Bike lovers have been left devastated by news that the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will not return to Fort William next year.
Nevis Range has been home to the event since 2002, attracting thousands of mountain bike enthusiasts from all over the world to the area.
The event – the only one of it’s kind in the UK – has now been taken over by the Warner Brothers.
Earlier today, Nevis Range revealed the “deeply disappointing” news that the world cup will not be returning to Fort William next year.
In a post on social media, the organisation said: “While this news is deeply disappointing for us and the entire mountain biking community, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the last 20 years, including EventScotland, The Highland Council, and Outdoor Capital of the UK, for their unwavering support over the years.
“The biggest thanks must of course go to Rare Management whose vision, ambition and dedication brought the event to the Highlands in the first place and gave us over 20 years of World Cups and Two World Championships.”
Today, the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup calendar was unveiled – with Fort William “notably absent”.
The event will not come to the UK at all, with a new stop added in the United States at Lake Placid.
‘We’ll bring back UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to the Highlands’
Despite the blow, Nevis Range said that they are in discussions with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council, EventScotland, and the Scottish Government to bring the event back to Fort William in 2026 “and beyond”.
They also announced the unveiling of a number of events that will “capture the spirit and excitement of the World Cup”.
Their update continued: “Fort William has long been synonymous with world-class mountain biking, and while we may not be hosting the World Cup next year, we are incredibly excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead.
“In the coming weeks, we will be unveiling a series of events that promise to capture the spirit and excitement of the World Cup. These events will include four new races in Fort William, to maintain the competitive edge and prestige of the World Cup.
“These events will bring (collectively) the same volume of fans and competitors; whilst easing the burden on local infrastructure by spreading the events over a longer period.
“Our focus moving forward will be on grassroots initiatives aimed at introducing new people to the sport and nurturing Scotland’s next generation of elite athletes.
“We firmly believe that Scotland and the UK are the beating heart of mountain biking, and we are committed to ensuring that this remains the case.”
Highlanders gutted after UCI Mountain Bike World Cup cancellation
The heartful post shared on Nevis Range’s Facebook Page has generated hundreds of reactions from disappointed locals.
Gee Golding said: “Gutted! This was such an inspiring event to take my 11-year-old too and it really was amazing!”
Bruce Macfarlane said the announcement was “terrible news” for communities and industries.
Louis Ford recalled attending the first edition in 2002 when he was only 13.
He said: “This is incredibly disappointing and hopefully only a temporary hiatus.
“I remember clearly aged 13 years old in 2002 and watching Kovarik win by 13 or 14 seconds.
It was a pivotal and incredibly influential experience attending that first World Cup.”
Meanwhile, Dominic Langan, CEO of Madison, the UK’s largest distributor of cycle parts and accessories, said: “This is incredibly disappointing news and somewhat surprising given the significance of the UK mountain bike market, the size and participation of the domestic enthusiast fanbase and not least the last twenty years of successfully hosting the event at Fort William.
“Fort William has also been previously voted the best Downhill Mountain Bike event in the world by the UCI. Hopefully, this is merely a temporary blip.”
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