The second edition of the UCI Snow Bike World Championships happens tomorrow, Saturday 8 February.
Last year’s successful format – comprising Super-G and dual slalom – returns, but with the events streamlined into one day as opposed to consecutive days last year.
Here is an overview of the formats, courses and riders to watch in Châtel, Haute Savoie (France).
Formats and courses
From 9h00 CET on Saturday, the women and men will race the Super-G down the Châtel ski resort’s l’Aity ski slope and the bottom part of the Linga slope, for a total course length of 1957 metres, with a drop of 600 metres. The riders will complete one run each, setting off no less than 40 seconds apart.
First off will be the defending Super-G UCI World Champions: Morgane Such (FRA) in the women’s competition and Pierre Thévenard (FRA) for the men. They will be followed by the 2024 UCI World Champions for dual slalom (Switzerland’s Lisa Baumann for the women, and irrelevant for the men as Thévenard won both formats in 2024) then riders according to their results from 2024. The start order for athletes who are making their first appearance at the UCI Snow Bike World Championships will be established by drawing lots.
The top 32 riders from the Super-G qualify for the dual slalom, whichwill start at 18h00 CET. Riders will use the full length of the Linga slope – 510 metres – with a 155-metre drop to a finish line lower than that of the Super-G, in Châtel. As the name suggests, the dual slalom is a battle between two riders, who go head-to-head down parallel slalom courses. They will compete against each other in two heats, switching courses for the second heat. The rider with the fastest combined time advances to the next round of the competition, up until the final.
Getting technical
The same bike must be used for both events. Studded tyres are permitted up to a length of 6mm and a maximum of one nail per stud. The faster speeds of the Super-G and the tighter turns of the dual slalom require set-up know-how and tactics. Full-face helmets are obligatory, along with back, elbow, and knee protectors and full finger gloves.
The four winners crowned on Saturday will be awarded the prestigious rainbow jersey of UCI World Champion and receive the same prize money as the Men and Women Elite mountain bike downhill UCI World Champions.
Further underlining the event’s early-season appeal for downhill specialists, along with the prize money, UCI points are awarded, which is likely to help some riders gain entry to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events throughout 2025.
Some of the favourites
As well as all the medallists from the inaugural UCI Snow Bike World Championships – Pierre Thévenard (FRA), Henry Kerr (IRL), Vincent Tupin (FRA), Morgane Such (FRA), Veronika Widmann (ITA) and Lisa Baumann (SUI) -, the field of riders for Saturday’s competition includes an impressive line-up of athletes from the mountain bike discipline.
Many fans will be eager to see the return of the legendary Cédric Gracia (FRA) – known for downhill but also twice UCI World Championship medalist in four-cross, who has also competed at the highest level in freeride, slopestyle and enduro. At the age of 46 he is still an athlete to be reckoned with: last year, he finished 12th in the Super-G, and was knocked out in the dual slalom by no less than Great Britain’s two-time downhill UCI World Champion Danny Hart.
France fields a strong men’s field that also includes experienced downhill campaigner and former European Champion (in 2019 and silver medallist in 2023), Baptiste Pierron, Thibault Laly, and 23-year-old Antoine Rogge, who won an E-enduro round of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.
In the women’s events, look out for a snow bike debut from Great Britian’s versatile Harriet Harnden: the British Downhill Champion and 2024 Enduro UCI World Cup winner was also cross-country Olympic bronze medallist as a Junior at the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and two-time British Cyclo-cross Champion. Her runner-up at last year’s British Downhill Championships, Mikayla Parton, will also be on the slopes in Châtel.
Young talent will also be in the mix, such as 21-year-old Vicky Clavel and her 19-year-old French compatriot Emy Grandouiller, who has been in and around the top-10 in Junior downhill races and was Junior silver medallist at the European Championships in 2023.