The UCI has delivered a hefty penalty to Lars Forster (Thömus maxon) and Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM) for defying the recent regulation change, which saw the UCI Whoop Mountain Bike World Series elite cross-country Olympic (XCO) podiums cut down from five to three riders.
The fourth and fifth-placed duo jumped onto the elite men’s podium at Brazil’s opening round on Sunday in a move to support a widespread rider campaign to keep the long-embedded five-rider podium alive.
Ahead of the start of competition more than 120 riders, including the entire men’s and women’s top 30, had put their names to a statement strongly objecting to the move to cut the three-decade-long tradition of five rider podiums – a unique feature of the discipline that the rider statement said helped provide a greater opportunity for smaller teams and breakthrough riders to share the spotlight.
UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery, however, stood firm in the face of the rider appeal, saying the changes "were developed through a thorough and transparent process, reflecting our commitment to aligning mountain biking with broader sporting standards."
That meant only the top three were called up to the podium after the men's elite XCO race in Araxá. However, once the officials had left the stage, Forster and Schurter quickly joined the Specialized trio of Victor Koretzky, Christopher Blevins and Martin Vidaurre on the podium steps – with a huge roar of appreciation echoing through the crowd as they did – to celebrate fourth and fifth.
"This action was planned in advance, all the riders were behind it and we didn't harm anyone,” said Forster in a statement emailed to Cyclingnews with his team Thömus maxon also among the 13 squads who signed up to the rider statement objecting to the change.
However, both Forster and Schurter were fined 800 CHF (€860) by the UCI under article 1.2.131.
"According to the new regulation 4.10.007, only the top three in the XCO events will be allowed to stand on the podium, and this rider stood on the podium without the organization's permission," stated the official UCI communication on infringements that listed the fines for Schurter and Forster.
They were far from the only penalties handed down in the first round of racing for 2025 in Araxá, with everything from 30 CHF fines for throwing gels or bottles outside the designated drop zones to a 200 CHF penalty citing article 4.20.001 - pt 24, insults, threats and indecent behaviour, however it was a considerably heftier penalty for the athletes who were determined to hold firm to the traditional five rider podium.
"I can cope with the fine because it was a very successful campaign that generated a lot of attention," said Forster. "Such a fine won't stop us from continuing to fight for our interests. Because we will divide the fines among all athletes, we can continue until Warner Brothers takes our concerns seriously and hears our voice."
Warner Bros. Discovery has an eight-year deal – running from 2023 – with the UCI to handle the organisation, media production and broadcast, promotion and commercialisation of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup through a partnership with cycling's governing body. The UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the restructuring that included the podium number shift in October last year, with the UCI confirming the changes and updating the regulations, effective from January 1, however, the opening round of World Series racing in Brazil was the first opportunity to put the new arrangement into practice.
"We continue to believe that we will achieve our goal of preserving the five-men/women podium," said Forster in the statement. "All athletes stand together, and with our rider alliance, we have a strong common voice that stands up for the tradition of mountain biking and the concerns of the athletes and teams."
The reduction from five to three riders also applies to the elite downhill podium, with many riders from the discipline also banding together to put out a statement to object to the change last week, though the opening round of World Series downhill competition doesn’t come until mid-May.
