After last year’s E-mountain bike World Champs it was only a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’ that an e-MTB World Cup series would follow.

>>> Best electric mountain bikes for 2020

UCI 2020 E-Mountain Bike XC World Cup dates and location

• 6-7 March: Monaco
• 17-18 April: Ascona-Locarno (Switzerland)
• 5-6 June: Bologna (Italy)
• 11-12 September: tbc
• 2-3 October: Barcelona (Spain)

Things to note: none of these dates and locations are shared with the regular XC 2020 World Cup events. Although there is XC World Cup in Val di Sole on Sept 11-12 to factor in. Nor do they clash with any of the new EWS-E Electric Enduro series.

The big question: will the UCI dare to host a round in North America, arguably the most hostile and e-phobic continent?

UCI press release:

The UCI joins forces with WES to launch the inaugural UCI E-Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is delighted to announce the launch, in partnership with the World E-Bike Series Management (WES), of the first UCI E-Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup.

Comprising five rounds, the new competition will kick off on 6-7 March in Monaco and finish seven months later in Barcelona, Spain, on 2-3 October.

The UCI included E-MTB in its regulations in 2018. The following year it added the events in the World E-Bike Series to its International Mountain Bike Calendar and, on 28 August 2019, it successfully staged the first UCI E-Mountain Bike World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.

The launch of the UCI E-Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup is an important step in the development of the discipline, not least in terms of technical advances – achieved in collaboration with manufacturers – and the promotion of an activity with a bright future.

A growing number of E-MTB events are now being included on the UCI International Calendar, with some high-profile mountain bike cross-country athletes taking part, such as two-time Olympic Champion and five-time UCI World Champion Julien Absalon, three-time UCI World Championships medallist and former Junior UCI World Champion Nathalie Schneitter, and Olympic bronze medallist and seven-time UCI World Championships medallist Marco Aurelio Fontana. Thanks to electrically assisted mountain bikes, MTB is also opening up to new audiences, providing yet another activity with much to offer for tourist resorts.

E-mountain bikes make use of two energy sources: leg power and an electric motor that offers assistance while the rider turns the pedals. The motor has a maximum continuous rated power output of 250 watts and stops providing assistance at a speed of 25 km/h.

UCI President David Lappartient: “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 recognised expertise of World E-Bike Series for its organisation. 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.”

About WES Management SARL (WES)

Based in Monaco, WES Management SARL was founded in 2019 with the idea of organising and promoting the first international electric-only mountain bike competition. The concept behind WES is to go beyond the sport, to offer the cycling industry and its marketing arm an exciting new sustainable-mobility format. WES promotes E-MTB as a fun and sustainable choice for athletes and amateurs, and mountain bike tourism as a catalyst driving the visibility of host venues. WES is what electric is all about.

WES CEO and founder Francesco Di Biase: “We are delighted to unveil the first ever UCI E-MTB XC World Cup after much hard work in collaboration with the UCI over the last couple of years. We hope this prestigious competition will encourage both well-known and young athletes to put themselves to the test in this fascinating discipline.”