Joplin will be one of 23 cities around the globe to host a 2026 Velosolutions/UCI Pump Track Qualifier event, Aug. 15-16.
There are four U.S. cities chosen for the event, as well as Sydney, Australia; Valence, France; Sheffield, England; and Yantai City, China.
The 2026 Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships take place Oct. 16-17 in Beijing’s Mentougou District, China. The event will mark the end of a season of 23 qualifying events organized in 19 countries.
Pump track requires cyclists to navigate rollers, berms and jumps without pedaling. Competitors race head-to-head in knockout rounds for the 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 riders, but having this type of qualifier in our first year of opening will create a lot of energy and focus from the cycling communities. It’s an excellent way to introduce the park and Joplin to these groups.”
Joplin’s MOmentum Bike Park, with accesses on Lone Elm Road and Zora Street, opened last November.
It is the largest municipal bike park in Missouri, featuring more than 132,000 square feet of formal bike park elements alongside 10 miles of purpose-built mountain bike trails on 95 acres.
The $5.8 million project was funded through the parks and stormwater quarter-cent sales tax, the hotel-motel tax, and a Missouri Department of Economic Development local tourism ARPA grant of $1.5 million to expand and improve the project.
For more information about MOmentum Bike Park, visit joplinmo.org/momentum.
The bike park is at the former site of the Dover Hill soccer fields.
The grand launch party for the MOmentum Bike Park will be held May 2. Live demonstrations, music, professional riders and giveaways are planned for the first major event at the new park.
