The 2023 UCI Trial World Cup consists of two rounds: a return to Spain (Vic, Catalonia) for the first round and then to France (Ploeuc-l’Hermitage) for round two, before the UCI Trial World Championships, which will be part of the UCI in August.
In each round of the UCI World Cup there are three competition classifications: Men Elite 20”, Men Elite 26” and Women Elite Open. In Vic next weekend (7-9 April), the local riders will be looking to build on recent success.
2023 UCI Trials World Cup Calendar
- April 7-9 - Vic - Spain
- July 12-29 – Ploeuc-l'Hermitage - France
SPANISH RIDERS FAVOURITES IN VIC
At last year’s Vic event, the 20-year-old Elite Men’s 20″ victory went to 23-year-old Spaniard Borja Conejos, leading a total of 61. It was an all-Spanish podium with Alejandro Montalvo and Eloi Palau taking bronze and silver. Despite that victory, the competition gathered was truly international, with six other nations represented in the top 10 drivers.
In the Men Elite 26 category, the multiple and current UCI Trial World Champion of Great Britain, Jack Carthy, was on the top step, and next to him, the Spaniards Daniel Barón and Marti Vayreda.
The Spanish riders obviously want to maintain their strong momentum, and Borja Conejos along with Dani Barón have been preparing thoroughly together for their first UCI Trial World Cup appearance of the season.
Meanwhile, last year in the Women Elite category in Catalonia saw victory for Germany’s Nina Reichenbach ahead of Spain’s Vera Baron and Sweden’s Hilda Andersson. Four of the five highest-scoring riders were underage, demonstrating the tremendous depth of emerging talent in women’s trial.
BORJA CONEJOS DOMINATED IN 2022 IN COPENHAGEN
In the second and final round of the 2022 UCI World Cup, Borja Conejos won gold again in Copenhagen, Denmark, but Great Britain’s Charlie Rolls broke the Spanish dominance and snuck into second place in front of Montalvo Milla. Austria’s Thomas Pechhacker took fourth place.
Carthy repeated his 26-inch victory in Denmark, with Frenchman Vincent Hermance edging Daniel Baron to climb to second. Vera Baron made a near-clean 290 by overtaking Reichenbach, with Andersson completing the places of honor.
The thrilling finale took place with the UCI Trial World Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Eloi Palau won his first UCI Elite Men’s 20″ World Title, Carthy added his fifth rainbow jersey in the Men’s Elite 26″ competition and Reichenbach secured his fifth UCI Elite Women’s World Title.
And in the Middle East, realizing the bright future of our sport, Robin Berchiatti (FRA) and Diego Garrués (ESP) achieved the Men Junior 20″ and 26″ rainbow jerseys.
2023 UCI WORLD CUP ROUNDS
The Circuito Ciclista Mas de Bigues, in Vic (Barcelona), already presented a challenging course for cyclists last year and it was an equally exciting spectacle for spectators when it hosted the 2021 UCI Trial World Championship. Level expectations are high for the proposed two-lap, five-zone course in the quarter-finals and semi-finals (7 and 8 April) before the top 6 riders face off in the one-lap final on Sunday 9 April.
In July, riders head to Ploeuc-l’Hermitage in the Côtes-d’Armor department in western France, which hosted the 2022 French National Mountain Biking Championships just over a year ago.
The second round of the 2023 UCI Trial World Cup follows the structure of the first round, with races from 21-23 July, and the overall 2023 UCI Trial World Cup champions confirmed after Sunday’s single-lap finals.
With the 2023 UCI Trial World Cup over, the best riders will head to Glasgow Green, for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
