Goodbye to the iconic 5-person podium at the Mountain Bike World Cup that started 30 years ago

The 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season will begin next week in Brazil with many important changes in the regulations, but there will be a very special one that breaks with a tradition of over 30 years: the iconic five-rider podium will now be reduced to just three, as in any other competition. This adjustment comes after a new regulation implemented by Warner Bros Discovery and the International Cycling Union (UCI), generating mixed reactions among riders and fans.

Why was the MTB World Cup podium 5 and why will there be no more

In MTB World Cup races (XCO and DH), it was very characteristic that the final podium was formed by the top 5 fastest riders in the race, instead of the traditional 3. But what few people know is that this extended format had a particular history that began in Cairns, Australia, in 1994. It was the Canadian website CyclingMagazine that has just remembered that in that race, a young Australian named Cadel Evans, then 17 years old, was fighting for most of the race to maintain third place, but in the end he fell to fifth. Martin Whiteley, leading the Australian federation at the time, hurried to request an exception from the UCI and sponsor Grundig so that Evans could climb the podium and receive recognition from his local audience. The idea was so well received that it has been maintained to this day.

For three decades, this podium format has been a symbol of MTB, differentiating itself not only from other sports but also from other cycling disciplines. However, for the 2025 season, the UCI and Warner Bros have decided to return to the traditional format, similar to that used in the Olympics, justifying it as a necessary change to align with global standards of competitive cycling.

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However, this decision is generating debate among athletes and their teams. For example, Canadian cyclist Haley Smith has pointed out that recognizing the top five promotes competitiveness, as it provides an extra psychological incentive to riders seeking that public recognition. Other riders, like Miranda Miller, understand the need to simplify and give exclusive relevance to the top three positions, although they acknowledge that the extended format offered more opportunities to sponsors.

While some will celebrate the simplification of the podium, others believe that this measure loses part of the spirit of competitive MTB. What is clear is that from next weekend we will have to get used to seeing only the top 3 fastest riders on the podium.