The Women in Mountain Bike initiative has become a central pillar of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) roadmap.
Since its inception in July 2024, marked by an inaugural networking breakfast for women from across the mountain bike community at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France), the initiative has continued to gain momentum and grow in scope.
Building on that first milestone, the programme has expanded rapidly and is set to increase its influence throughout the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Its objective is clear: to help create a more accessible, inclusive and equitable environment, while increasing female representation at the pinnacle of competitive mountain bike.
This International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the initiative’s achievements over the past year, as well as to look ahead to what lies in store in the months to come.
CREATION OF THE WOMEN IN MTB WORKING GROUP
One of the key milestones in 2025 was the appointment of a WBD Ambassador to lead the initiative: Anja Rodenbroker, who has been part of the core WBD Sports mountain bike team since the launch of the ambitious WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series project and roadmap in 2023.
As a first step under her leadership, a Women in MTB Working Group has been established. The 19‑member collective brings together riders, team managers, partners, and industry and corporate representatives from across cross‑country, downhill and enduro disciplines.
The group will meet regularly throughout the 2026 season to define a dedicated roadmap addressing the key challenges facing women in mountain bike.
2026 INITIATIVES: FROM HISTORIC CHANGE TO TANGIBLE ACTION
While the Women in MTB Working Group is still in its early stages, it has already begun developing initiatives and immediate actions. These include:
Rebalancing race scheduling: a landmark step will see the Elite Women’s race run last at a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series event this season, a decision that represents a historic first for the sport. This milestone moment is set to take place at the Saalfelden Leogang Salzburgerland UCI Downhill World Cup (11-14 June), where the women’s field, including local star Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres), will close the programme. Traditionally, men’s races have occupied the final slot and generally benefited from the prime broadcast window; this change marks a powerful shift in visibility, recognition and parity for women’s racing at the highest level.
Education around RED‑S: Raising awareness of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED‑S) across the mountain bike community is a key priority. RED‑S is a condition that affects both men and women and is caused by an imbalance between the energy intake and the energy demands of training and competition, and can have serious consequences for health, wellbeing and athletic performance, affecting areas such as hormonal function, bone health, recovery, mental health and long‑term development.
To support this, WBD Sports has engaged with Project RED‑S UK, a UK‑based initiative dedicated to advocating for and increasing awareness of RED‑S. The short‑term objective is to educate athletes, coaches, team managers, parents and all WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series stakeholders on what RED‑S is, how to recognise its symptoms, how it impacts performance, and how to challenge the negative perceptions surrounding the condition.Storytelling and awareness: the production of a mini‑documentary exploring the health challenges faced by women in sport is underway. The film focuses on the often-hidden struggles of female mountain bike athletes and builds on a shorter version released last season. This expanded edition will feature additional interviews with leading athletes and address a wide range of topics, from menstruation to body image.
Improving event facilities: a key focus is enhancing on-site sanitation and athlete‑dedicated facilities across all WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series events. While the objective is to improve conditions for all athletes, the need for this initiative was identified through discussions within the Women in MTB group, where specific challenges faced by female athletes and staff were highlighted.
A SHARED COMMITMENT
Beyond WBD Sports, other partners across the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series ecosystem have also launched their own initiatives to help address gender imbalance within mountain bike.
The local organising committee for the 2026 season finale in the Lake Placid Olympic Sites (New York, USA), taking place from 2 to 4 October, has introduced a dedicated Women in Sport programme this year, alongside a series of women‑focused activations planned around the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series event. These initiatives will be amplified through WBD Sports’ Women in MTB Initiative, reinforcing a shared commitment to progress across the sport.
