We now know more details about the Snow Bike World Championships

The UCI has released more information about the first edition of the Snow Bike World Championship. The event, which will take place on February 10 and 11 in the French town of Chatel, will award a rainbow jersey to the winner of the Super-G and another to the winner of the Dual Slalom. Registration will open this Thursday and close on the last day of January.

Countdown to the start of the first Snow Bike World Championship

The UCI shows the progress it has made on the Snow Bike World Championship since it launched the announcement of its creation in the middle of last year. The launch of this unprecedented competition raised doubts among fans, as many details about the operation and organization of the tests were unknown until now.

The tracks of Chatel, in Haute Savoie, will be the first hosts of the Snow World Championship. The snow colors the French town -bordering Switzerland- and, after the flakes that fell last week, there are already 240 centimeters of white at the summit.

Snow Bike World Championship 2024 Schedule

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Saturday, February 10

• From 10:30 h  Super-G

Sunday, February 11

• From 9:00 h  Dual Slalom  

The 2024 Snow Bike World Championship will feature two competitions clearly inspired by alpine skiing. The UCI will award a rainbow jersey to the winner of each race -both in the male and female categories-.

The Super-G will be contested over a course 1,957 meters long with a drop of 600 meters. Cyclists will start every 40 seconds and must pass through red and blue gates -approximately 6-8 meters wide- arranged at least 25 meters apart. Incorrect passage through a gate results in disqualification. In this case, only one race will be contested.

On the other hand, the Dual Slalom will have a distance of 510 meters with 155 meters of drop and will last approximately 30 seconds. The operation will be as follows: each race will pit two riders against each other and each will cover the course on one of the two parallel slaloms. At the end, they will face each other again to compete from the other course. The rider with the best combined time will move on to the next round; it will have classification, sixteenths, eighths, quarters, semis and final.

Registration will open on January 25 and the only requirements to participate in both races will be to have a license from the corresponding national federation affiliated with the UCI and to be at least 17 years old. Each country can present up to 15 riders and another 15 riders, who must take part in both the Super-G and the Dual Slalom. Registration will close on January 31 and the list of participants will be published on February 1.

The same bike must be used for the Super-G and the Dual Slalom; the recommendation is that participants opt for DH bikes, although there is no rule that requires it. In addition, it has been announced that the use of studded tires will be regulated according to the conditions of the track.

In the role of ambassador of the 2024 UCI Snow Bike World Championship, Cédric Gracia has stated that "we are going to see something totally new in the world of cycling. It's about technique, snow analysis, reflection and strategy. It's going to be incredible". In his opinion, those who are specialists in DH or enduro will start with an advantage and even those who come from other downhill sports such as skiing. "But they would also need a very strong cycling base", he explains.

Pierre Thevenard -who lives in Chatel- is one of those who will participate in a World Championship that he believes "will increase the notoriety of snow biking and its reputation". In addition, Thevenard assures that "the competition will be tough" and that "the two-by-two races can be destabilizing, with pressure until the end. For spectators, it will be a real spectacle".