London, UK | The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports announce that WHOOP, the human performance company, will serve as the title sponsor of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series for the next three seasons.
The rebranding of the series to WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series marks an extension of the landmark partnership that began in 2023, the inaugural season of the new-look series, where it collected cutting-edge biometric data from athletes during races via its wearable devices.
WHOOP Live enabled the presentation of these analytics during Warner Bros. Discovery’s on-screen coverage, adding extra value to live content from the series: the data enhanced race commentary, analysis, and storytelling from the in-studio teams, allowing audiences to better connect with the sport and its riders by gaining a deeper understanding of what it takes to perform at Elite level.
INVALUABLE INSIGHTS
WHOOP metrics provide members with a comprehensive understanding of their body’s dynamics by showing what’s happening and why.
In 2023, mountain bike stars such as Puck Pieterse (2023 UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup overall winner) and Loïc Bruni (five-time UCI Downhill World Champion and triple UCI Downhill World Cup overall winner) wore WHOOP devices that provided detailed insights into their performance before, during and after each race.
During the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Series, this information helped riders and coaches to improve their preparation and devise race strategies, and also enabled broadcasters to provide more informed commentaries. In its second year providing these insights, the WHOOP data will be more in-depth and will further enhance the narrative of the sport, from both the athletes’ and the broadcasters’ perspective.
EXPANDED ROLE IN THE CYCLING WORLD
The expanded role of WHOOP as title sponsor of this international mountain bike series further solidifies its standing in the cycling world. In addition to continuing to provide rider data, it will now receive prominent on-site branding at all 15 race weekends in 10 countries across Europe, North and South America in 2024. The WHOOP data will also be key to Warner Bros. Discovery’s coverage of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series on Eurosport, discovery+ and Max*.
Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Game- changing insights from WHOOP into rider performance have already helped to elevate mountain bike to a whole new level by bringing fans closer to the sport and its athletes than ever before.
“We are excited to welcome back WHOOP in a new, larger role as the title sponsor of the now called WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series to aid our ongoing mission to support the continued growth of the discipline amongst new fans and to propel mountain biking into a new era.”
Jeremy Powers, Director of Sports Marketing at WHOOP, retired professional cyclist, Cyclo-cross National and Pan American Champion said:
“We’re very excited to continue our work with the UCI, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and the Mountain Bike World Series. Mountain bike is an incredible discipline of cycling that is accessible and fun for everyone. WHOOP is a unique tool, that can be worn by anyone, including the best athletes in the world, to help them learn more about themselves so they can be their best on and off their bikes.
By supporting the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, we’ll be part of creating lasting memories for fans. WHOOP will help push mountain bike to the next level through an innovative broadcast experience, showcasing in-depth biometric data through our all-new WHOOP Live integration. This technology showcases the feat of performance displayed by these athletes.
We cannot wait to kick off this season in Brazil and showcase mountain biking to the world through this truly unique partnership”.
In 2023, thanks to a ground-breaking long-term partnership between the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports, major mountain bike formats were unified under a single calendar for the first-time, forming the UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Last year was the first season WBD Sports took full control of the global broadcast, promotion and organisation of the Series with its coverage of the sport reaching more fans than ever before.
The new season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series begins with the first round of the UCI Cross-Country World Cup in Mairiporã, Brazil on 12 April.
WHOOP is currently offering a one-month free trial to help everyone start their journey. To learn more about WHOOP please visit www.whoop.com.
Media Contacts:
Laura Cueto
Communications Manager, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe
+34 638 95 95 20 laura.cueto@wbd.com
Pippa Doyle
Senior Manager, Global PR – WHOOP press@whoop.com
About the UCI
Founded on April 14, 1900, in Paris, France, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms and for all people: as a competitive sport, a healthy recreational activity, a means of
transport, and also just for fun. The UCI manages and promotes the 10 cycling disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, cyclo-cross, trials, indoor cycling, cycling esports and gravel. Five of these are featured on the Olympic Games
programme (road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle), two in the Paralympic Games (road and track), and four in the Youth Olympic Games (road, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle). For more information: www.uci.org
About Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports Europe represents WBD’s portfolio of sports brands, channels, and platforms in Europe. It collectively reaches 130 million people every month, engaging fans and broad audiences in more than 200 markets and in 20 languages across all platforms where consumers are spending time: free-to-air TV, pay-tv, streaming, online and social. WBD Sports Europe includes the much-loved consumer brands Eurosport, Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN), Golf Digest and TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, as well sports programming and content on WBD’s free-to-air TV networks and streaming on discovery+ and Max from Spring 2024 in an initial 22 markets. They connect audiences with the greatest sporting events in the world. This includes being the Home of the Olympics Games in Europe; tennis’ Grand Slams; cycling’s Grand Tours, more than 600 cycling broadcasts per year, the UCI Track Champions League, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series; the PGA TOUR year-round in some markets; The Ocean Race; the Snooker World Tour; the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship; the FIM Speedway GP, Speedway of Nations and Speedway World Cup; and every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup event. WBD Sports Europe completes a full 360° offer with its Events management and promotion division, which oversees 35+ events across four global championships each year and has achieved the ISO20121 certification for sustainability of event management practices.
About WHOOP
WHOOP, the human performance company, offers a wearable health and fitness coach to help people achieve their goals. The WHOOP membership provides best-in-class wearable technology, actionable feedback, and recommendations across recovery, sleep, training, and health. WHOOP serves professional athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, executives, fitness enthusiasts, military personnel, frontline workers, and anyone looking to improve their performance. WHOOP Unite is a comprehensive solution dedicated to supporting organizations across a wide range of industries with coaching, organizational insights, and health programs. Studies show WHOOP can positively change behavior, increase sleep, and improve physiological biomarkers. Founded in 2012, WHOOP is based in Boston and has raised more than $400 million in venture capital. The latest round of financing made WHOOP the world’s most valuable standalone wearables company. Visit www.whoop.com for more information and connect with WHOOP on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.