The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports announce that WHOOP, the human performance company, will serve as the title sponsor of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series for the next three seasons.

The rebranding of the series to WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series marks an extension of the landmark partnership that began in 2023, the inaugural season of the new-look series, where it collected cutting-edge biometric data from athletes during races via its wearable devices.

WHOOP Live enabled the presentation of these analytics during Warner Bros. Discovery’s on-screen coverage, adding extra value to live content from the series: the data enhanced race commentary, analysis, and storytelling from the in-studio teams, allowing audiences to better connect with the sport and its riders by gaining a deeper understanding of what it takes to perform at Elite level.  

INVALUABLE INSIGHTS

WHOOP metrics provide members with a comprehensive understanding of their body’s dynamics by showing what’s happening and why.

In 2023, mountain bike stars such as Puck Pieterse (2023 UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup overall winner) and Loïc Bruni (five-time UCI Downhill World Champion and triple UCI Downhill World Cup overall winner) wore WHOOP devices that provided detailed insights into their performance before, during and after each race.

During the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Series, this information helped riders and coaches to improve their preparation and devise race strategies, and also enabled broadcasters to provide more informed commentaries.

In its second year providing these insights, the WHOOP data will be more in-depth and will further enhance the narrative of the sport, from both the athletes’ and the broadcasters’ perspective. 

EXPANDED ROLE IN THE CYCLING WORLD

The expanded role of WHOOP as title sponsor of this international mountain bike series further solidifies its standing in the cycling world. In addition to continuing to provide rider data, it will now receive prominent on-site branding at all 15 race weekends in 10 countries across Europe, North and South America in 2024. The WHOOP data will also be key to Warner Bros. Discovery’s coverage of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series on Eurosport, discovery+ and Max*.

Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Game-changing insights from WHOOP into rider performance have already helped to elevate mountain bike to a whole new level by bringing fans closer to the sport and its athletes than ever before.

“We are excited to welcome back WHOOP in a new, larger role as the title sponsor of the now called WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series to aid our ongoing mission to support the continued growth of the discipline amongst new fans and to propel mountain biking into a new era.”

Jeremy Powers, Director of Sports Marketing at WHOOP, retired professional cyclist, Cyclo-cross National and Pan American Champion said: 

“We’re very excited to continue our work with the UCI, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and the Mountain Bike World Series. Mountain bike is an incredible discipline of cycling that is accessible and fun for everyone. WHOOP is a unique tool, that can be worn by anyone, including the best athletes in the world, to help them learn more about themselves so they can be their best on and off their bikes. 

By supporting the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, we’ll be part of creating lasting memories for fans. WHOOP will help push mountain bike to the next level through an innovative broadcast experience, showcasing in-depth biometric data through our all-new WHOOP Live integration. This technology showcases the feat of performance displayed by these athletes.  

We cannot wait to kick off this season in Brazil and showcase mountain biking to the world through this truly unique partnership”. 

In 2023, thanks to a ground-breaking long-term partnership between the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports, major mountain bike formats were unified under a single calendar for the first-time, forming the UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Last year was the first season WBD Sports took full control of the global broadcast, promotion and organisation of the Series with its coverage of the sport reaching more fans than ever before.

The new season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series begins with the first round of the UCI Cross-Country World Cup in Mairiporã, Brazil on 12 April.

WHOOP is currently offering a one-month free trial to help everyone start their journey. To learn more about WHOOP please visit www.whoop.com.