Starting next season, there will be an additional class for women in the iXS European Downhill Cup. The Pro Masters female class will be introduced as the last remaining equivalent to the classes for male participants.

After each season, we evaluate the number of participants in each series and discuss whether we need to make any changes. We often receive constructive feedback from the riders, who point out certain opportunities for further developing the races. This year, we were again in contact with several female participants to discuss how we should respond to the demand for a Pro Masters class in the iXS Downhill Cup and the iXS European Downhill Cup. Since there is a relatively small number of female starters in this age group, we wrote to all of them and took their opinions into account in our decision.

Starting next season, the iXS European Downhill Cup will feature a Pro Masters female class. All female competitors with a valid UCI license aged 35 and over can now choose whether they want to compete in the Elite class or the Masters class. We hope this will encourage women to remain loyal to the racing circuit. This class is also aimed explicitly at former World Cup riders, for example, who have ended their careers at the highest level.

Unfortunately, there does not currently seem to be sufficient demand for a Pro Masters female class in addition to the Open Masters class in the iXS Downhill Cup. Our top priority is not to lose any existing female competitors. The aim of our development steps is fundamentally to increase the number of female participants. After internal discussions, we have therefore decided to introduce the Pro Masters female class in the iXS European Downhill Cup next year and not to make any changes to the iXS Downhill Cup. We would only rename the Open Masters female class to Masters female in order to perhaps lower the inhibition threshold for some women to participate in the Open category.

In Germany, you can have two different licenses. So, if you want to compete in the Elite Women class in the DHC and in the Pro Masters female class in the EDC, you would need to purchase an Elite and a Masters license. However, it is important to note that if you want to compete in the Masters class at a European or World Championship (with a Masters license), you cannot have any UCI points in the Elite category.

German Cycling