Mountain bike racing is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Durango, Colorado. The first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series took place in 1988. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North America—and was sponsored by Grundig. Cross-country racing was the only World Cup sport at this time. In 1993, a six-event downhill World Cup was introduced. In 1996, cross-country mountain biking events were added to the Olympic Games. In 2006, cross-country mountain biking events became part of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA.
A cross-country race of the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup held in Albstadt, Germany
Marc Beaumont of Great Britain riding a downhill race the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships held at Mount Stromlo, near Canberra, Australia
Trials events feature large jumps between artificial obstacles.
Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports include artistic cycling, cycle polo, freestyle BMX, mountain bike trials, hardcourt bike polo and cycleball. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling and international competitive cycling events. The International Human Powered Vehicle Association is the governing body for human-powered vehicles that imposes far fewer restrictions on their design than does the UCI. The UltraMarathon Cycling Association is the governing body for many ultra-distance cycling races.
Cyclists in the 2021 Giro d'Italia race.
OP Grand Prix, a one-hour cycling competition in Porvoo, Finland, on June 11th 2005
Cycle-racing has a long history: French cyclists Léon Flameng and Paul Masson at the 1896 Summer Olympics.
In many European countries, bicycle racing is a source of national pride: German Democratic Republic postage stamp depicting Täve Schur, 1960