Just saw this on Tracy Hannah’s Facebook this morning!

Sounds like great news. Now if New Zealand get’s a WC round too that’d be perfect!

Here’s the official word:

Cairns to host two Mountain Bike World Cups

Cairns will be the focus of international sports fans when it hosts the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups in 2014 and 2016.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey today announced the successful bid as professional riders strutted their stuff at Cairns Esplanade.

Mr Newman congratulated Cycling Australia on its bid for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups and said the events would create an important tourism and events legacy for Tropical North Queensland.

“Today’s announcement is a major coup for Cairns and Queensland,” Mr Newman said.

“It provides a great opportunity to showcase a region renowned for being ‘Adventurous by Nature’ and will bring economic benefits to the Far North.

“The World Cup events in 2014 and 2016 will be the focus of the world’s mountain biking community. Investing in these events means the Far North will have ongoing infrastructure, positioning Queensland as a location of choice for future World Championship Mountain Biking events.”

Mr Newman highlighted the fact that mountain biking was a Commonwealth Games and Olympic sport.

“Hosting successful 2014 and 2016 World Cups will clearly demonstrate the state’s capacity to execute world-class sporting events ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast,” he said.

“This Government recognises sport tourism as a major contributor to the Queensland economy and we have set ourselves the target of $30 billion in overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.”

Ms Stuckey said the city had long been seen as an ideal destination for hosting major sporting events, and was blessed with the natural attributes to entice competitors, families and friends to Tropical North Queensland.

“The events that were bid for and secured by Cycling Australia with the support of the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, are expected to attract people from 45 countries around the world,” Ms Stuckey said.

“In addition, a series of participatory Cross Country Marathon (XCM) mountain bike events will be held in the lead up to each World Cup, encouraging cycling enthusiasts from across the country to bring their bikes to Cairns, test themselves on the trails and stay to watch the World Cup events.”

In 2012, the region welcomed more than two million visitors who spent $2.5 billion on visits, an increase of four per cent on 2011.

UCI Board of Management Committee Member and President of Oceania Cycling Confederation Ms Tracey Gaudry congratulated Cycling Australia and Tourism Events Queensland on the successful bid for the UCI MTB World Cup events.

“Today’s announcement is a significant one for cycling in Australia,” Ms Gaudry said.

“It marks the beginning of a new suite of major cycling events that the UCI and Cycling Australia have been working on together and the future is bright.”

Cycling Australia Commercial Director Mr Michael Edgley said the partnership between Tourism Events Queensland, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, James Cook University and Cairns Regional Council was the determining factor in Cairns winning the right to host these mountain bike events.

The UCI is due to ratify the full suite of UCI MTB events contained in the Cycling Australia bid at the June UCI Board of Management meeting.