News

From October 16 to 18, 2026, the “Home of enduro” will welcome the world’s best riders

The 2026 season marks a significant anniversary for a mainstay on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar. Epic Bikepark Leogang — Austria’s first bike park and a long‑standing host venue — celebrates 25 years since opening in 2001, a milestone that coincides with another busy year of top‑level racing.

The brand with the iconic green claw is confirmed as the Official Energy Drink partner

UCI Enduro World Cup action returns to Morillon while the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups head to Les Gets as part of an August double-header.

Two reigning overall UCI World Cup winners have been the big stories of the off-season, with Vali Höll moving to Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres and Samara Maxwell opting to take a season-long sabbatical instead of defending her UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup overall crown.

Ahead of the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) have revealed the official list of 40 teams, covering both Endurance (cross-country) and Gravity (downhill, enduro) formats, that are guaranteed to participate in every round of the series. The top 10 teams for each format will lock in an unprecedented two-year licence.

After a demanding 2025 season, New Zealand’s reigning Women Elite UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup overall winner Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) has confirmed she will take a sabbatical from competition throughout the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar.

Wide-sweeping commitments to promote sustainability and enhance inclusivity at the pinnacle of mountain biking, as part of WBD Sports’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) roadmap.

The French tyre manufacturer is a key supplier for teams across Gravity and Endurance formats, and its partnership with Origine Racing Division saw it reach the steps of the podium during the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.

The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series delivered over 87 million cumulative views across WBD channels, attracted over 250,000 new followers on official social channels, and generated more than five million page views on its website.

A quarter of all year-long UCI World Series Teams spots go to wildcard entrants with a further eight spots per format up for grabs at each round.

The new qualifying process was introduced at the start of the 2025 series, with 40 teams across Endurance and Gravity guaranteed their place at every UCI World Cup round

Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Vali Höll (YT Mob) might have come away with all the spoils from the 2025 season, but the 10-round series was one of the most competitive in recent memory with one nail-biting conclusion that will live long in the memory. 

The American and Brit dominated their respective series with consistency and race-winning performances that no-one else could handle.

The American and New Zealander got off to strong starts in the early rounds of the 2025 UCI XCO World Cup and didn’t look back as they cruised to their debut titles.