Mountain bike racing (shortened MTB or ATB racing ) is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Durango , Colorado . The first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series took place in 1988. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North America—and was sponsored by Grundig . Cross-country racing was the only World Cup sport at this time. In 1993, a six-event downhill World Cup was introduced. In 1996, cross-country mountain biking events were added to the Olympic Games . In 2006, cross-country mountain biking events became part of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA.
26-655: The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships are the world championship events for mountain bike racing in the disciplines of cross country , downhill , and four-cross . They are organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) , the governing body of world cycling. The first three finishers in each discipline at the World Championships are awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. The winner of each discipline
52-406: A time trial format, cross-country races traditionally feature a mass start or interval start, where riders are released in several large groups divided by age and/or ability. Races with very large fields that do not wish to stagger starts will sometimes employ a Le Mans start where racers begin by running to their bikes. Globally, XC racing is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale . In
78-764: A cause of riders' specialisation. The main events in mountain bike racing are the cross-country event at the Summer Olympics and the World Championships and World Cup organized every year by the UCI at various venues around the World. There are also other notable events in some countries, like Crankworx , a week-long event in Whistler, British Columbia , Canada ; MTB Himalaya in India ; Chupacabras ,
104-462: A duration of 20–25 minutes. Similarly, the number of laps is determined by how many laps can be completed in that timeframe at maximum given previous lap times. XCC races typically determine the order that racers in an XCO race will be in and are typically held 2 days before the XCO race if they will determine the starting order. With a route usually between 65 and 100 km. It has gained popularity in
130-560: A handful of exceptions (a notable one being the Pivot LES 27.5). 29″ wheels have become the standard available on all but a select few cross-country bikes and are the only wheel size used at most XC races (this is most notable at professional level races such as the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships where 29″ wheels are the only wheel size used). 29″ inch wheels started rapidly gaining popularity in
156-489: A maximum duration of 60 seconds. It is similar to four-cross , which is a downhill discipline. Consists of completing multiple laps around a 4–10 km (2.5–6.0 mile) circuit, with a duration of about 90 minutes for elite classes. It is the only cross-country discipline in the Olympics programme. A race similar to XCO racing, but with laps typically under 1.0–2.0 km (0.6–1.2 miles) in length in less technical terrain, and
182-830: A race in Juárez , Mexico ; The Nedbank Tour de Tuli in South Africa , Zimbabwe and Botswana , Cape Epic in South Africa ; Sea Otter Classic in the United States ; Mountain Mayhem in the United Kingdom ; La Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica and Red Bull Rampage Tour in Virgin, UT . The International Triathlon Union conducts an annual Cross Triathlon Championship race annually. Additionally,
208-636: Is also entitled to wear the rainbow jersey in events of the same discipline until the following year's World Championships. Unlike other UCI-sanctioned mountain-bike races, the competitors in the World Championships represent national rather than commercial teams. The World Championships are usually held towards the end of the season. The first UCI Mountain Bike World Championships took place in Durango, Colorado , USA in 1990 and featured only cross-country and downhill events. A separate UCI Trials World Championships had been held since 1986. From 2000 to 2016,
234-477: Is the only form of mountain biking practiced at the Olympics . Cross-country cycling is defined by the terrain on which it is performed. XC courses and trails consist of a mix of rough forest paths and singletrack (also referred to as doubletrack depending on width), smooth fireroads , and even paved paths connecting other trails. Until recently cross-country trails were deemed "easy" or "intermediate", due to
260-594: The UCI , such as mountain bike orienteering that is governed by the IOF . Mountain bike racing is as old as the first appearance of the mountain bike itself, when the originators, calling themselves klunkers , descended with their heavily modified beach cruiser bikes as predecessors of modern mountain bikes from numerous mountains in California against a rudimentary time measurement. The famous Repack racing down-hill against
286-683: The XTERRA Triathlon is a private off-road series and concluding with a championship each year in Maui. Electric bicycle races include Enduro World Series 's EWS-E, Union Cycliste Internationale 's E-Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme 's E-Xbike World Cup. Cross-country cycling Cross-country ( XC ) cycling is a discipline of mountain biking . Cross-country cycling became an Olympic sport in 1996 and
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#1732783326774312-567: The United States, it is under the purview of USACMTB , a division of USA Cycling . In the United Kingdom, British Cycling is the governing body. XC racing exists in four main formats: XCE (Cross-Country eliminator), XCO (Cross-Country Olympic), XCC (Cross-Country Short Circuit) and XCM (Cross-Country Marathon). A discipline where the top two riders advance to the next round and the other two riders are eliminated. Each race has
338-500: The concept that this discipline of mountain biking relies more on physical ability than technical prowess. Cross-country bicycles are some of the lightest mountain bikes, typically between 7.5 and 12.5 kilograms (17 and 28 lb ). They usually feature suspension forks in front and often have suspension in the rear. In both the front and rear, most XC bicycles have approximately 100 millimetres (10.0 cm ; 3.9 in ) of suspension travel and max out at 120 millimeters at
364-496: The expense of nimble handling and better climbing characteristics, but less so. Bicycle helmets are nearly universally used for cross-country riding. However, XC riders only rarely wear full-face helmets and do not wear the full body "armor" employed by downhill riders and tend to wear helmets similar to well ventilated road helmets, but helmets most often used by enduro and trail riders are also used. Cross-country cyclists are more prone to injuries than road cyclists ; however,
390-426: The front typically (although on occasion it is 130 millimeters ) and 120 millimeters in the rear, although some riders prefer 125 to 150 millimetres (12.5 to 15.0 cm ; 4.9 to 5.9 in ) of travel as bicycle frame strength and technology advance, but most mountain bikes past 130 mm of suspension on either the front or rear are not regarded as cross-country bikes. The geometry of the frames generally places
416-683: The injuries sustained by XC riders are usually not as severe. Cross-country racing emphasizes endurance above technical prowess, and races vary from 30 minutes to 24 hours in length. More recently a new category has emerged called Marathon Cross Country or "Marathon Distance". Generally, the marathon distance bike races are over 50 miles. Anything under 50 miles is still called cross country. Additionally, many mountain bike races are divided up into stages so as to span several days. Races can be either point-to-point or lap-based. Short-track cross-country consists of many very short laps so as to be spectator-friendly. Unlike downhill races, which are conducted in
442-419: The last years, because XCM competition participation is open to everyone, including beginners. In cross-country, a wider variety of wheel sizes have been used historically compared to other disciplines, although recently most riders have settled on a single wheel size. The 26-inch wheel size initially used in mountain biking has all but died off at the top level of cross-country racing, with 29″ wheels becoming
468-823: The mid to late 2000s, and have become very successful in cross-country racing as a whole. A notable boost to their popularity came with Lance Armstrong, racing and winning on a Gary Fisher 29er. Advantages to the larger wheel formats are less need for suspension due to a decreased angle of attack, more energy propelling the bike forward per pedal stroke, and also less loss of momentum. Disadvantages include slightly increased weight, decreased acceleration, higher rolling inertia, rider fit issues for those under 5′5″ (165 cm), and slower handling, although handling issues are being addressed successfully in newer designs with geometry changes like steeper head tube angles and higher fork offsets (although these changes are being reversed slowly by most brands to increase stability). A further disadvantage
494-478: The mountain bike and trials disciplines were combined and run as the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships. Beginning in 2017, the UCI world championships in trials will be run as part of the newly created UCI Urban Cycling World Championships . The cross-country team relay was added in 1999. The dual slalom was added in 2000 but replaced by four-cross in 2002. Mountain bike marathon
520-459: The mountain bike racing could take place on even more technical tracks making it more dissimilar to the cyclo-cross discipline. Mountain bike racing became an Olympic discipline in 1996 and a cross-country type mountain biking race has been held ever since its debut at the summer Olympic games in Atlanta. Given the enormous variation of terrain a mountain bike can navigate, a division took place as
546-400: The norm and 650b wheels being used occasionally. 650b wheels are 584 mm diameter wheels, and approximately 27.5″ with a mounted tire, hence their more common name, " 27.5 inch wheels ." Most manufacturers of new cross-country bikes no longer offer bikes with 26″ wheels; 650b wheels are becoming less common and typically are only present on a handful of lower end cross-country bikes with
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#1732783326774572-614: The other mountain-biking disciplines in 2016. The four-cross events were removed again after the 2021 edition. Mountain bike racing In the United States , there are three USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars: Endurance, Gravity and Ultra-Endurance. USA Cycling runs the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. There are mountain bike racing types that are not recognized by
598-421: The rider in a little more upright position than on a road bicycle but much less than on a downhill bike which allows for more nimble handling and better climbing characteristics along with a more comfortable pedaling position at the expense of stability, especially when going downhill. Despite this, most brands are designing their cross-country bikes to have more stable handling, especially when going downhill at
624-515: The time near Fairfax, Marin County, CA took place in 1976. The oldest organised cross-country (XC) racing-like event, however, is believed to take place from Crested Butte to Aspen in Colorado in 1978. It took 10 years before the UCI recognised racing on mountain bikes as a regular cycling discipline in 1990. In the meantime, the phenomenon of mountain bike racing spread across the U.S.A. under
650-455: The umbrella of NORBA . The most plausible, although still speculative reason, was an early resemblance of the racing courses for mountain bikes with the cyclo-cross discipline, with a major difference: the mountain bike racing track was significantly longer (a cyclo-cross course has 2.5–3.5 km versus 4+ km for a XC track) and free of artificial obstacles. With the rapid advancement of mountain bike gear, namely stronger brakes and suspension,
676-809: Was included on the schedule at the 2003 championships in Lugano , but run separately as the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships from 2004 onwards. The cross-country eliminator was introduced in 2012 but will be part of the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships from 2017 onwards. In 2014 and 2015 the four-cross events were held separately from the other disciplines as the UCI Four-Cross World Championships, but were again included alongside
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