It's done. It took a long time this year, but the result is something to be proud of. The 2025 calendar of the iXS European Downhill Cup can finally be published. It features six races in six countries.

Finding dates for the various downhill series organized by Racement is a real challenge every year. For 2025, no fewer than 26 races are divided between the VPACE Kids Cup, PROPAIN Rookies Cup, iXS Downhill Cup and iXS European Downhill Cup series.

The European Cup is definitely the flagship format and, with its high-caliber races, delivers high-level sport that can rightly be seen as a stepping stone to the World Cup. The territorial spread will once again be very broad, so that the travel behavior of the athletes will definitely be a task.

Six new locations

It is obvious that none of the six venues were part of the series last year. However, Semmering in Austria and Kranjska Gora in Slovenia are two old acquaintances on the program. The series kicks off at the beginning of April in Caramulo, Portugal. This means the series starts earlier than ever before. Then, at the end of April, it's off to Scotland, to none other than the legendary World Cup venue of Fort William. After the aforementioned Semmering in mid-June, Aprica in Italy follows two weeks later. A new venue that is unlikely to mean anything to anyone, but that is likely to change after this season. At the end of July, we will once again be heading to France, but this time to Les Orres. This bike park impressed our scouting team so much last year that we really wanted to make a stop there. The final round follows at the end of September and returns to Kranjska Gora after a long absence.

Dates 2025

Racing action with a family flair

Incidentally, the European Cup was launched back in 2008. This means that this independent racing series has been around for 17 years. Big names have emerged from it, for example, Tahnée Seagrave was already a regular guest as a U17 rider. But names such as Brook Macdonald and current World Cup stars Andreas Kolb and Valentina Höll have also gained confidence in this series with which they now perform their tasks.

The courses are tough, the competition is strong, but the atmosphere is familiar and friendly. The iXS European Cup offers highly professional races with plenty of training time and a level of attention from the big teams that should not be underestimated. Anyone who finishes on the podium here is recommended for higher things.