There are four American cities chosen for the event, in addition to Sydney, Australia; Valencia, France; Sheffield, England; and Yantai City, China.
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The 2026 Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships will take place on October 16-17 in the Mentougou district of Beijing, China. The event will mark the end of a season of 23 qualifying events organized in 19 countries.
The pump track requires riders to navigate rollers, berms and jumps without pedaling. Competitors compete head-to-head in elimination rounds to win.
“This is wonderful news for Joplin and the surrounding community,” Patrick Tuttle, director of VisitJoplin, said in a statement. “We’re proud of our new bike park and know it offers exciting opportunities for area cyclists, but having this type of qualifier in our first year of opening will generate a lot of energy and focus from the cycling communities. It’s a great way to introduce the park and Joplin to these groups.”
Joplin’s MOmentum Bike Park, with access off Lone Elm Road and Zora Street, opened last November.
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It is the largest municipal bike park in Missouri, with more than 132,000 square feet of formal bike park elements along with 10 miles of purpose-built mountain bike trails on 95 acres.
The $5.8 million project was funded through the quarter-cent parks and stormwater sales tax, the hotel and motel tax and a $1.5 million Missouri Department of Economic Development Local Tourism ARPA grant to expand and improve the project.
For more information about MOmentum Bike Park, visit joplinmo.org/momentum.
The bike park is located on the former site of the Dover Hill football pitches.
The grand launch party for MOmentum Bike Park will take place on May 2nd. Live demonstrations, music, professional riders and giveaways are planned for the first big event at the new park.