Mountain bike racing

Mountain bike racing

A cross-country race of the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup held in Albstadt, Germany
Highest governing body	UCI
Nicknames	MTB racing
Characteristics
Contact	No, although bodies do touch
Team members	Individuals
Mixed-sex	Yes, separate competitions
Type	Cycle sport
Equipment	Mountain bike, downhill bike
Venue	Off-road
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Olympic	Yes, men's and women's since the 1996 Olympics
Paralympic	No

Mountain bike racing (shortened MTB or ATB racing) is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Durango, Colorado. The first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series took place in 1988. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North America—and was sponsored by Grundig. Cross-country racing was the only World Cup sport at this time. In 1993, a six-event downhill World Cup was introduced. In 1996, cross-country mountain biking events were added to the Olympic Games. In 2006, cross-country mountain biking events became part of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA.^[1]

In the United States, there are three USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Calendars: Endurance, Gravity and Ultra-Endurance. USA Cycling runs the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. There are mountain bike racing types that are not recognized by the UCI, such as mountain bike orienteering that is governed by the IOF.