2012 RockyRoads UCI MTB Logo

RockyRoads Network, the new title sponsor of the UCI Mountain bike World Cup, along with the organizers of all 10 rounds of the 2012 edition, official timers Swiss Timing, technical delegates and UCI staff met in Geneva, Switzerland, this week to prepare the upcoming World Cup season.

Simultaneously, a new logo for the 2012 UCI MTB World Cup was presented. The red and blue banner is gone; the logo is now entirely in black, only the title sponsor RockyRoads and the sub sponsor Shimano keep their signature colors.

The idea behind the organisation of the seminar was to present the changes to the series for 2012. “We want to ensure that the World Cup is a united series rather than 10 separate events,” explains UCI Mountain Bike Organisation Coordinator Mélanie Leveau.

The owner of RockyRoads Network, Sietse Schelpe, was pleasantly surprised with the enthusiasm and positive attitude of the organizers after the first meeting. “We are pleased with the feedback from the organizers. They were a bit skeptical about the changes a new sponsor always brings. But they understand our perspective. We want to support and develop the sport more than anything else. Everyone is now energized to work toward creating a beautiful future for the mountain bike sport.”

Schelpe is also pleased with the integration of Sprint Eliminator (XCE) into the World series, even though in 2012 there will be only three sprint eliminator races ridden in Houffalize (BEL), Nove Mesto na Morave (CZE) and La Bresse (FRA). “The sprint has great potential and we hope that together with the UCI we can develop this great discipline even further,” said Schelpe.