Leuven (Belgium) to host the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships

The Belgian city was awarded the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships, to be held on Sunday, August 23. It will be the city’s second world class event in a row, as Leuven will also stage a round of the 2021 UCI World Cup.

Leuven (Belgium) to host the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has assigned the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships to Leuven. For the second year in a row, a Belgian city – following Waregem in 2019 – will welcome the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships.

Leuven is a well-known venue, having hosted several cycling events on UCI’s Mountain Bike International Calendar over the past years. Two rainbow jerseys will be at stake for the women and men Elite on Sunday, August 23 in Leuven. The event will also be the ideal approach to promote Leuven as hosting city of the UCI World Cup, which will be held a year after the Championships.

Glenn Peeters – AW5J6262 — Glenn Peeters AW5J6262

Two years in a row

“We’re thrilled to see the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships are coming to Leuven. Many people got attracted by the innovating format at the inaugural UCI World Championships in Waregem, where we saw huge crowds on the steps section and along the sidewalk. This caught the attention of several large cities in the country. To host a Cross-Country Eliminator race for two years in a row in Leuven, is quite unique. We believe the people will get to enjoy the discipline again in one of cycling’s heartlands.”, stated City Mountainbike

French rider Titouan Perrin-Ganier clinched his third consecutive gold medal in the men’s category last season in Waregem. In the women’s competition, Italian Gaia Tormena took home the rainbow jersey. Will they be able to extend their collection on August 23 in Leuven?

About MTB Eliminator

Mountain Bike Eliminator is a fast-moving, dynamic, action-packed format in which four riders race in heats on technical tracks featuring obstacles such as jumps and bridges. Competitions begin with a qualifying heat that takes the form of an individual timed lap of the circuit, as a result of which the fastest 32 men and 16 women qualify for the main competition. The fastest two riders in each heat thereafter qualify for the next round, with the format continuing until only four riders remain to contest the final. Heats are contested over a distance of one kilometre (two 500-metre laps), with races lasting for between 90 seconds and two minutes.