DH World Cup calendar changes to semi-finals on qualifying day

The semi-finals will no longer take place in the hours before the finals, as the race weekend calendar is changed for the upcoming World Cup racing season.

As announced on the UCI MTB World Series website along with the launch of tickets for the first round of the DH World Cup in Fort William, the new calendar reveals the change of time for the semi-finals and the return of the junior races on the morning before the elite finals.

According to the new calendar, the riders will have practice on Friday before the elites start with qualifying on Saturday morning, followed by the juniors' qualifying session. After the juniors have had a chance to qualify for the finals, the elite athletes return to the track for a session of semi-finals. Sunday morning begins with a training session before the juniors start a big day of racing with all the finals on the same day.

The new calendar marks a big change from the 2023 race weekend, in which all junior races were held a day before the elites, with the finals taking place on a Saturday instead of Sunday on a downhill-only race weekend. The old calendar also meant that the junior races often took place on a weekday on a weekend with several events. The new calendar will ensure that the junior races take place alongside the elites during the weekends.