules, no technical assistance is allowed. Professional level races are
longer in distance, around 30 miles.
- Downhill - Downhill (DH) racing is a time trial event. Riders start at
intervals that can vary from 30 seconds to three minutes-depending on the stage of the competition - and the rider with the
lowest time wins. As the name of this discipline implies, DH races are held in steep, downhill terrain, resulting in higher speed
than in cross-country racing. The terrain is also often somewhat rougher than in cross-country racing. The bike is specialized
and has a long travel suspension and powerful disc brakes.
- Super D - Super D (SD) is a blend of cross-country and downhill. Most of the race is downhill, on trails similar to
the downhill segment of a cross-country race. There are also short (100-500 m) uphill sections which make the use of
downhill bicycles difficult, as a result, most riders use cross-country or 'trail bikes'. Depending on the trail and race venue,
the start may either be seeded (riders start in short intervals), or Le Mans mass start (riders run to their bikes, timing is
started when the riders start running). Probably the most famous of this type is the Megavalanche.
- Freeride - Freeride (FR) competitions are not so much a race as they are a
competition of skill. Courses contain varying cliffs, drops, obstacles, and ramps. There are usually a large number of ways in
which to complete the course, and scoring is dependent on the competitor's choice of routes, the fluidity of riding and tricks
performed (style), and sometimes also the time in which the course is completed.
- Dual Slalom/Dual - Dual Slalom (DS) is a ski-inspired event which pits two riders against each other on two identical
man-made tracks side-by-side with the same jumps and berms, with a rider on each track, and the first across the line wins. The
contest has a knock-out format. Dual (DL) events are similar, only two riders share the same course/track. So dual is a contact
sport.
- Four cross - (4X, also known as 'mountain cross' or 'bikercross') inspired by the
dual format and by BMX racing, this event pits four riders on the same course from starting gates to finish. There can only be
one winner per event, so the races can quickly eliminate riders making the progression faster for a day's events. This is the
reason it was chosen as the race-format to replace Dual-Slalom by the UCI at World Cup events. 4X also replaced Dual in the UCI
World Cup series in 2002.
- Marathon - Marathon (XCM) is perhaps the toughest form of
mountain biking because riders often have to cover more than 80 kilometers in one race on mountaineous terrain. The distances
usually vary from 60 kilometers to 100Km. Races oftentimes exceed 100Km, but are then termed Ultra-Marathons. Recently UCI has
inaugurated the Marathon World Cup. Basically it equals point-to-point (PP) discipline and that means that riders have a mass
start from point "A" and they finish at point "B". Stage races are also permitted in mountain biking.
- Enduro - Enduro (ND) is a relatively new development that has its roots in Marathon mountain biking. Endurance races
tend either to last for 12 or 24 hours and although this can vary, there will generally be the following team categories: solo
rider; pair; mixed (gender) pair; team (usually four people of the same gender); mixed team (five people of mixed gender). Aside
from solo and paired riders, there are often intermediate (i.e. fun, expert, pro) classes within the other categories. Only one
member of the team can be on the course at any one time, and it is a competition not to finish first, but to complete the
greatest number of laps before the end of the event. Enduro races are also credited with the revival of mountain biking in recent
years, mainly as a result of their participation and festival nature.
- Epic Riding - All day or multi-day adventures in remote wilderness areas.
- Bike trials - Slow negotiation of man-made and natural obstacles where
setting a foot down constitutes a penalty.
See also
- Category: Mountain bikers
Mountain bike events by country
External links and references
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