What’s new on the FMB World Tour?
March 1, 2018The FMB World Tour is heading into its ninth season and we are looking forward to a banger competition this year. The installment of the Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship (SWC) has also brought a couple of additional changes to the FMB World Tour. Apart from introducing the first preliminary calendar of the new season and the FMB Wildcard Events for the SWC, we will be giving you an update on all the changes that have been made. So let’s dig in!
Preliminary Calendar
The FMBA expects over 35 events to be part of the FMB World Tour this year again. Event organizers have already been signing up and we are stoked to see some events return to the tour and others premiere this year. If you have an event on the cards for 2018 and would like to sign-up to be a part of the tour, then click here to send off your application to the FMBA. If you are an athlete and just want to get out there and ride, then check out the preliminary calendar HERE to see which events are still coming up. The calendar will consistently be updated in the coming days and weeks with new events, that will be joining.
FMB Wildcards for SWC Events
FMB athletes will be keeping a close eye on the select FMB Gold Events, where FMB Wildcards will be awarded for the SWC this season. These events will offer at least one FMB Wildcard at their contest, which will be awarded to the best placed athlete, that is not yet qualified for the following SWC event. The FMB Wildcard winners will be communicated after the respective Cut Off Date of the SWC Event, which is six weeks prior.
Overview of FMB Wildcards 2018
1. Crankworx Innsbruck (AUT, June 16)
2 FMB Wildcards at Swatch Rocket Air (Thun, SUI, April 28)
2. Crankworx Les Gets (FRA, June 24)
2 FMB Wildcards at FISE Montpellier (FRA, May 12)
3. Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler (CAN, August 18)
1 FMB Wildcard at Big White Invitational Slopestyle hosted by Tom van Steenbergen (Kelowna, CAN, July 7)
1 FMB Wildcard at GlemmRide (Saalbach, AUT, July 14)
License structure
The FMBA has made it even easier to be part of and get to know what it is like to be part of the FMB World Tour:
a) FMB World Tour License
The FMB World Tour License makes it possible for athletes to compete at all FMB World Tour Events, if they are qualified for the respective event level. Every athlete with this license will be listed in the FMB World Ranking. The FMBA has also reduced the cost by 50 Euros, offering the ticket to the FMB World Tour Ranking for 100 Euros this season. If you want to compete at Gold and Silver Events this season and get your hands on vital points in order to climb the ladder, then this is the license you will need to reach your goals.
b) FMB Free Amateur License
For athletes, who just want to compete at Bronze Level Events this year, the FMB is offering a FREE sign-up. Coming with no cost whatsoever, an athlete who registers here will be listed in the global Amateur Ranking. The best amateur at the end of the season will receive his FMB World Tour License for the following year, so he can take the next step, compete and collect points for the FMB World Ranking.
Sign up for your license here: https://fmba.memberpro.net/main/body.cfm?menu=register
Point structure
From this year onward there will be 14 riders qualifying for SWC events. In order to ensure that young and proven talent still has a fair chance of moving up the FMB World Ranking, the FMBA has adjusted the point breakdown at FMB Gold and Silver Events. Especially Gold Events will play an even bigger role in the future, as riders will be able to shake up rankings considerably by competing at these contests and taking away more points than has been the case in the past. From this season onwards wins at Gold events will be rewarded with 100 points more than in the past and will be the equivalent of a sixth place at an SWC Event. The FMB World Tour Ranking already reflects these changes for the past 52 weeks. We are sure that young and talented athletes will take advantage of this and are super excited to see who will be the next to break into the elite of Slopestyle mountain biking. To take a closer look at the new point split and additional information about the FMB World Tour structure head here: http://www.fmbworldtour.com/en/FMB-WT-Structure.html
Keep your eyes peeled for further information about live webcasts and calendar updates on www.fmbworldtour.com or stay informed and sign up for the FMB World Tour Newsletter.
For updates follow FMB World Tour on: facebook.com/fmbworldtour & twitter.com/fmbworldtour and www.instagram.com/fmbworldtour/
Photos by Richkphotography, Dominik Bosshard, Cédric De Rodot