Weekend Guide: Schedule of the World Cup Action From Fort William
The downhill World Cup returns this weekend in Fort William, Scotland. In such an action-packed few days of racing, it can be hard to follow.
See the UCI’s schedule for Fort William below.
UCI MTB World Series
We've broken that down with Bike's guide to the weekend here:
Thursday
Track Walk
Before any sanctioned training, riders inspect the course on foot. The purpose of these walks is to dial in their lines on the course. In a 3-5 minute race, every last tenth of a second counts, so rider meticulously learn every rock on the course on foot.
Related: Riders Begin Track Walks At UCI World Cup Snowshoe
Friday
Training Runs
On a typical race weekend at the World Cup, riders will get as many practice laps as they can. Logistically this can be hard, as there are many riders looking for their turn to practice the course. For this reason, organizers split the riders into two training groups.
With only two hours, the timing is tight, so riders can’t dilly-dally. On Friday morning, riders will get acquainted with the course in their first training block. This often involves pushing up to try different sections of the course and getting their lines dialed in.
There can be a certain level of gamesmanship in this part of the day. If some of the top riders are pulling for a large gap, you had best believe their competitors will want to ride it as well.
On the flip side, sometimes riders are quiet about their lines. Bernard Kerr said on the Ride Companion Podcast that he uploaded his teammate’s POV to his YouTube channel to throw off any of his curious competitors.
Watch Jack Moir's vlog from the Mont Sainte Anne World Cup practice last year to get an idea of how practice day works.
On Friday afternoon, riders will lock in for the timed training session. Unlike the free-for-all training format in the morning, racers are sent one by one down the track. They use this to try and link top-to-bottom runs together. Timed training doesn't count for any points, and many riders will game this out as well, saving lines and speed for qualification runs, but it's still fun to try to extrapolate who's on pace from timed training.
Saturday
Qualification
In order to slim down the field from the 274 racers on the start list riders must qualify for finals. After a short morning practice session, riders line up and take a qualifying run.
The top riders in each category move on. The top 60 men and 15 women in qualifying move on to the semi-finals.
It is important to note that juniors do not have semi-finals. The top 25 junior men and top 10 junior women advance straight to race day.
Semi-Finals
Before 2023, there were only qualis and finals. However, last year the UCI introduced semi-finals for the elite categories. The riders who qualified in the morning race in the semi-finals.
Semi-finals serve to further narrow down the field, and the top 30 men and top 10 women advance. In 2024, the UCI made the change to hold semis on the same say as qualification.
To ensure that the fastest racers don't miss finals due to a mechanical or a fall, the UCI has a system of protected riders in which the fastest racers have protected status,
Protected riders to the final are:
1. riders ranked in the top 3 women elite and top 3 men elite of the final UCI World Cup standings of the previous season
2. the best ranked riders from the current UCI World Cup standings, that are not included in point 1 above, until a total of 5 women elite and 10 men elite are reached
3. if any riders as described under 1. and 2. above do not confirm participation at an event they will not be replaced
4. men and women junior riders ranked in the top 3 of the current UCI World Cup standings. At the first UCI World Cup round of the season there will be noprotected junior riders.
Despite this protection, it still behooves riders to try in the semis because points in the semi-finals count toward the overall standings.
Sunday
Finals
After another short practice session, riders will race the finals. This is the race we all have been waiting for. In reverse order from slowest qualifiers to fastest, racers will battle it out on the course. This provides for an exciting “hot seat” where the lead changes frequently.
Fans can catch the broadcast live at the following times. Note that these times have been updated since the UCI's initial schedule was released.
Junior Women: 10:25 BST (5:25 EST)
Junior Men: 11:00BST (6:00 EST)
Elite Women 1:00 BST (8:00 EST)
Elite Men 1:45 BST (8:45 EST)
For a full guide on how to catch the action, read BIKE’s helpful guide below.
Related: How To Watch UCI Mountain Bike Racing In 2024
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