16/Jan 16:07
Vinicius Ferreira. By
Petrópolis and its mountains, located in the Atlantic Forest in the Serrana region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, are among the most preferred cities by cyclists for mountain biking in Brazil and the world. And the proof of that is that it will, for the first time, be the stage of one of the stages of the Mountain Bike World Cup XCO (Olympic Cross Country) and XCC (Cross Country). The event will be the second leg of the world, with France being the starting point. It will take place between 8 and 10 April and will be hosted by none other than Petropolitan Henrik Avansini, the winner of the competition in 2020.
In fact, it is precisely because Awansini is from Petropolis that the city entered the list of stages of the 2022 World Cup. ) and our partners brought this event to Brazil. I ran a lot looking for an organizer who could meet the requirements of the UCI. He requested that, if I were to come to Brazil, it would be in my city”, said Avancini, who drives for the Cannondale factory racing team and trains continuously in her hometown during breaks between national and international competitions. “It’s a collective achievement. Both of me, who is leading the way as an athlete, as an organizer for the Michelin CIMTB (International Mountain Bike Cup) and for the whole context of cycling in Brazil, which has become a world power in the sport. ”, completes Avansini.
In total, there will be nine stages of XCO and XCC in the world and 8 stages of the Down Hill World Cup – DH. The DH World Cup begins first, with stages in the city of Lourdes, France on 26 and 27 March. The Petropolitan stage of the competition will be the second of the 2022 World Cup, however, the first of the competition in which Avansini participates, the XCO.
The definition of the World Championships in Petropolis reveals the city’s potential for sport.
Brazil is one of the countries with the largest number of fans of the game and of course, Henrique Avansini is currently largely responsible for it. MTB professional athlete Larry Martins, three-time Brazilian champion of the marathon MTB and two-time national champion of time trial and XCO, believes the same.
“Petropolis has always stood out on the national MTB scene. First with Albert Morgan, then with our idol Henrik Avansini. Since then, here MTB has grown in quality and into sports practitioners, undoubtedly with the national MTB, Henrik as its ambassador and As a supporter, is gaining space in social and sports media. The arrival in Petropolis of stage one of the MTB World Cup is the result of the organization of various sectors of society, sport, politics and business. This is for petropolitan tourism and national MTB would be beneficial”, highlights Larry.
Last year, when the event was announced by the municipal government, Awansini attended an event, hoping that another five thousand people would visit the city due to the World Cup. The event in Petropolis marks the return of competition in Brazil after 17 years. The last major international cycling competition in the country was held in 2004. The World Cup is considered the main cycling event in the world, along with the Tour de France.
The platform is also fuel for encouraging sport among amateurs and for the use of bicycles as a form of transport in the city.
And it’s not just professional competitors who were excited by the news that the city would host a stage of the MTB World Cup. Cleo Quintella, an amateur athlete, sees the city as a natural incentive to practice the sport. “The mountains attract more and more mountain lovers, both cycling and hiking. It’s a challenge to find an approach that’s worth the effort. Climbing and getting to the top, winning and taking a picture to register is amazing and Petrópolis is a natural encouragement for those who love nature”, reveals the cyclist who also says that she sees the sport growing in the city daily. “When I started, I didn’t have that many fans of the game. My boyfriend at that time, now my husband was the one who led me into the bike world, I just started supporting him and today it has become an addiction.
Data from Abraciclo (the Brazilian Association of Motorcycles, Mopeds, Scooters, Bicycles and Similar Manufacturers) showed the growth of bicycle production in Brazil at 12.8% in 2020, with a total of 750,000 bicycles manufactured. In 2021, there was new growth, of the order of 15.7%, registered by bicycle production sector. One reason for this increase is the bike entering Brazilians’ daily lives during the pandemic.
“In 2021, we (Acipe) conducted a survey that included Petropolis in the national profile of Brazilian cyclists, which indicated that many people are adopting bicycles as an alternative means of transport to cars. And the fact that Petropolis was chosen to host the MTB World Cup illustrates the importance of the city to this type of sport. Such an event would have many positive effects on the city, highlighting that cycling brings benefits to all sectors such as tourism, urban mobility, health and the economy”, said the president of the Union of Cyclists of Petropolis. Assess – Acipe, Isabella Geddes, who also reminds us of the need for public policies to guarantee greater security and mobility.
“Especially during the Cup, we will have cyclists from around the world traveling through the city, reinforcing the importance of education and empathy in traffic, which is essential for the good coexistence of drivers and cyclists. These athletes We undoubtedly know the other realities of urban mobility and traffic safety, topics that the City of Petropolis is still in its infancy, but we believe that in the very near future we will have better and better cycling infrastructure for life in traffic and more It will be an honor. This event will undoubtedly prove to be a milestone for Brazilian cycling in the Petropolitan region.”
2022 MTB World Cup Schedule
March 26 and 27 – Lourdes, France (DH)
April 8-10 – Petropolis, Brazil (XCO/XCC)
May 6-8 – Albstadt, Germany (XCO/XCC)
May 13-15 – Nové Mesto, Czech Republic (XCO / XCC)
21 and 22 May – Fort William, UK (DH)
June 10-12 – Leogang, Austria (DH/XCO/XCC)
Jul 8-10 – (location to be confirmed) (DH/XCO/XCC)
15 to 17 July – Vallnord, Andorra (DH/XCO/XCC)
July 29-31 – Snowshoe, USA (DH/XCO/XCC)
August 5-7 – Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada (DH/XCO/XCC)
September 2-4 – Val di Sol, Italy (DH/XCO/XCC)
XCO/DH World Championship 2022
August 24-28 Team Relay World Championship in XCO / DHI / Les Gates, France
