ADI has completed their first season as an event partner for the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, in partnership with Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD). ADI has added brand new, custom LED concepts to these energy-efficient mountain bike fixtures hosted internationally in some of the most dramatic mountain landscapes, resulting in a greater fan experience, enhanced partner brand activation and a superior broadcast product.
Customized digital event infrastructure
The UCI Mountain Bike World Series spans multiple mountain bike formats, including cross-country, downhill, marathon and enduro, with ADI designing powerful digital solutions that add value to each specific discipline and event organization.
ADI used its in-house R&D teams to design and produce three bespoke LED concepts for key stages of the events, working with the customer to understand their vision and transform initial ideas into dynamic technical solutions. These include:
- Double-sided portal – Adding a visually impressive element to the start and finish line of the UCI Cross-country World Cup formats, the LED-clad portal creates a vibrant entrance for athletes and the race countdown, with official times, live rankings , rider calls and partner content at key moments
- Downhill towers – Positioned at the finish line of the UCI Downhill World Cup course, this pair of LED towers display rider profiles and headshots, live data and leaderboards, and official timings for the cheering crowd and broadcast cameras. The decision was made to omit the crossbar on a typical goalpost gantry to increase the visibility of the rider speeding down the final stretch of the DHI track without any hindrance.
- Hot seat – A bespoke structure for the UCI Downhill World Cup races, featuring a canopy roof, athlete seating and LED screen facade, with event branding and live leaderboards to create atmosphere during each race; something that has never been achieved before in elite mountain biking.
Global event production provider
A dedicated ADI team has realized these three LED concepts 43 live event days and the 9 locations that have hosted the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, including Haute Savioe in France, Snowshoe in the US and Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada. ADI staff have been part of the wider event delivery team to support construction, testing, live deployment and installation, in addition to organizing the logistics for the equipment to travel on a globally touring event production.
Family tree in Elite cycling events
Deeply entrenched in the world of elite cycling and the UCI’s internationally affiliated events, ADI has been providing sports presentations, technical production, LED screens and creative content to cycling’s biggest events for over 20 years. These include the Tour de France, Paris-Nice, the Arctic Race of Norway and this summer’s 2023 UCI Road World Championships, which took place in Glasgow and across Scotland.
Remark
“This season’s UCI Mountain Bike World Series has benefited from ADI’s ability to bring innovation and experience, with a brand new event infrastructure that is digital, versatile and dynamic, delivering a more immersive spectator experience and creating spectacular broadcast visuals. Their impressive LED technologies are supported by an expert operations team, who have become part of the tour and have not been carried away by the challenging live environments and landscapes we visit.”
Simon Lillistone, Head of Events, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports
“Warner Brothers Discovery has been able to use the internal resources and skills we offer to design fully customized event concepts. In addition to our expertise in LED screen infrastructure for events, we also have a vast background in cycling and live sports. We understand how to improve the audience experience, develop partner brand activation and create higher production values for international broadcasts.”
Stuart Barnes, Business Development Manager, Live Division, ADI