The World Mountain Bike Championships return to Les Gets… 18 years later!

Following the World Cup Mountain Biking events in 2019 and 2021, Les Gets has once again become THE French destination for mountain biking – now the World Championships are making a comeback. The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships which will be held in the resort during August 2022, in co-operation with the French Federation of Cycling (FFC).

Building on the success of the previous edition, Les Gets is keen to once again welcome elite mountain bike athletes to one of the homes of the sport. It will also be an opportunity for the athletes to shine on the Gétoise tracks which have produced the greatest champions in previous competitions, organised for over 30 years.

The members of the Organizing Committee of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Les Gets 2022, led by Alexis Bongard, director of Les Gets Tourisme and the French Cycling Federation (FFC), represented by Éric Jacoté, vice-president in charge of mountain biking, took advantage of the Roc d´Azur Mountain Bike Festival to announce the event, in the presence of Julien Absalon, double Olympic champion and quadruple World Champion from Les Gets in 2004, and Jordan Sarrou, 2020 Cross-Country World Champion.

Alexis Bongard, Director of Les Gets Tourisme, said: “Les Gets continues its momentum after the success of the 2019 and 2021 World Cups. The whole resort is preparing with energy and passion for this unmissable event that are the World Championships UCI MTB. We look forward to welcoming all the athletes to our destination for a week of competition under the title of sharing, emotion and celebration. We know from experience that the French public has always known how to respond by showing unparalleled fervour and enthusiasm, we will now welcome them all. All the necessary conditions will be met to make this meeting an unforgettable event .”

Michel Callot, President of the French Cycling Federation (FFC), said: “After the success of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 2004, which crowned the Frenchman Julien Absalon, the FFC and the resort of Les Gets will once again be co-organizers of this global event and will thus join forces to welcome the Elite of international mountain biking, two years before the Olympic Games in Paris. The French Cycling Federation is now part of an active process of organizing major international events. In 2022, France, Land of Cycling par excellence, will also be the scene of the World Championships of BMX (Nantes) and Track (Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines) UCI.”

Julien Absalon, double Olympic Champion and five-time Cross-Country Mountain Bike World Champion: “The resort of Les Gets is part of my history. In 2004, two weeks after my Olympic title, I won my first World Championship in front of the French public. Over the years, we are often returning to Les Gets with the French team.”

Whilst retaining its original route on the side of Les Chavannes, the Olympic Cross-Country course (XCO) has evolved significantly this year with new lines and the addition of many technical sections. The terrain is now more challenging for the riders and more spectacular for the public. The circuit has two loops with two parallel climbs and two descents, it’s physically demanding with its variations in height and features such as ‘Rock Garden’, stepping stones, jumps, roots and pebbles.

This track will also serve as a base for the Cross-Country Short Track (XCC) events, shorter and more intense with good duels to be expected, as well as Cross-Country Relay (XCR), a mixed team event.

For the Downhill (DHI), it is a new track that was created this summer. On the slopes of Mont-Chéry, the course offers fast and technical sections, a committed road gap, a series of root crossings and jumps, between mountain pastures and wooded terrain… By combining all the ingredients of a committed downhill, this track proves to be physically difficult and it is a great show with, in particular, a grandiose finish! The latest developments have seduced the riders who appreciate this varied terrain, favourable to the most offensive riders who know how to take risks. This bodes well for the show at the 2022 MTB World Championships.

Finally, a new route is being considered to accommodate the E-MTB events, which should take up the lower sections of the Cross-Country circuit.

In 2022, France will host 3 major cycling events with :

Under the aegis of the FFC and local organising committees, the “Terre de vélo 2022” label was created to associate these major cycling events with the general public and cycling enthusiasts in France and abroad.

Labelled “Land of the 2024 Games”, the resort is also a training centre for the XCO in preparation for the Paris Olympics. The resort will therefore welcome national delegations and sports teams from all over the world to train on its XCO tracks in preparation for the Paris Games.