The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has announced that Durango, Colorado, will be the host city for the 2030 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
The event will mark the 40-year anniversary since the town and Purgatory Resort hosted the inaugural UCI mountain bike world championship races in 1990.
Leading up to the 2030 Worlds, Durango will also host a major international mountain bike race in 2028 and a UCI World Cup race in 2029. All events will be held at Purgatory Resort and will include Downhill, Cross Country Olympic, Short Track, and Ebike competitions.
Dave Rathbun, Purgatory’s General Manager, said “We’re thrilled to once again host the World Championships at Purgatory Resort. Biking and Durango are synonymous with each other. This is a great opportunity to showcase our community’s commitment to the sport with the entire world.”
The hosting of this series of international events elevates Durango, CO, as a cycling heartland. The area features over 300 miles of singletrack, traversing environments from high-desert to high-alpine. The elevation training advantage of 6,500 feet fuels the success of numerous Olympic and professional cyclists who call Durango home.
Durango rose to international off-road cycling prominence when it hosted the inaugural UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 1990. The first men’s world championship was won by Ned Overend, who still calls Durango home. Julie Furtado won the women’s event, and Greg Herbold won the men’s downhill race event; both are long-time Durango residents.
Durango is also host to the renowned Iron Horse Bicycle Classic for close to 55 years; established one of the USA’s first junior development cycling organisations, Durango Devo; and is the birthplace of trail advocacy in non-profit Durango Trails (maintaining more than 300 miles of trails).
The area has a record of producing top athletes in the sport, including numerous Olympians and the most recent American Grand Tour winner, Sepp Kuss, who came up through the local cycling infrastructure.
Additional details on event routes, community programmes, and ticketing will be announced in the coming months.
