UCI announces Mont-Sainte-Anne to host first e-mtb world championships in 2019
Cycling's governing body also hands down strict new equipment restrictions for 2020 Olympics
When Mont-Sainte-Anne hosts the 2019 UCI mountain bike world championships, the legendary Quebec venue will have the honour of being the first to host the event a for a third time.
On Wednesday, the UCI announced MSA will also make history as the first location of e-mountain bike world championships.
UCI e-mountain bike world championships
The new e-mtb addition was announced following the annual meeting of the Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI’s announcement was primarily concerned with significant changes to decisions made about the direction women’s professional road cycling. It also contained announcements regarding changes to regulations regarding clothing and equipment.
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“Turning to new specialities,” UCI’s press release states, “the e-mountain bike, snow bike and pump track have been integrated into the UCI Mountain Bike Regulations.” While there are no details yet on what exactly e-mountain bike world championships will look like, the announcement clearly states that “the first edition will take place during UCI mountain bike world championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne.”
“I also welcome the integration of new specialities into the UCI Mountain Bike Regulations,” UCI President David Lappartient declared, adding, “These show that cycling is a dynamic sport that continues to evolve. The UCI encourages these evolutions to grow cycling globally.”
The UCI’s announcement does not contain any details on distance, format, or regulations on the type of motor that will be allowed in the event. Velerium, the organizer for the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup and 2019 UCI mountain bike world championships, does not yet have any details of the event on its website.
New UCI equipment regulations for Olympics
Along with the UCI’s announcement also contained new, stricter equipment regulations. The new regulations create a different standard for standard international competition and and the Olympic Games. For the Olympics, the new regulation states: “all equipment used must have been commercialised at the latest by January 1st of the Olympic year and already used at international events the year before the Games.”
For mountain biking, this seems to mean any bikes raced in Tokyo for the 2020 games will have to have made an appearance at an international race in 2019, and be available to the public by January 1st 2020.
Regulations for non-Olympic years are looser, stating: “The use of prototypes is still authorized, as long as they have been approved by the UCI in advance and that they will be available for purchase by the public within a reasonable timeline – clearly defined – and at a price that is comparable to that of other products of a similar category.”
According to the statement, changes to the regulations are intended to “ensure egality between athletes when it comes to equipment.”
The focus on the Olympics suggests the rules are directed at track, road and cross country mountain biking, where the hunt for a competitive edge has led to unique prototypes developed specifically for the Games. For instance, for Rio 2016, Felt developed a left-side drive track bike for the American track team designed to give racers an aerodynamic advantage.
