February 16, 2012 – The leaders of the 2012 RockyRoads UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano will be identifiable by the new-look leaders’ jerseys introduced for the upcoming season.

In the cross-country competition, the leaders of the Elite and Under 23 categories will race in a short-sleeved white jersey (left on the photo). Meanwhile the leaders of the downhill competitions will wear sleeveless vests – black for the Elite riders (right on the photo) and white for the Juniors. These jerseys are in keeping with the World Cup’s new visual identity for 2012.

The first round of the 2012 RockyRoads UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano will take place in Pietermaritzburg (RSA) on March 17th and 18th. The series comprises 10 rounds, finishing in Hafjell (NOR) on September 14th and 15th.

2012 UCI ELITE Mountain Bike Teams Confirmed

The International Cycling Union (UCI) this week published the final list of UCI ELITE Mountain Bike Teams for the 2012 season.

When the 2012 RockyRoads UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano gets underway in Pietermaritzburg on March 17th and 18th, riders from 27 teams will be sporting the logo that identifies them as belonging to this higher tier of UCI registered mountain bike teams.

In December 2011, the UCI announced the names of the 15 cross-country teams and 14 “gravity” teams eligible to receive this label, which was first introduced for the 2011 season. These teams have submitted their registration files within the deadline and are now confirmed as UCI Elite Mountain Bike Teams. Of these teams, two (Trek World Racing and Ghost Factory Racing Team) are “mixed” teams, receiving the UCI ELITE label for both “endurance” and “gravity” disciplines.

The ELITE teams are made up of 144 riders – of which 91 are in cross-country teams and 53 in the “gravity” teams.

UCI ELITE Mountain Bike Teams are identifiable by a logo on their team vehicles and race outfits. They are obliged to enter at least one rider in all 10 rounds of the 2012 RockyRoads UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano. In return, the teams benefit from numerous advantages, including free entry in the World Cup events and races on the UCI Mountain Bike International Calendar, with the exception of stage races.

2012 UCI ELITE MTB Teams
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– 77Scott-Swisspower MTB Racing Team (Sui)
– Alpine Commencal Austria (Aut)
– BH-SR Suntour-Peisey Vallandry (Fra)
– Cannondale Factory Racing (Ger)
– CCC Polkowice (Pol)
– Chain Reaction Cycles.com / Nukeproof (Gbr)
– Colnago Sudtirol (Ita)
– Commencal / Riding Addiction (Fra)
– Felt Oetztal X-Bionic Team (Ger)
– Ghost Factory Racing Team (Ger)
– Giant Factory Off-Road Team (USA)
– GT Factory Racing (Gbr)
– Hutchinson United Ride (Fra)
– Lapierre International (Fra)
– Luna Pro Team (USA) – Catharine Pendrel (CAN)
– Monster Energy-Specialized (USA)
– MS Mondraker Team (Aut)
– Multivan Merida Biking Team (Ger)
– Orbea Racing Team (Esp)
– Rabobank Giant Offroad Team (Ned)
– Santa Cruz Syndicate (USA)
– Scott11 (Sui)
– Specialized Racing (USA)
– Subaru-Trek (USA) – Emily Batty (CAN)
– Topeak Ergon Racing Team (Ger)
– Trek World Racing (Esp)
– Yeti Fox Shox Factory Race Team (USA)