UCI Mountain Bike World Series relies on XD motion X fly mini

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series rode into Fort William earlier this month (3-5 May), bringing the world’s best downhill mountain bikers to Scotland.

The opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup drew thousands of fans as the athletes took on the iconic Nevis Range track, one of the longest and toughest courses in the world.

The series, which includes cross-country Olympic, cross-country short track, cross-country marathon, downhill, enduro and E-enduro events, is being broadcast live on Eurosport as well as being made available on-demand on Eurosport and discovery+. Fourteen meetings are scheduled for 2024. The UCI World Cup cross-country marathon, enduro and E-enduro will benefit from in-depth highlights shows at every round.

Over 20 cameras will be accompanied by state-of-the-art FPV (first-person view) drones at each event venue, ensuring fans don’t miss any of the major moments during each adrenaline-filled race.

In Scotland, XD motion was once on hand to help achieve this, with the X fly 1D mini Hi Speed employed to capture angular shots in the mountains.

Benoit Dentan, founder and CEO of XD motion, explained: “As the drone cannot fly over the audience at high speed, our X fly was used as it is able to do so. The system can also fly in wind and rain so it can cope with any weather conditions.”

“We try to keep the budget low in having the system transported between each event and minimise the need for expensive kits with just three crew techs.”

Cutting-edge biometric data is also being integrated into coverage of the series for the first time, bringing a new dimension to the broadcasting of downhill and cross-country events as part of a new partnership with wearable health and fitness coach Whoop.