ESO Sports are specialists in major global mountain bike races and festivals. Formed in 2012, ESO Sports owns the UCI Mountain Bike World Series and delivers the major formats of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups.
From 2012 to 2022, ESO Sports owned and operated the Enduro World Series, before its elevation to a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from 2023.
In 2023, ESO Sports will deliver the Mountain Bike Cross-Country and Mountain Bike Marathon races at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
OUR SPORTS
There’s a new era on the horizon for mountain biking as ESO Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery & Discovery Sport Events, bring, for the first time, all of mountain biking’s disciplines under one roof. From 2023, we'll be delivering the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
The Enduro World Series (EWS) sees professional mtb and emtb athletes compete at the highest level of the sport, on some of the toughest terrain in the world. Amateurs and kids can compete at the same race event as their heroes, whilst the festival and race paddock areas provide plenty of entertainment for all.
ESO Sports will be delivering the Mountain Bike Cross-Country and Mountain Bike Marathon events at the world’s largest cycling event - the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in the Tweed Valley, Scotland.
The Scottish Enduro Series (SES) is a grassroots version of the world series, providing a race platform for national pros, amateurs and youth riders; set within the backdrop of a family-friendly bike festival.
OUR VISION
We share a collective ambition to elevate mountain biking to one of the most respected sports in the world, inviting audiences around the globe to connect with this incredible sport.
Through working closely with industry on new technology, we continue to drive forward innovations in sport, safety and sustainability.
Our sporting events showcase and develop mtb tourism destinations, ensuring a positive legacy for local communities.
OUR VALUES
We operate with professionalism and legitimacy, always striving to maintain the integrity of the sport.
We use our drive and our passion to spark innovation and push boundaries.
Creating strong connections is incredibly important to us. Communicating is central to everything that we do.
KEY MOMENTS
2012: EMBA ltd (Now ESO ltd) launch the Enduro World Series
2014: Pinkbike Global Industry Awards - Game Changer of the Year Award
“Majority votes decided the lion's share of this year's Pinkbike awards, but the Enduro World Series won the Game-Changer category unanimously”
2019: UCI and EWS reach historic new partnership
“I am delighted to welcome the Enduro World Series to the UCI Mountain Bike International Calendar,” said UCI President David Lappartient. “The series, launched in 2013 by EWS Managing Director Chris Ball, has grown in professionalism and popularity over the last six years. By being integrated into the UCI, this spectacular mountain bike format will benefit from a broader international reach and the possibility to develop through our 190 National Federations.”
2021: Discovery Inc invests in the Enduro World Series
Andrew Georgiou, President, Eurosport and Global Sports Rights & Sports Marketing Services, said: “Discovery and its leading sports media brands have long been the Home of Cycling. Our investment in EWS fits nicely with that positioning and adds to our growing events business. EWS will be able to tap into Discovery’s global network and 360° offer that can help grow a sport both commercially and in terms of audience. We’re looking forward to bringing our commercial expertise, technology and distribution networks to scale the EWS product further.”
David Lappartient, UCI President, said: “I am elated by our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, which will take our UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to the next level. Discovery Sports Events has already worked wonders with track cycling – thanks to the innovative UCI Track Champions League – and I know that the exciting discipline of mountain bike will also benefit from their expertise, their in-depth understanding of the expectations of athletes and fans, and the increased exposure that this partnership will bring. Mountain bike will get the impetus it deserves as we work together for the future of this vast and varied discipline.”
Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Extending our relationship with the UCI to support the next phase of development and growth for mountain biking fits Warner Bros. Discovery’s expertise and ambitions perfectly. We will bring the scale of our global broadcast, streaming and online platforms to engage millions of people with the sport, as well as the capabilities of Discovery Sports Events and ESO Sports. Together they have the expertise and tools to develop the sport, alongside the understanding of the intricacies and existing strengths of mountain biking that are essential to best support the mountain bike community and grow the sport.”
August 2022: UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery unveil 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series calendar
Chris Ball, CEO of ESO Sports, said: “For the first time all major mountain bike formats align on one calendar, giving teams, athletes and fans new opportunities to experience their favourite racing with no date clashes. We’ve done our best to group venues in close geographical proximity to reduce the season’s travel footprint and increase efficiencies for everyone on the tour. We’ll be hosting new event schedules combining formats that have never been combined before, giving riders a unique new experience and using the very best of the terrain available at each location to provide the best racing on the planet, while of course valued race tracks remain in the calendar. Calendar classics sprinkled with some new venues - 2023 is going to be an incredibly exciting first step towards our long term plans for mountain bike racing worldwide.”
September 2022: Loudenvielle announced as part of 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series
Loudenvielle, located in the Hautes-Pyrénées region, hosted the Enduro World Series (EWS) in 2021 and also serves as the closing round of the 2022 EWS season this weekend. In 2023 it will host the EWS once more, but will also welcome a downhill round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup into the fold for the first time ever, on the weekend of September 1 – 3, 2023.
January 2023: THE UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES LAUNCHES AS THE NEW HOME OF THE UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are pleased to announce the new UCI Mountain Bike World Series, which will include the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup for cross-country Olympic (XCO), cross-country short track (XCC), cross-country marathon (XCM), downhill (DHI), enduro (EDR) and E-enduro (E-EDR).
