Cycling’s governing body the UCI have just released details of some changes to World Cup Downhill mountain biking for 2017.

A press release entitled ‘UCI Management Committee agrees key changes to the regulations of three cycling disciplines’ details rule changes to track cycling, BMX and mountain bike racing.

The statement reads…

In order to better protect the integrity of the course and therefore improve the quality of competition, the UCI Management Committee agreed the following changes for the Downhill events of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano:

• To reduce the number of riders by increasing the number of points required to participate (from 30 to 40 points)
• To reduce the number of riders participating in the final (15 Women Elite and 20 Juniors)
• To have a separate DHI Women Junior event.

UCI President Brian Cookson said: “While it is important that we safeguard the essence of our cycling disciplines, we also need to be brave and embrace change in order to give our sport real meaning to those who are watching live or on screens across the world. The changes announced today show that we are moving with the times to ensure that our disciplines are presented in the most compelling way possible, and are rooted in the desire to attract and inspire even more fans into cycling.”