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After seven fast and furious rounds, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2024 reaches its halfway point this weekend in Val di Sole, Trentino. Last weekend in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland gave us some of the most aggressive racing we’ve seen all season, with Enduro and Downhill stars pushing themselves up to - and often past - their limits. This time it’s the turn of the Enduro crew to tag out while the Cross-Country kids tag back in to tackle the legendary Val di Sole trails. Located in the heart of the Italian Alps, Val di Sole is known globally as a mountain biking paradise. When it comes to top level competition its pedigree is no less long and illustrious: Since the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships were first held there in 2008 it has never failed to thrill and it has been a regular UCI World Cup venue since 2010. The Black Snake is one of the most notorious runs on the Downhill circuit. Some riders like it better than others but everyone starts with a clean slate on Friday. BEWARE THE SNAKE IN THE GRASSHopefully the riders are paying attention, because the Val di Sole organizers have made some significant alterations to the UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup course they raced last year. The changes include shortening the final climb by a few meters, incorporating a section of the four-track course, and adding an entirely new one ahead of a completely redesigned last descent. It’s all in service to spectacle and should allow for fans to follow even more of the races, more closely than ever. Course Technical Director Sergio Battistini says, "The TV show and the spectators on the course will gain even more". The UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup course consists of a 940m circuit and 29m total elevation, with the XCO course beginning on the same short-track loop. It then proceeds onto the 3.54km main course, with 224m of ascent. The downhill riders will take on the infamous “Black Snake” track, considered a monument in international downhill racing. The name comes from the treacherous tree roots that characterize the most famed track in the Val di Sole Bike Park. When it rains, the roots turn black, resembling a snake. The course is 2.1 km long, with an average gradient of 24% and a total drop of 550 meters. The Black Snake is unique due to its natural look and feel, and the straight line it takes through the forest. From top to bottom, riders are presented with different challenges. They must navigate roots, rocks, and avoid coming unstuck on the thin, sandy surface. The Black Snake announced itself on the international stage in 2008, when the first UCI Mountain Bike World Championships were organized in Val di Sole. Such is its prestige that the track hosted three more UCI Mountain Bike World Championships - in 2016, 2018 and 2021. Between the most recent two, the run was treated to a major overhaul in line with sporting trends, without sacrificing the unique character that makes it such a fan and rider favorite. The focus of the mods was primarily on the upper track, where a rock garden was added, while in the lower section, the Sam Hill curve - where the Australian famously crashed in 2008 - has also seen some adjustments made to it. The Black Snake contributed to the legends of sporting greats such as Rachel Atherton, Aaron Gwin, and Myriam Nicole, all of whom have won here. This week’s Val di Sole start lists are a veritable ‘who’s who’ of mountain bike in 2024. Every elite, junior and U23 rider from the current top 5 of both cross-country categories and downhill is due to line up in Val di Sole. The only major name missing in action is that of Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers). The men’s UCI Cross-country Olympic World Champion who stormed to victory in Nové Město na Moravě (Czechia) will still be in the Alps, only on the other side, racing on the road in the UCI WorldTour event, the Tour de Suisse. HOLDING FERRAND-PREVOT’S FEET TO THE FIRE Women’s UCI Cross-country Olympic World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) will be present however, as she looks to make it two wins from two this season. Her storming performance a fortnight ago shows she’s as far from rusty as a rider can be. Ferrand-Prévot might have grabbed headlines earlier in the week in relation to her road racing ambitions, but this weekend the 32 year-old will be all about the mountain bike. Among those looking to deny the Frenchwoman two wins on the spin will be XCO series leader Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing), who has only once been off the podium this season, and not since the first UCI XCC World Cup round in Mairiporã, Brazil back in April. Similarly consistent and targeting a second win of the year will be Switzerland’s Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon). Last year’s winner in Val di Sole, Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck), will be aiming for a second victory in Trentino. This season the Dutch rider has only one UCI World Cup ride under her belt, though that was a strong 5th place in Nové Město na Moravě’s UCI XCO World Cup. Having previously believed the Daolasa di Commezzadura park wasn’t suited to her proficiencies, Italian National Champion Martina Berta (Santa Cruz RockShox Pro Team) surprised herself by finishing second to Pieterse last year. She’ll be aiming to go one better this week and has spent time thinking about how she can. Val di Sole has a very demanding course, she says. It doesn’t leave you any room to breathe. Both climbing and descending skills are very important, and after the effort on the climb you really need to find a way to follow the best trajectories to save energy for the following sectors. Making a difference in the descents is very difficult in Val di Sole: there you need to balance the need to go fast while also keeping a margin of safety. Last year I managed to do this all. It was, she continues The turning point in my career. Of course I was in good physical shape, but it was the mental aspect that made the difference at such a high level. KORETZKY KRUIZING? At a glance the overall standings of the men’s side of the same event might make it look like a one-horse race. On (a devilish) 666 points Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) leads the pack by a massive 170 points, but Nové Město na Moravě demonstrated that he’s human after all. The Frenchman sprinted to victory in the UCI Cross-country Short Track race, but had a tougher day in the XCO and finished way down in 20th. Koretzky’s team-mate Christopher Blevins is his closest challenger, 170 points back, though just 31 points separate Blevins in 2nd from the great Nino Schurter (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team) in 6th. Schurter was a comfortable second two weeks ago, but he’s been inconsistent, especially compared to the likes of Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing.) Val di Sole seems set to make or break a few Cross-country riders’ seasons. IT WILL TAKE A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE TO STOP VALENTINA HÖLL Among the women’s downhill elite riders, the big question is whether anyone can stop Valentina Höll (YT Mob.) The UCI World Champion rode out of her skin in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, delighting home crowds with an impeccable technical and physical performance. Hers was the last run of the day, and the Austrian made it look easy. She evidently holds no fear of the snake, having taken a very special victory in Val di Sole last year. Höll’s closest competition in the overall - though still nearly 300 points down - Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) might have been able to challenge her time. Seagrave was riding well until she and her bike parted company in the woods. The only woman other than Höll to stand atop a podium this season, Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory), might be the rider best placed to beat her. Cabirou was only five seconds off the pace on the same track in 2023. BRUNI TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED IN VAL DI SOLE Despite dominating the 2024 UCI Downhill World Cup with two victories from the three rounds so far, and 300+ point lead in the overall standings, reigning men’s champion Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) seems to be feeling the pressure. The 30-year-old has never won on the Trentino track, and finished a lowly (for him) 14th here last year. Val di Sole is one of those tracks where I've never found the right feeling, Bruni admits.  I have to manage the race differently… It's a mix of many things I haven't been able to put together. I'm feeling more positive now, and I hope that helps break the Val di Sole spell. If that inspires anyone it might be his Specialized Gravity team-mate Finn Iles. The Canadian was one small mistake by Bruni away from his first UCI World Cup win of the season on Sunday. If he can take it anywhere, it’ll be in Val di Sole, where he silver medaled behind compatriot Jackson Goldstone a year ago. Goldstone will not appear this weekend due to injury. Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) must fancy his chances as well. The US national champion has been Mr Consistency this season, as the only rider to finish every race - qualifiers, semis, and finals - inside the top ten. He may have been nine seconds off the pace at Val di Sole in 2023, but he also finished one place higher than Bruni. That but with a gold medal around his neck would certainly do on Sunday, Racing gets underway in Val di Sole on Friday with the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup. Full schedule and events details are available here. The Trentino valley that will host the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series action this weekend will also be home of the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships from August 26th to 30th, 2026.

The highly anticipated documentary "Not Done Yet," showcasing the legendary career of Greg Minnaar, is now available to watch on Eurosport Cycling, offering fans an exclusive look at the remarkable journey of one of the most successful UCI Downhill World Cup rider in history. Greg Minnaar, often referred to as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in downhill mountain biking, has enjoyed a career spanning over two decades. With 23 UCI World Cup wins and four UCI Downhill World Championships under his belt, Minnaar’s story is one of unparalleled success, determination, and resilience. Premiered globally at a special event in Fort William a few weeks ago, the 45-minute film covers the highlights of Minnaar’s illustrious career and follows his preparation for the 2023 UCI Downhill World Championships. Despite facing challenges, including a mechanical failure during his final run, Minnaar's passion for the sport and his determination to succeed are vividly captured in this documentary. Speaking after the global premiere, Greg Minnaar said: "It is an amazing documentary capturing the events as they unfolded. I enjoyed seeing the historical footage as it brought back such good memories. I've been racing over two decades and the film showed that very well. I'm excited for what this season will bring and the film showed my new, exciting role with Norco Race Division". Fans can now tune in to Eurosport Cycling to watch the documentary and get inspired by Minnaar’s extraordinary achievements. 

Women’s and men’s UCI Downhill World Cup finals go to form as hot favourites Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) lived up to self-set expectations in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland. The final riders to go in their respective races, thanks to semi-final successes, both executed near flawless runs to each take their second wins of the season. After a torrential storm hit Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland overnight, the finals would present different challenges and oblige different approaches to the semi-final. The conditions did not put off the spectators, however. 20,000 fans turned out to watch across the entirely weekend. In the women’s final, Mille Johnset (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) was first onto a drying but still somewhat treacherous track. The Norwegian picked her lines well in the early sections, only to lose her rear wheel and go down briefly in the later wooded section, three minutes into her run. She was nevertheless able to quickly remount, crossing the line to set a solid benchmark time of 3’47.9. Following Johnset down was Louise-Anna Ferguson (Intense Factory Racing) whose more cautious approach cost her precious seconds, and prevented her from taking the lead. Third down the ramp and straight into the hotseat was French rider Myriam Nicole (Commencal / Muc Off by Riding Addiction.) Nicole held nothing back to give herself every chance of landing on the eventual podium. Having made the most of the faster sections, she flew across the line 5.6 seconds faster than Johnset. After suffering a crash in Saturday’s semi-final Camille Balanche (Dorval Am Commencal) opted not to participate in Sunday’s final. That made Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) the seventh rider to start, but lost around 10 seconds by hitting the deck on a relatively easy grassed section. She then struggled to regain momentum, falling further back, only to go down a second time in the trees. New Zealander Jess Blewitt (Cube Factory Racing) started quick and only got quicker, gaining two seconds in the third sector. As she was looking likely to dislodge Nicole from top spot, tragedy struck as her front wheel hit a hole between the trees.Could Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) challenge Nicole’s supremacy? The early indications were positive as the British rider got everything right in the top section. She lost a few tenths mid-way through the run but gained whole seconds in the next split. Into the woods her dreams of victory also came crashing down as, opting for a riskier high line, she and her bike parted company. Despite the drama she came away largely uninjured and was at least able to set a time. As Anna Newkirk (Beyond Racing) left the gate, Nicole knew she was guaranteed at least a podium. Newkirk rode with eyes wide open all the way, keeping it upright and rolling all the way where others before had lost momentum. Though behind for most of her run, she remained in touch with the race lead and was 0.8 seconds up at the final split. Through the final turns the American lost none of her composure and barely a fraction of time, coming home to take the lead. With one rider left, the provisional podium was Newkirk, Nicole, Baumann. UCI World Champion and home favourite Valentina Höll (YT Mob) was the only rider left who could deny Newkirk the victory. The Austrian honoured the rainbow stripes with a stylish, rapid first half of the run. The only rider to clear the double early jumps, she approached the wall ride with a massive three seconds in hand. At that point all she really had to do was get down, but she wasn’t content with simply taking the win. Precise drop-ins and impeccable handling gained her even more on those lower parts of the course that had frustrated several rivals. The Austrian fans erupted as Höll crossed the line to take the victory by an enormous 7 seconds. Despite the dominant way in which she secured her second victory of 2024, Höll said afterwards that the course was anything but straightforward: I don’t think anyone expected Leogang to be that technical, she said. All the riders were complaining it was too easy but man, this track is not easy at all. It’s so rough and hard to find a fine line. I’m just happy to secure it at home. I love it. BRUNI THE BEST SAVED TILL LAST In classy new kit Greg Williamson (Madison Saracen Factory Team) got the larger men’s elite field underway at 3pm on the dot. The British rider charged down the higher part of the course, staying low along the motorway section and maintaining his speed. He came into the woods hot, attacking the roots and mud without missing a trick. Just as he was looking to set a strong benchmark he fell victim to a rear flat and could only nurse his bike down to the finish for a much slower time than his performance had deserved. Jakob Jewitt (Pivot Factory Racing) then was tasked with putting in the first true time, but his first four splits found him four seconds down on Williamson, showing just how fast the Brit had been going. Despite the mechanical, Jewitt could not go quicker, and missed out on top spot by 0.1 seconds. Antoine Perrin (Commencal Icstudio) was the first of the men’s elite finalists to take a tumble, in the mid-section of the course that has seen so many caught out over the weekend. 16 seconds down at the fourth split that was his deficit at the finish. Loris Revelli dropped in but got caught out in the same off-camber grass section as Nina Hoffmann. He did a better job of recovering but was never able to claw himself into contention. Straight after Revelli, Remy Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team-DH) suffered a near identical fall in the same spot.Having looked as if he might threaten the lead Oliver Davis (Santa Cruz Syndicate) saw his challenge disintegrate on a root. It took first year elite Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) to finally dislodge Williamson from the hotseat. The Canadian took an aggressive approach to his run but seemed to be taking big risks. White knuckling his ride, Kuhn at points seemed to be hanging on more than he was in control. Despite kissing a root himself, he kept it up and went quickest by three tenths of a second. Tenth rider out Joe Breeden (Intense Factory Racing) rode the first three sections smoothly, entering the woods very much in touch with the lead. In the biggest gear he had he laid it down on the final part of the course to go quickest by almost 1.5 seconds. Kye A’hern (Kenda NS Bikes UR Team) was flying until he literally hit the final timing gate, a fall which took him from 1.5 up to six seconds behind at the finish. Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) negotiated the trickiest early sections nicely and only got quicker. The Briton was 2.3 up at split four, eventually crossing the line in 3’13.08 to announce himself as the latest rider into the hotseat. UCI World Champion Charlie Hatton (Atherton Racing) needed a result. A little rough and ready, Hatton was behind throughout his run but in touch, stopping the penultimate timing point with 0.5 seconds still to make up. He couldn’t do it, but managed enough to put himself onto the provisional podium and what would end up 18th on the day. A DNS from Cube Factory Racing’s Max Hartenstern meant Lachlan Stevens-McNab had an extra-long wait in the start gate. That didn’t dampen his commitment, as the Kiwi was already almost a second up at the first split. Fast over the stumps and into the motorway he was close to doubling his lead and going long on the jumps, hitting the fastest speeds of the whole day. Flirting with the limits and full gas, Stevens-McNab had three seconds at the final split, gaining another 1.5 to go quickest with a 3’08.6. Whether it would hold up for a podium or even the win seemed to depend on how much the course would dry over the weekend’s final hour of racing. British National Champion Matt Walker (Madison Saracen Factory Team) was fastest in the first two sections but made a few small mistakes in the middle of the course before a few bigger ones cost him speed and time where the course got rocky and rooty. Though able to keep it upright, he was evidently frustrated at having not made more from the effort. Austrian home rider Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) kept calm as the crowd around him brought the noise. A solid first half and a steady second meant there was nothing in it with a couple of corners to go but even the Austrian support was not enough for him to go into the lead. As he had opted out of the qualifiers with a hand injury and the semi-finals the final was the first chance of the weekend to see Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) put down a run. The Canadian rode strong and low, making the most of every opportunity to pick up speed. was up for most of the run and made it to sector four a second to the good. He crossed the line to claim the hotseat by 0.7 seconds from Stevens-McNab. With the top ten riders left to hit the course the provisional podium was: Isles, Stevens-McNab, Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal.) In his hot pink uniform, Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) rode an easy, almost flawless run, but one that was not sufficiently aggressive to put him right among the top times. A slip in the lower third of the course took him out of it completely, and as he failed for most of a minute to get clipped back in, he would have been happy enough just to finish in one piece. Ireland’s Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) was more inclined to take risks, too many perhaps, as he nearly lost it completely over the stumps in the opening minute. Dunne recovered well but had to dig deep to restore lost speed. He had slipped from 5th to 12th  by third split before crossing in a respectable 8th place. Into the final riders, and YT Mob’s Oisin O’Callaghan took time to settle into his run and find his flow. The young Irishman seemed to struggle with oversteer early on. Two seconds down in the middle sectors he was able to halve that deficit by split four, ultimately stopping the clock 3:08.75 which was good enough for third. Despite making no notable errors, Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) was unable to trouble the top places, which meant there were only two competitors remaining who might deny Iles the win. Of them Brosnan’s team-mate Luca Shaw was fast, even briefly fastest, but a small mistake on the corner that had caught out so many riders cost him over a second and left him in 6th place. Then came the headline act, Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity.) If time could be found on the course, it seemed likely the five-time UCI World Champion would find it. Riding in the driest conditions of anyone, Bruni rode lightly and was already into the lead at the first split. He briefly relinquished that advantage but reached the steepest section of the course 0.6 seconds to the good. With his heart rate clearing 170 the Frenchman picked the perfect places to push, and knew when to be patient. He had gained another second on Iles by the fourth timecheck. Just a few turns to go Bruni was in complete control, as he soared over the last jump and crossed the line in 3’05.5 - more than two seconds quicker than anyone on the day. I really thought I didn’t have it today, said Bruni afterwards.  The conditions changed so much today compared to yesterday which was more my style. I tried everything I had - I was betting on the track drying up a bit. I was glad to start last. I pushed so much and made little mistakes at the top…. I finally got going after the motorway. Three rounds and a 100% record of podiums sees Bruni 320 points clear of Luca Shaw at the top of the overall standings. Finn Isles is in third on 647 points. NEW ZEALAND AND FRENCH VICTORIES IN WOMEN’S AND MEN’S JUNIOR FINALS The women’s and men’s junior downhill finals were won in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland by Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) and Max Alran (Commencal / Muc Off by Riding Addiction) respectively. Van Leuven denied Britain’s Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) her third win in a row. After what she described as “a rough start to the season,” victory for the Kiwi felt “so good.” She enjoyed the slippery conditions more than some of her competitors - “my main goal was to get through the woods safely. I made a few minor errors but basically it was a pretty good run.” Second place by four seconds was Eliana Ulsebosch (Union - Forged by Steel City Media) with Wilson finishing off the podium, just 25 thousandths of a second further down. Wilson maintains her 1st place overall, as Van Leuven goes 10 points clear of Ulsebosch in second. Alran beat Dane Ewett (Pivot Factory Racing) into second place by less than half a second, with Mike Huter (Gamux Factory Racing) almost three seconds back in third. For Alran it was not only his first win but first podium of the season. I’m really happy, really stoked, he said afterwards. I did a pretty good run. I made a small mistake in the wood but I’m really happy. Despite finishing 21st due to a bad early crash, series leader Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) maintains his place at the top of the overall standings.The UCI Cross-country and UCI Downhill World Cup series resumes in Val di Sole, Trentino next weekend.  

It was a tale of two leaders in the third round of the UCI E-enduro World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria). Florencia Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) strengthened her advantage at the top of the women’s standings with a commanding 51-second win in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series but a nightmare for Ryan Gilchrist (YETI / FOX Factory Racing) saw him surrender first position overall. Canyon Collective Facturo Enduro’s Manuel Borges is now top dog, but it was Martin Maes (Orbea Fox Enduro) who was the man to beat in Austria as he took a crushing victory by over a minute and won every single downhill stage. The triumphs of Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Richie Rude (YETI / FOX Factory Racing) in the UCI Enduro World Cup were followed by an electrified day of action on the 84.5km course that featuring two power stages totaling 121m of climbing and 2,692m of descent in the remaining seven stages. MAES RECOVERS FROM TOUGH POWER STAGE Riders were thrown straight in at the deep end with a 300-metre power stage ascending 50 metres over brutally rooty terrain that caught even the best riders out. Maes finished down in 13th but crucially hemorrhaged less than a quarter of a minute, while Gilchrist didn’t offer many signs of the difficulties he’d face later in the day as the only member of the top five in the overall standings to also place in the top five of the stage. On such a short power dash, the time gaps weren’t major as Diego Giordanengo took the win, but Maes would assert himself at the next opportunity, putting nine seconds into Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective) who inherited the overall lead after he was also runner-up on the Matzalm Oberer Teil. But the major shock was Gilchrist as the slowest finisher, losing almost 100 seconds over 2.4km and 535m of descent, and he’d drop another 25 seconds on stage three as Maes showed everyone that he wasn’t just here to win, but dominate. Things got even worse for Gilchrist when Borges - the Australian’s closest UCI World Cup competitor entering the round - proved he was growing into the day by placing second on the X Line and putting himself on the brink of the top three now completed by Lévy Batista (Rocky Mountain Gravity Racing) and Andrea Garibbo (Haibike), both men well behind the rampant Maes. Raphaela Richter’s (Simplon Trailblazer) run was also far from smooth as she finished just behind winner Sofia Lena Wiedenroth (Specialized Enduro Team), but she hit the front on the Bergstadl Trail to move almost half a minute clear in the overall standings with Espiñeira showing no-one was immune to the root hell of the opening power stage.  The Chilean fell further behind on stage two but halved that deficit on the steep slopes of the X Trail that featured 801m of descending in a stage only 1.6km long. Laura Charles was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of stage 3 though, jumping into the top three overall as she marked herself as one to watch in the battle behind the lead pair. RICHTER MISFORTUNE HANDS ESPIÑEIRA THE LEAD Espiñeira continued her scorching speed into stage 4 and though Richter retained the lead - now down to nine seconds - her day came unstuck thanks to a broken chain delaying her arrival at the start of stage five, won by France’s Charles by just 0.086 ahead of the new leader in the clubhouse. Alia Marcellini (Haibike) appeared to suffer a similar catastrophe when she was handed a three-minute penalty for changing her battery without notifying the officials before heading back out to the second loop. However, the penalty was later dropped with the Italian flying high in the top three at the time, thanks to finishing in the top four of every downhill stage. With Richter now out of the running, Espiñeira pressed home her advantage still further to enter the second and final power stage with a 35-second advantage, completely flipping the script from earlier. But incredibly, that was still over a quarter of a minute less than Maes’ dominance. The unbeatable German put on a downhill clinic, chased by Batista who held second from stage 3 until the end despite ultimately hanging on by just a couple of seconds from Kevin Miquel (Specialized Enduro Team) - who surged up the leaderboard with strong showing on stage 6, 1.6 seconds behind Maes. The Matzalm Trail also gave star guest Manuel Lettenbichler a chance to shine, taking a break from his romp to a third successive FIM Hard Enduro World Championship crown. After cheering on the Enduro competitors out on the course yesterday, the moto enduro great was competing on those same trails today and placed in the top 20 on that stage, Lettenbbichler’s best result of the day en route to 21st overall for YT Mob. It was more pain for Gilchrist though, he lost another three-quarters of a minute to Maes with Borges picking up more points on stage 5 and thanking his lucky stars that he kept on his bike on his next run as he seemed to lose complete control but somehow saved himself. MAES AND ESPIÑEIRA APPLY THE CHOKEHOLD Gilchrist enjoyed a brief resurrection with fourth place on the Knappen power stage as Giordanengo was the fastest man uphill yet again, over a monster course that demanded riders ascend 70m in only 0.3km.  Batista clawed back a handful of seconds on Maes for the last time before he resumed his unstoppable descending form on a stage 8 that was just over a kilometer in length. With such small-time gaps - less than eight seconds separating the top 10 - the overall win was done and dusted but Miquel pegged back Batista’s advantage by a couple of seconds to give himself a chance at the runner-up spot on Bongo Bongo. Miquel threw everything he had at stage 9 to dislodge his compatriot but ultimately ran out of road on the lightning-quick trail, finishing 15 places ahead and chipping another 4.5 seconds away from the deficit but to no avail as Garibbo also held off Borges’ charge for fourth.  However, it was still a successful afternoon as the Portuguese rider outscored Gilchrist by 113 points and celebrated becoming the first man to break the four-figure barrier in the 2024 UCI E-enduro World Cup: “It means a lot to me, not a bad day for me, I crashed a lot, but I finish fifth so overall it’s important. For sure it’s the biggest goal for me and for the team, to keep this jersey until the end is the best.” It’s the first time Maes’ has scored this season, but he did it in some style and is now into the top 20 thanks to a performance that redefined dominance - after he was 11th in yesterday’s UCI Enduro World Cup round, a minute off top spot. “Yesterday wasn’t a good day for me, I struggled a lot and I wanted to turn it around today with the e-bike. I had tons of fun; the bike was way more planted to the ground than yesterday and I know a bit more where I was riding. “I had a lot of fun today and I rode conservative but fast all day long, I had obviously some blind stages, the power stages that I didn’t have time to practice on Thursday but overall, it was a good day.” Espiñeira was relegated to second by Wiedenroth on the final power stage but came back swinging on the Schwarzleo Trail, jumping the German who was a woman transformed in the final part of the day. After the earlier battery mixup, Marcellini had the last laugh on the final stage, taking the win with Espiñeira knowing injury was the only thing preventing her opening up a big lead in the UCI E-enduro World Cup. Britain’s Tracy Moseley was 106 points behind at the start of the weekend but didn't compete in Austria and Charles, Weidenroth and Marcellini all took advantage. Despite Marcellini beating Weidenroth by nine seconds on Bongo Bongo she was an agonising three-tenths short of claiming third on the day. So Espiñeira now enjoys a lead of 310 points, and reflected happily on a job well done:  “Pretty good day, for my teammate Martin as well. It can’t get any better than this.  “The start of the day’s always difficult for me, I crashed a little bit, so I had to reset the mindset and push. Unfortunately, Raphaela had a mechanical, it’s always a bummer for the competition, I would’ve loved to see how that could’ve been but at the end everything worked out.  “It’s good, it’s a relief to do half of the season with three wins, that’s always the main goal for me and motivation to keep pushing. PLENTY OF WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES ACTION TO COME As if the Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland weekend wasn’t action-packed enough already, the UCI raised the stakes even further on Friday morning by announcing the very first edition of the Mountain Bike Enduro and E-enduro World Championships will take place in Val di Fassa Trentino, Italy, on 14 - 15 September 2024. But before that, Espiñeira, Maes, Borges and every other mountain biking fan can watch the Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland weekend climax with the UCI Downhill World Cup final tomorrow. Overall leaders Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) already set the pace in the preliminary rounds today

Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) proved they’re the riders to beat in the UCI Downhill World Cup round in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria) and will go last out of the starting gate in Sunday’s final. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series sent Austrian fans happy last year with a Downhill home double thanks to Höll and Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton), and the women’s UCI Downhill World Cup leader asserted her authority once again as the fastest rider in qualification and the semi-final. Saturday’s UCI Downhill World Cup action saw 359 entries whittled down to just 80 finalists, who will battle it out on Sunday across the elite and junior categories. BRUNI CAPS RECOVERY WITH CONVINCING SEMI-FINAL WIN With Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) winning in Poland, the Emerald Isle was again on top in qualifying through Oisin O’Callaghan (YT Mob) by the narrowest of margins - just 0.060 seconds ahead of Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team). Bruni was sixth and almost two seconds back as he fell further and further off the pace throughout his run but turned things around in style for the semi-finals to take a commanding first place. Shaw was again the bridesmaid and even led at the penultimate time check but couldn’t match the UCI World Cup leader in the final stages as his teammate Troy Brosnan finished third. O’Callaghan started the semi-final as he’d finished the qualifier, quickest over the opening stretch, but was unable to sustain that pace against the blistering Bruni. Dunne will need to find time if he’s to continue his winning streak too - he was top dog in the Red Bull Hardline between UCI Downhill World Cup rounds and improved from 13th to sixth in the semi-final here, but still ended the day four seconds behind the French pacesetter. Greg Minnaar (Norco Factory Racing) once again failed to escape qualifying while Kolb has made the cut but must improve from 13th to repeat his popular victory from 12 months ago. Finn Isles (Specialized Gravity) pulled out at the top of the course but will start the final as a protected rider alongside Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) who was 60th out of 62 semi-final finishers.   HÖLL GETS HOME PARTY STARTED EARLY IN QUALIFER In Thursday’s press conference, Höll talked up the competitiveness in the women’s downhill field compared to the dominance of Rachel Atherton in the 2010s, but her talking on the trail perhaps said otherwise. Entering the weekend with a 10-point lead over Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD), with the same distance back to Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commercial) in third, Höll showed she was immediately up to speed on her home trails by finishing eight seconds ahead in qualifying as her immediate rivals were both outside the top 10. Anna Newkirk (Beyond Racing) was able to close the gap considerably in the semi-finals but still couldn’t overhaul the world champion, finishing 1.6 seconds back as Seagrave also slashed her deficit to Höll as the fastest rider of the first part of the course. However, Newkirk sped up with every meter that she plunged downhill and relegated the Brit to third with a scorching end to her run. Balanche was the only rider who failed to finish, on the back foot after a sluggish by her standards, she came unstuck on the final section. Marine Cabirou’s up-and-down season looks set to continue in Austria as the Scott Downhill Factory Rider could only finish 14th despite taking victory in Bielsko-Biała (Poland) last time out. That win left her 70 points behind Höll but she’ll need a major overnight turnaround to cut that gap further. As a protected rider she’ll still take her place in the final alongside Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Balanche who did roll across the line after her crash while two-time UCI Downhill World Champion Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) is into her first finale of the year VERMETTE AND WATSON SHOW THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Men’s Junior leader Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) followed in Höll and Bruni’s tyre tracks to take top spot in qualifying, over three seconds ahead of Dane Jewett (Pivot Factory Racing). Vermette left it late - he only hit the front at the final time check but put himself in the best position to extend his 40-point lead in the standings over Luke Wayman, who was ninth in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland. However, Women’s Junior leader Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) couldn’t complete the set as she was fifth. Wilson’s had a perfect start to the year with two wins but will need to overhaul a 16-second deficit to Eliana Hulsebosch (Union - Forged by Steel City Media) tomorrow to extend that run. The Kiwi was first at every single checkpoint in a searing display eight seconds ahead of Sacha Earnest (Trek Factory Racing Gravity), who at least has the consolation that she can reduce her 25-point gap to Wilson if she continues this form. Both the men’s and women's Junior UCI Downhill World Cup races will be broadcast live tomorrow for free on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals will be shown on a wide range of channels and streaming services. You can find where to watch all the racing action HERE. Pre-show starts at 13:45 UTC+2, so set a reminder to join Ric McLaughlin and Aaron Gwin live from Austria.

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series produced two contrasting but equally action-packed competitions in the UCI Enduro World Cup, as Richie Rude (YETI / FOX Factory Racing) won the men’s overall by 7.3 seconds while Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) proved she’s the woman to beat with a dominant 38-second victory. Returning to Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland for the second time after a successful debut 12 months ago, changing weather kept riders on their toes throughout the event on the first of three exhilarating days in Austria with UCI E-Enduro and Downhill World Cups still to come. Athletes faced a 73.7km course featuring 2,470m of descent across six stages, roared on by fans who packed out the finish bowl and were able to watch all the thrills and spills of the last stage live on in-venue big screens for the first time ever. In the men’s competition, all eyes were on Poland’s Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) who was cruelly denied a fairytale maiden UCI World Cup win at his home race last time out by just 0.095 seconds. Meanwhile Courdurier arrive in Austria just two points ahead of Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) in the women’s standings with the pair taking a win apiece in the opening two rounds.   SETTING THE TONEThe damage was done early by Courdurier in Austria, as she finished her run hot on the heels of Harnden who endured a messy performance on the monster Bergstadl Trail. There was no time for any of the riders to ease their way into the day as rainfall had left a demon stage to kick off the day’s racing after a gondola ride into the clouds. Stage 1 (2.4km) featured a hair-raising super slick root garden, with Courdurier putting almost 20 seconds into Harnden in fourth. British pair Ella Conolly and Rebecca Baraona fared better with the former relishing the challenge posed by the 535m of downhill. Harnden would regain some ground immediately afterwards in the longest stage of the day, with stage 2 on the X Line offering 3.6km of racing, 802m of descent and the opportunity to make up for lost time. She did just that, but the six-second win was too paltry to put her back in overall contention then and there, while Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) continued to build her challenge for the top three. After pipping home Łukasik last time out, Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) opened his account for the day with a two-second stage 1 win over Richie Rude and predictably, the roots were a critical factor as some made it look season, but other big names struggled. In an abrasive stage, Jack Moir (YT Mob) suffered the worst possible start with a flat tyre at the top of the trail while Canyon Collective duo Jack Menzies and Jessie Melamed got a little too closely acquainted with the trail - a theme that continued throughout the day.Out of contention for the overall thanks to that puncture, Moir would nonetheless come roaring back in the second stage to finish runner-up behind Rude. The top six were separated by less than five seconds with Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project), Łukasik, Melamed and Murray all making up ground on the run to the line.   RUDE AND COURDURIER DOUBLE DOWN A predominantly fast, wide-open stage 3 offered plenty of free time or the smoothest riders - though also required a stream crossing at one point - on the Mtazalm Trail. After a relatively easy transition from stage 2, 326 metres of descending in just 1.6km meant it could be make-or-break but although Rude missed out on the win for the first time in Austria, he more than doubled his gap at the top of the standings finishing third but just 1.5 seconds behind pacesetter Rudeau. Łukasik was another close second, just half a tenth behind the Frenchman but it was Murray in sixth who was the loser at top. He wasn’t the only one to struggle though, a spill for Kasper Woolley (YT Mob) dropped him down to 21st and Melamed didn’t just crash on stage 4, he followed suit on stage 4. Łukasik also went down in the same place but in much more spectacular fashion as riders continued to tire - though both men were able to finish within the top 10 on a short, sharp Hangman 1 packed with bike park features. And despite Rude once again being denied - this time by Murray - his consistency within the top placings ensured he entered the final stages with a healthy gap of 9.2 seconds against the Kiwi. Courdurier two-upped Melamed by hitting the deck twice on the Mtazalm Trail but with Charre caught in the rain and finishing outside the top five, the leader extended her advantage by another 6.7 seconds over Harnden and added yet another stage to her collection. DECIDING ROUNDS With Richie Rude second once more on the short, slippery, and intense stage 5, the American he entered the final battle with a healthy gap over Rudeau, who claimed his second victory of the afternoon. Dropping into Bongo Bongo with a seven-second advantage over Rudeau, the Rude was only a hair’s breadth behind his rival at the finish, pushing enough but not too much on a stage littered with traps to catch out the exhausted competitors - including Murray who was launched into an acrobatic flip that ended his challenge and relegate him to 67th on the stage. The result means Rude regains the lead of the UCI World Cup standings with a gap of almost 200 to the Specialized Enduro rider, as consistency was the key to his win: Stages one through three that had some had a lot of root sections, when that got wet and greasy it was pretty hard to stay on-line and just riding those clean and having those couple first smooth and clean runs helped me to stay consistent and be up there in the top. Just starting strong like that, when we got to the last three stages that are a bit more like bike park-y, it definitely helped my mentality. Once you have the jersey you want to keep it, and losing it the other weekend was kind of a bummer but that’s how it goes with us being so tight. Courdurier entered the final two stages with a lead of 25 seconds meaning that just staying upright on her bike would likely be enough to deliver the overall victory, but Frenchwoman certainly didn’t ride like it. In an exhilarating display, she won yet another stage by double figures on a Schwarzleo Trail bathed in sunlight after a day that seemed to feature all four seasons in Austria, with Harnden once again best of the rest. And Courdurier finally took a rest - at least by her standards - on the final stage, coming home half a second behind compatriot Charre to seal an imposing win and extend her UCI World Cup advantage from two points to 73 on a day where almost everything seemed to go, at least from an outsider’s perspective. I think I had a bit of a wrong feeling about today,” Courdurier said. “But maybe because I was focusing so much on hitting the right lines it was not possible today and everyone felt bad on the bike. I had such a good morning, I’m happy, such a good day! Both U21 races saw major shakeups in the World Cup standings, with incoming women’s leader Lily Planquart (Lapierre Zipp Collective) scoring just 18 points and drop to second behind Simona Kuchynkova, who placed third at Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland behind Emmy Lam (Forbidden Synthesis Team) and winner Winni Goldsbury. And men’s U21 winner Wei Tien Ho shot from fourth to first as the previous leader Bailey Christie (Theory Racing) also failed to hit three figures. Finally, in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland, 133 amateurs raced four of the same stages as the professionals in the open racing categories.   RIDERS REACT TO GROUNDBREAKING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCEMENT Away from the trails, the UCI announced the first edition of the Mountain Bike Enduro and E-enduro World Championships will take place in Val di Fassa Trentino, Italy, on 14 - 15 September 2024. I’m really happy about it, it’s a good thing, for everybody, was Rudeau’s reaction. And Val di Fassa is also a good spot to have it for the first time, I can’t wait to be there. Courdurier added: It’s been a long wait. I’ve been wishing for it, always been dreaming about this rainbow jersey. If you’re a rider, it’s The Thing you want. I’m just so happy to see the sport’s evolving, to see how far the woman’s field has come, even if I don’t get it, I’ll just be so proud to be here and live this unique moment, I’m so looking forward to it. But before that, there's still the exhilarating UCI E-Enduro and Downhill World Cup rounds to go in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland with Ryan Gilchrist (YETI / FOX Factory Race Team) attempting to continue his electrifying dominance before Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) take to the downhill trails to see if they can repeat the memorable double that sent home fans into raptures 12 months ago.

Valentina Höll and Andreas Kolb are aiming to reproduce a UCI Downhill World Cup home sweep in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series returns to Austria with the stars of the UCI Downhill, Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups on show across three action-packed days of racing. Höll (YT Mob) and Kolb (Continental Atherton) took victory on these slopes last year and the Women’s 2023 UCI Downhill World Champion credited that magical day with kickstarting a mountain biking revolution in the country and likened it to an Austrian national holiday in the 2024 pre-race press conference. It’s nice to come back to a home World Cup, I crashed in Poland and that definitely gives me a bit of fire to come back and do well here, Höll said.  Andy and I had an amazing race here last year, it felt like a new Austrian national holiday to be honest. The respect for our sport just grew a lot more in Austria. Skiing is so big and biking is more of a side-product but I feel like all the tourism places realised they can make really good profit with mountain bikers, we’re friends. As an Austrian racer, it just felt amazing that we made it happen, it is possible. We have the best infrastructure in Austria to get more good racers, look at all the Kiwis, Australians, and British riders, they’re so quick and there are so many but what’s the reason it’s working in Austria? I feel like Andy and I maybe make a little change and the kids are stoked to get on their bikes.   KOLB MUST SEE OFF SURGING DUNNE Kolb has finished eighth and nine so far in 2024 battling illness and injury but there’d be no better place to rise back up the order and delight the partisan crowd in the same memorable manner as last year, as he echoed Höll’s feeling about how mountain biking has changed in the country following those victories: A lot of party first, but I hope it’s a bit of a change for the future of our sport in Austria, kids hopefully are inspired by our results and just want to do racing. I think we can already see it’s moving up a little bit better, kids having fun about racing, so I hope it’s moving in the right direction. He’ll have plenty of competition though, with leader Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) aiming to get back on track after being pipped in Poland and the five riders behind him separated by just 30 points. That quintet includes Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing), who took his first World Cup win last time out in Bielsko-Biała and has since also won the Red Bull Hardline. Dunne finished eighth here last year, two seconds behind Kolb, and believes he’s arrived in Austria ready to continue his streak of success. However, Kolb is relishing the chance to take on a stacked field and was unequivocal when asked whether he’s feeling extra pressure on home trails. I wouldn’t say so, firstly it’s cool to see everybody healthy except Jackson Goldstone, I think he’s the only guy in our category, Kolb added.  But if I think about last year and about my win, sometimes I say to myself ‘oh Pierron wasn’t there’, and Pierron’s one of the boys I want to beat when he had a good day as well so it’s good to see everybody healthy nearly, and if you win it’s just the best feeling when you beat everybody. STEINTHALER TAKING EACH DAY AS IT COMES With Enduro and E-Enduro also returning to Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland, Hanna Steinthaler (CUBE Action Team) is also hoping to add another home win this time around, and believes lessons from 2023 give her a better chance this weekend after finishing ninth in Bielsko-Biała: I hope they’ll cheer my name, but last year I think I did the mistake to put too much pressure on myself and it didn’t work out and I was just not feeling good, I think I don’t want to put too much pressure on me, I just want to take the day as it comes tomorrow. Training today was very nice, it will be spicy tomorrow for sure but I’m just stoked to ride at home and have my friends here. Now I know I can be there. Of course it’s making a bit of pressure but I just want to handle it.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are pleased to announce that the first edition of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-enduro World Championships will take place this year in Val di Fassa Trentino, Italy, on 14 - 15 September. It will be the first time that the UCI World Champion’s rainbow jersey will be awarded for these mountain bike formats, which made their debut at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in 2023. Four titles will be at stake: Men Enduro, Women Enduro, Men E-enduro and Women E-enduro. Val di Fassa Trentino has hosted top tier enduro racing since 2019, including an enduro round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series last year. The stages are based around the town of Canazei in the heart of the spectacular Italian Dolomites, a UNESCO heritage site that always evoke great emotions, home to one of the most iconic enduro trails in the world, the “Tutti Frutti”. Its views and incredible terrain are breathtaking for athletes and fans alike. ENDURO & E-ENDURO, TWO KEY DISCIPLINE IN THE MOUNTAIN BIKING WORLD The competitions in Enduro and E-enduro consist of several timed stages, predominantly downhill. With individual starts, the recorded times and stage wins are added up to decide the overall winner. Liaison stages for the riders to transition to the start of each stage (either by bike or with mechanical assistance) are included in the competitions. They are not timed, but riders must reach the start of each race stage within an allocated time. Over the past decade, the discipline has evolved significantly, yet Val di Fassa has retained a strong character and clear identity, prioritizing environmental consciousness and honoring the sport's origins. In Val di Fassa, riders can experience the authentic format of enduro racing, featuring lengthy and challenging descents and substantial elevation changes. AN ACCLAIMED ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL INVOLVED PARTIES  UCI President David Lappartient said:  I am thrilled that the first Enduro and E-enduro UCI World Champions will be crowned in Val di Fassa Trentino, which hosted a very successful round of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. This venue in the beautiful Italian Dolomites is already well-known to many international athletes, and we can only look forward to the first ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-enduro World Championships in this majestic setting. Maurizio Fugatti, President of the Autonomous Province of Trentino emphasizes the significance of hosting an international event of the caliber of the UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Championships for Trentino. He highlights that this additional high-level event “reaffirms Trentino's sporting vocation and underscores the professionalism achieved by the organizers”. It is thanks to their dedication and the invaluable contribution of numerous volunteers that our Province can host such prestigious events, solidifying its reputation as the most physically active and sports-oriented Province in Italy. Roberto Failoni, Provincial Minister for Crafts, Trade, Tourism, Forests, Hunting, and Fishing for the Autonomous Province of Trentino recognizes that awarding the UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Championships to Val di Fassa, in Trentino, is “a well-deserved honor and a historic achievement for the Organizing Committee”. Having successfully hosted numerous international mountain bike events in the past, they are well-prepared for this prestigious occasion”. Wishing all participants the best for the competitions, he extends an invitation for everyone “to savor the breathtaking landscapes and exceptional hospitality that only the Dolomites and Trentino can offer. Cordiano Dagnoni, President of the FCI (Italian Cycling Federation), stated:  After hosting the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and the UEC European Road Championships, as well as numerous stages of the Giro d’Italia, Trentino—particularly the iconic Val di Fassa—will now inaugurate the first UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Championships. This discipline has captivated enthusiasts with its versatility and spectacular nature. On behalf of the Italian cycling movement, I take pride in this achievement. It reaffirms our organizational capabilities and our clubs' eagerness to embrace new challenges. William Basilico, head of the Local Organizing Committee, expressed his “pride at the opportunity to organize the inaugural UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-enduro World Championships”. There will be a lot of work ahead of us, but we are prepared for this new challenge," he stated. He sees this as “a significant recognition for Italy and all Italian Enduro racing organizers for their decade-long dedication to the former Enduro World Series (EWS) and the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. The establishment of the new Grand Events Committee Val di Fassa marks a milestone, and we are committed to enhancing the organizational standards of our future events, he added. Maurizio Rossini, CEO of the Trentino Official Tourism Board / Trentino Marketing, agreed:  According to the newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Trentino is the most active province in Italy. Organizing the UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Championships is a significant achievement for us. Val di Fassa has already hosted rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, earning high praise for its organization and hospitality. This event highlights the exceptional organizational skills of our region and provides a unique opportunity for international media visibility. Fausto Lorenz, President of the local Tourism Board in Val di Fassa, expressed his satisfaction:  It is an honour and a privilege for Val di Fassa to host such a significant event in collaboration with the UCI and all the international and local stakeholders. Our region has grown immensely with enduro, building on the legacy of past experiences. Hosting the UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Championships is a reward and the culmination of our efforts and commitment over the years. We look forward cheering on the athletes and the cycling community involved in this important competition. Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said:  We are incredibly proud to take on the challenge of promoting the first edition of the UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Championships. We are fully committed to leveraging our expertise and the resources deployed in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series to support this discipline. Our pioneering and innovative spirit makes us the perfect partner for the UCI in this new project. Returning to Italy, where the public and private institutions, athletes, and people love mountain biking and always treat us so well, is a privilege. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports has been appointed by the UCI as the organiser and promoter of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-enduro World Championships for its inaugural year. WBD Sports is a trusted partner of the UCI, responsible for the organisation, global broadcast, and promotion of the ground-breaking WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, where all major mountain bike formats have been unified in a single calendar for the first time.

While we might already be six rounds into the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the party is just getting started with the return of the Gravity action in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland this weekend. After Gravity UCI World Cups in the iconic spots of Fort William, Scotland (UK) and Finale Outdoor Region (Italy), and a Downhill-Enduro double header in new Polish location Bielsko-Biała, it’s time to return to fan favourite Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland for the first of six back-to-back weekends of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Located within Austria’s largest bike region, Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland has been a mainstay of the UCI Downhill World Cup since 2010, and the scene of some of the sport’s most jaw-dropping moments – from Aaron Gwin’s chainless win in 2015 to Andreas Kolb and Valentina Höll’s Austrian double last year. It was a welcome addition to the UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups in 2023, and fans can expect some adrenaline-fuelled action from the off.   THE KING OF COURSES Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland is located in the state of Salzburg, near the border with Germany in the heart of the Austrian Alps. The UCI World Cup round takes place at Epic Bikepark – one of Europe’s most renowned bike parks, which has trails suitable for anyone, from first timers to professionals. The ‘Speedster’ trail is the home of the UCI Downhill World Cup. At 2.6km with 468m of descent, it is seriously steep, and combines fast, motorway jumps with tight, technical tree sections where line choice is key to coming out on top. The venue’s Enduro and E-Enduro stages meanwhile take in the best trails of Epic Bikepark and the surrounding area of Saalbach Hinterglemm to give riders a truly energy-sapping test. The UCI Enduro World Cup will see athletes take on six stages during a 73.7km course featuring 2,470m of descent during the race stages, while the UCI E-Enduro World Cup has nine stages across an 84.5km course with 121m of ascent during the two power stages and 2,692m of descent during the remaining race stages. TIGHT AT THE TOP While Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Valentina Höll (YT Mob) currently sit first in the UCI Downhill World Cup standings, the reigning overall champions aren’t running away with proceedings. Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) has emerged as a serious contender – the Irishman following up his first UCI World Cup win in Bielsko-Biała (Poland) with victory at Red Bull Hardline last weekend. Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity), Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) and Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) have also looked strong in the first two rounds, while it could have been so different for Dakotah Norton (Mondraker Factory Racing) had the American not slipped during his finals run in Poland. Höll meanwhile crashed in Bielsko-Biała and still managed to rescue a sixth-place finish and retain her position at the top of the table, but there are plenty of riders ready to pounce on any mistake the 2023 UCI DH World Champion makes. Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) sits just 10 points behind Höll in the standings, while Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal), Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) are all within breathing distance. Höll will be looking to put that slip in Poland behind her this weekend, returning to winning ways in front of an adoring home crowd. WILL LUKASIK’S LUCK CHANGE AND HAS COURDURIER MET HER MATCH? Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) was 0.095 seconds short of recording his first UCI Enduro World Cup win in front of a partisan home crowd in Poland, but the 31-year-old put his disappointment behind him to dominate the following day’s E-Enduro race. The in-form rider is down to ride both again in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland, so don’t be surprised if he takes back-to-back wins in Austria. Last year’s UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and current series leader Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) will be ensuring it’s not a procession for Lukasik, while 2023 winner Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) knows what it takes to taste victory on the Epic Bikepark trails. The women’s Enduro finals are just as unpredictable with Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) facing fierce competition from the British riders Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) and Ella Conolly already this season, while Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) is looking as consistent as ever. GILCHRIST AND BORGES THE RIDERS TO BEAT IN E-ENDURO, WHILE ESPIÑEIRA IS IN DOMINANT FORM Lukasik’s closest E-Enduro challengers in Poland were also the riders who finished in the top two at the season opener in Finale Outdoor Region (Italy) – Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) and Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) – and you can expect all three to go tyre-to-tyre again in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland. The women’s race is more of a one-horse race, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) wins all nine stages with her closest rival Tracy Moseley not on the start list this weekend. Racing gets underway in Saalfelden Leogang tomorrow with the UCI Enduro World Cup. Full schedule and events details are available here.

Entries are now open for Enduro, E-Enduro and Marathon events in France, Switzerland and the USA this summer. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series pits the best Endurance and Gravity athletes against some of the planet’s toughest tracks from March through to October, but it’s not just the crème de la crème who can get in on the action.  At WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series events featuring Enduro, E-Enduro and Cross-country Marathon, amateurs can test themselves on the same parcours as the pros, allowing everyday riders to get between the race tape and experience a UCI World Cup track. There are still plenty of opportunities for you and your friends to experience this epic day out in stunning locations too, with entries from Open Racing now available for the below UCI World Cups: 27-30 June – Combloux, Haute-Savoie, France | Enduro and E-Enduro 29 June – Megève, Haute-Savoie, France | Mountain Bike Marathon 11 - 12 July – Aletsch Arena, Bellwald, Valais, Switzerland | Enduro and E-Enduro 5 - 7 September – Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, France | Enduro and E-Enduro 29 September – Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid, USA | Mountain Bike Marathon For Enduro and E-Enduro riders, you’ll get to sample a selection of stages and UCI World Cup trails on the same day as the professionals, enabling you to compare your splits against your heroes and see just how far you are from a pro contract. Mountain Bike Marathon riders meanwhile are faced with the same grueling course as the elite, providing a challenging experience that will push you to your physical limits. The Megève round forms part of the MB Race – an iconic event that combines a family-friendly festival with races that sample some of the most demanding and breathtaking courses that the Mont-Blanc area has to offer.  The Lake Placid event meanwhile is a completely new venue for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. As well as a chance to tackle the full UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup route, it also offers Open Racing participants the opportunity to see the UCI XCM World Cup overall winners crowned and USA’s lightning-fast riders like Christopher Blevins and Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) compete on home soil in the penultimate UCI Cross-country Olympic and Short track UCI World Cups of the season. To find out more information, head to ucimtbworldseries.com/open-racing

After a two-week break, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series returns this weekend with a double delight of Gravity action as the UCI Downhill (DHI) and Enduro (EDR) & E-Enduro (E-EDR) World Cups take to the bike park of Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, Austria.  We look at everything you need to know about the Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, including when the Enduro, E-Enduro and Downhill events are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to follow the action. WHEN? The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, Austria, starts with the UCI Enduro World Cup at 8:30 (UTC+2) on Friday, June 7 and concludes with the Men Elite UCI Downhill World Cup at 15:00 (UTC+2) on Sunday, June 9. Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EST+6/BST+1/CEST): Friday, June 7  08:30 – UCI Enduro World Cup Saturday, June 8 08:30 – UCI E-Enduro World Cup 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Elite 12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Elite 14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior 14:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior 15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Women Elite 15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Men Elite  Sunday, June 9 12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior 13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior 14:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite 15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite WHERE CAN I WATCH? There will be several ways to follow the action at Austria’s only UCI World Cup round of the 2024 Series. For Friday and Saturday’s Enduro and E-Enduro racing, there will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel on Sunday, June 9 and broadcast on Eurosport 1 at 17:15 (UTC+2) on Thursday, June 13.For the third UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, you can watch the finals live anywhere in the world. Both the men’s and women's Junior UCI Downhill World Cup races will be broadcast live and for free on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals will be shown on one of the below channels or streaming services. Pre-show starts at 13:45 UTC+2, so set a reminder to join Ric McLaughlin and Aaron Gwin live from Austria: NORTH AMERICA Canada – Flosports USA  – Max SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA Puerto Rico – Max All other territories – Staylive ASIA Azerbaijan – Staylive Bangladesh – Staylive Bhutan – Staylive Cambodia – Staylive China – Zhibo.tv Hong Kong – Staylive India – Staylive Indonesia – Eurosport Japan – Staylive Kazakhstan – Staylive Kyrgyzstan – Staylive Laos – Staylive Macao – Eurosport Malaysia – Eurosport Maldives – Staylive Mongolia – Eurosport Myanmar – Staylive Nepal – Staylive Pakistan – Staylive Palau – Staylive Philippines – Staylive Singapore – Eurosport South Korea – Eurosport Sri Lanka – Staylive Taiwan – Eurosport Tajikistan – Staylive Thailand – Eurosport Turkmenistan – Staylive Uzbekistan – Staylive OCEANIA Australia – Stan New Zealand – Staylive  AFRICA: Staylive  EUROPE Austria – discovery+, Eurosport 2, Redbull TV, ServusTV (digital) Belgium – Eurosport app, Eurosport 2 Czechia – Max, Eurosport 2 Denmark – Max, Eurosport 2 France – Eurosport app, Eurosport 2, La chaine L’Équipe Germany – discovery+, Eurosport 2 Hungary – Max, Eurosport 2 Ireland – discovery+, Eurosport 2 Italy – discovery+, Eurosport 2 Netherlands – discovery+, Eurosport 2 Norway – Max, Eurosport 2 Poland – Player.pl, Eurosport 2 Portugal – Max, Eurosport 2 Romania – Max, Eurosport 2 Slovenia – Max, Eurosport 2 Spain – Max, Eurosport 2 Sweden – Max, Eurosport 2 Switzerland – Eurosport Plauer United Kingdom – discovery+, Eurosport 2  Rest of world – Staylive  RIDERS TO WATCH The Epic Bike Park is home to some well-trodden paths for most Gravity competitors – the Saalfelden Leogang venue has been a mainstay on the UCI Downhill World Cup circuit since 2010, while it also hosted the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 2012 and 2020. Although it only made its debut in the UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups last year, the recently awarded UCI Bike Region of Saalfelden Leogang is sure to put on a show once more, with riders pushed to their limits on the testing, handcrafted trails. RUDE AND COURDURIER THE ENDURO RIDERS TO BEAT In the Men’s Enduro competition, last year’s winner Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) has had a disappointing start to the season – 19th last time out being his best result of the opening two rounds. Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) finished second at this venue in 2023, and it’s hard to rule out the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner going one better this weekend. One rider who will be trying to stop him is teammate Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) – the 31-year-old Polish rider narrowly missed out on his debut win at his home race in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, three weeks ago. Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) spoilt the Polish party, and the current series leader will be looking to cement his position at the top of the table with another consistent performance in Austria.  Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) remains the rider to beat in the women’s Enduro – the Frenchwoman returning to winning ways in Poland after having to settle for second in Finale Ligure, Italy. Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) is pushing the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner to her limits though, while Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) is overdue a race-winning performance. GILCHRIST, BORGES, AND ESPIÑEIRA THE E-ENDURO FAVOURITES In the E-Enduro, it won’t be back-to-back wins in Saalfelden Leogang for Fabien Barel – the French rider has yet to start a race this season. Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) has seized the initiative in his absence, the 22-year-old Australian is the most consistent rider so far with a win and third place in the first two rounds. Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon Collective Factory Enduro Team) has also looked strong this season, scoring back-to-back second places, while we can’t rule out Mick Hannah (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) – the veteran finishing second in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland last year and podiuming last time out in Poland. For the women’s E-Enduro, it’s hard to look beyond Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team). The Chilean has taken maximum points from the first two rounds of the 2024 Series, and with her closest rival Tracy Moseley opting not to race in Saalfelden Leogang, expect Herreros to dominate proceedings on Saturday. DUNNE TO DUEL WITH BRUNI, WHILE HÖLL AIMS TO RETURN TO WINNING WAYS AT HOME In Downhill, the reigning UCI World Cup overall winners Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) didn’t have it their own way in Bielsko-Biała – Höll crashed on her finals run to finish sixth and Bruni settled for second with Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) taking his first UCI Downhill World Cup win. It’s hard to look beyond Höll though on her home course. The 22-year-old won at the venue last season and will be looking to make amends for her slip in Poland. Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) and Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) have both tasted success in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland though, while Marine Cabirou’s (Scott Downhill Factory) win in Bielsko-Biała shows that the Frenchwoman is back to her best. In the men’s, local favourite Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) gave the partisan crowd a double victory to cheer last year, but the Austrian will have his work cut out to repeat the feat. Dunne looks to be in imperious form, winning Red Bull Hardline in between UCI DHI World Cup rounds, while Bruni will be looking to get back on the top spot and repeat his win from 2019.  WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series DHI Ambassador, commentator, and four-time winner in Saalfelden Leogang, Aaron Gwin said: “The first two rounds of the UCI Downhill World Cup have been incredibly close and show the racing at this elite level is as competitive as it has ever been. The course in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland has historically provided some of the tightest racing our sport has seen, and I predict more of the same this year. The course here is an all-out sprint, there’s no room to rest and you have to maintain that level of intensity from your first pedal out of the start hut to the finish. We had a first-time winner here last year and with the depth of talent that we’ve seen already this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if we have another one this weekend”. Racing gets underway on Friday, June 7 in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland. Full schedule and event details are available HERE. You can find where to watch all the racing action in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland HERE.

Two tight UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup races in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ (Czechia) delivered gold for Italy and a pair of podiums for Namibia. Alex Miller just missed out on victory to Fabian Rabensteiner in the men’s, while a hard-fought battle in the women’s saw Vera Looser finish strongly to take top spot from Bosnia’s Lejla Njemcevic. The opening round of the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup, in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, saw a pair of close, hard fought, tactical races that were only decided in their later stages. Both men’s and women’s took place on the same 123km course comprising two long, largely flat loops plus a steeper, more technical section of the cross-country track. In the men’s event a group of four riders, Fabian Rabensteiner, Alex Miller, Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann, broke clear of the field at the entrance to the second loop. With all but one of them guaranteed a place on the podium, the quartet opted for cooperation. They worked together economically to establish a sizeable lead over the field on the flatter, more endurance-demanding parts. A collective decision was made to seal the victory between themselves and fight it out on the challenging final loop. After all four survived, the result on the morning would simply come down to who would be strongest. The technically proficient Rabensteiner also had the most left in his legs. He attacked the final climb, established a small but significant gap, and soloed to the win. Stutzmann lost contact with the other two in the finale, with Alex Miller outsprinting Porro to prevent an Italian 1-2. Rabensteiner was thrilled to have taken the first marathon win of the series, but also with the way the race unfolded and that the four worked well together to stay away.  “We had,” he said afterwards, “a small group, a perfect group with good collaboration, then we fought it out on the cross-country loop for the win.” In the end it took “a super hard attack, but I managed to win.”  Alex Miller, riding his first ever UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup, was simply content to “to be able to fight for the podium” and had no complaints about the result. Rabenstein, he said “just had a little bit more on the last climb, so well done to him.” The women’s race was a less collaborative affair but similarly selective and tactical. Six riders found themselves together going into the second lap, a sextet that was soon whittled down to three, Vera Looser, Lejla Njemcevic and Rosa van Doorn. Looser first got a small gap over the larger of the rock gardens. As hard as she fought to stay out, powerful riding from Njemcevic brought her back into contention.  As the men’s the race would be decided on the challenging cross-country loop, which played to Looser’s advantage. The 30-year-old once again broke clear, this time on the technical rooted descent. Njemcevic and Van Doorn were not out of it and had time to come back to her but would have needed to quickly agree to work together, rather than settle for being the best of the rest. Looser knew that all she had to do was ride as hard as she could to the finish, which is what she did. She crossed the line after 5 hours 45 minutes of racing, to win by 2 seconds.    For her part, Njemcevic left the Dutch rider behind to solo to second place. Afterwards Looser was pleased with the way she played it.  “I knew it would come down to tactics in the finish loops on the cross-country course,” she said. “I know I’m technically quite good, and I know my sprint is good as well so I was just hoping on that. Coming up the rooty section your legs are just burning after five and a half hours of racing, but then I got a gap there and I just flew. I just knew I had to put the hammer down and take it home.”  Although she enjoyed the day of “really intense racing,” second place Njemcevic felt that better collaboration could possibly have produced a different outcome. “Nobody wanted to work together,” she said. “I guess they were aiming for the podium, but I was only going for the win. I was pulling, asking them to pull but they didn’t want to pull so I was in front all day long and spent a lot of energy.” The next UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup event will take place in Megève, Haute-Savoie, nestled in the heart of the Alps of southeastern France, within the Mont Blanc massif, on the weekend of 28-30 June, 2024.

After taking second in Saturday’s UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup race, Ineos Grenadiers’ Pauline Ferrand-Prévot went one better in the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ (Czechia). The multi-UCI World Champion broke clear on the first lap, to win by more than a minute from series leader Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing). In the men’s race Olympic champion Tom Pidcock showed he’s in a strong position to defend his title in Paris, moving up through the field to engage in an exciting battle with Nino Schurter, before finishing off the victory in style. The final races of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series weekend in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, the UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup, produced the same women’s podium as the short track in a different order. UCI World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) rode away to gold by more than a minute, with Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) in second, and UCI XCO World Cup gold medalist Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) taking bronze. The men’s was won in similarly dominant style by Tom Pidcock to make it an Ineos Grenadiers double. After a hard first few laps, Pidcock made it to the front midway through the race, battled briefly for the lead with Nino Schurter (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team) before riding away to a 30 second victory.  In her race Ferrand-Prévot did not get off to the best start, dropping down the order from the front row of the grid, as Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing - Pirellli) and European champion Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) both bolted off the line to lead the pack into the woods. As the course narrowed, just before it became a single track, Ferrand-Prévot had filtered through the field onto the wheel of Pieterse with Batten moving up as well. Ferrand-Prévot hit the front just ahead of the heavily rooted steps, always picking the right line, before gaps began to open up behind her on the next technical climb. As the rainbow jersey looked to be heading out of sight, Batten took up the pursuit with Pieterse following on the long downhill. Alarm bells were starting to sound. Batten negotiated the rock garden well to gain ground on Ferrand-Prévot and make it back on to the French rider’s wheel going into the first full lap. Pieterse and Martina Berta (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team) were able to regain contact to briefly make a quartet of leaders. Behind them the pack was fully strung out. Ferrand-Prévot took the climbs from the front and made them count as Pieterse struggled to hang on. On the WHOOP Super Climb Ferrand-Prévot stretched the elastic, before piling more pressure on her rivals on the descent with Pieterse dropping back a few bike lengths. Halfway through the lap Ferrand-Prévot had a measurable lead over the rest and was beginning to stamp her authority on the race. Pieterse fought to stay in touch and into the second lap was even taking time out of the leader, while Batten rode a more patient, measured race, twenty seconds back in third. Strong work on the climbs helped Keller to keep in touch with the podium places. The middle, power section of the course, featuring almost road-style climbs, suited Ferrand-Prévot better, and was where she was able to increase her advantage. The technical parts of the course favored Pieterse but not enough to prevent her from losing ground over the leader. After two full laps the gap was 17 seconds, with a three-rider chase group including Keller, Batten and Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) a further 20+ seconds down. Less than a lap later Ferrand-Prévot had doubled her lead as Pieterse began to pay for her early effort but refused to give up the pursuit. Onto lap 4 Pieterse was joined by the Batten group offering a chance for them to work together to claw back the leader, but with Ferrand-Prévot out of sight also the risk that they would lose time through infighting. Pieterse fell out the back of the group and Batten also appeared to be struggling, but the American recovered well going into the final phase of the race. Onto lap five and with Ferrand-Prévot more than a minute to the good, Stigger, Batten and Keller were fighting it out for the podium. Pieterse did well to rejoin them. Batten made her play for silver with an attack on the WHOOP Super Climb, quickly pulling away to a double digit lead, and even bringing Ferrand- Prévot back within a minute.  On the final lap, the French rider could take it easy, while Batten had all but sealed second.  Keller settled the fight for third by showing she had kept the most in the tank, breaking clear of Stigger and Pieterse on the steep ramps.   FERRAND-PRÉVOT BROUGHT THE VICTORY HOME It was her third career win in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ and a strong statement ahead of her bid for gold at the Olympics Games Paris 2024. It was, she said afterwards, “a great race. I wanted to go at my own speed, and I knew I wanted to do the first lap at the front, so I pushed at the start and tried to maintain the speed. I can’t tell you I was feeling good, but I was just trying to ride my own race and push as much as possible.” Batten was pleased with the way she rode to her own second place, especially the way she marshalled her resources. “Half-way through I was like ‘Oh boy, I’m hurting!’ so I think I listened to my body really well and I just never gave up,” she said. “I learned the sections where I was strong and those where I wasn't as strong and tried to use them to my advantage. Towards the end they didn’t know where I was strong because I was coming from behind, so I just used that. I’m so stoked with that race.”   Batten maintains her lead in the overall series standings. Jenny Rissveds was unable to start the race due to a crash she suffered on Saturday in the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup race. The seven lap men’s race came down to a hard-fought, heads-up fight between reigning Olympic Champion Tom Pidcock and Swiss legend Nino Schurter. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) blasted out of the blocks to take a clear line onto the start line alongside Filippo Colombo (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team) and Saturday’s XCC winner Victor Koretzky.  A high-speed crash further down the grid took out a large number of riders before they’d even made it onto the course. Tom Pidcock safely navigated the opening drama to reach the start loop in around 20th position. Nino Schurter was well-positioned in the top five through the hard-fought early fights. As in the women’s race, the first climb served to thin the herd and stretch out the field. After the heavy rain that fell on Friday, the course had almost completely dried out and was riding incredibly fast, as Colombo charged on. As they came onto the first lap proper no big gaps had opened up. British champion Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) was going well in fourth place, with Tom Pidcock up to 15th, ten seconds behind the leaders. A long line of riders headed by Koretzky hurtled into the woods, before being jostled by Schurter as he took to the very front of the race. The Swiss legen stomped on the pedals to increase the pace as he charged up the WHOOP Super Climb. Pidcock had made it into the top ten just before the midpoint of the first lap where, to show off his descending prowess, the strong-looking Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) took over at the front. After one full lap there were still only small gaps opening up. Hatherly, Koretzky, and Schurter had three seconds on Colombo and Aldridge, as Pidcock bided his time. The UCI World Champion made it onto the back wheel of his compatriot Aldridge to form a group of eight, where he was happy to sit on for a period of recovery. Hatherly drove on up the rooty WHOOP climb, as Pidcock slowly picked his way through the group. Schurter moved back to the front to increase the hurt on everyone else and amplify a gap that had opened up to Pidcock. As Schurter thrashed on, he could not prevent Pidcock returning to within sight of the front group just after the Shimano climb on the third lap. He finally became the outright leader of the race with an attack on the course’s road-type climb after 35 minutes. Only Schurter and Koretzky could respond, with the Frenchman struggling to follow the next time the trail headed upwards. A lap later, Pidcock accelerated again from the same spot to take a six second lead over the Swiss man. His lead only multiplied as the time elapsed and the day heated up. After an hour of racing, Pidcock was 24 seconds to the good. Schurter was riding strongly and safely in second while a large group, led by Schwarzbauer, were fighting it out for the remaining podium place. As they took the bell, it looked to be between Mathis Azzaro (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) and Mathias Fluckiger (Thömus Maxon).   Marcel Guerrini (BIXS Performance Race Team) had other ideas. As Pidcock rode away to victory, hitting out with a knock-out punch on his favourite climb, Guerrini was putting in his best lap of the race. The UCI World Champion made it a comfortable fourth win in a row in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, by 30 seconds later. Two Swiss strongmen, Schurter and Guerrini, followed him onto the podium. “I can be quite pleased with that as my first race of the year,” the winner said afterwards, in his characteristic understated fashion. Pidcock admitted to struggling in the early part of the race but “once I got going, and got to the front, I was able to find my own pace.” Saturday’s U23 UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup races were won by Canada’s Isabella Holmgren and Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) of the USA, with both claiming their second wins of the weekend. The UCI Cross Country World Cups resumes in Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy) in two weeks’ time, on the weekend of June 14 - 16, 2024.

Saturday’s U23 Cross-country Olympic (XCO) races were result repeats of Friday’s UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup races. Canada’s Isabella Holmgren dominated the women’s side from the start while Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) enjoyed more of a back-and-forth battle with Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team.) A mistake from Martin allowed Amos to ride clear to victory on the third lap. Isabella Homlgren hit the front less than four minutes into the opening loop, gapped the field led by Elina Benoit less than a minute later, and rode clear through the fast wooded downhill. Briefly the field regained contact, as Holmgren battled the heavily rooted steep climb, and eked out her lead once more on the descent. The course was all and down, technical descents or sapping ascents, offering very little chance of recovery outside the flat finish straight. Despite all the rain that fell on Friday conditions it had almost all been either sucked up by the trees or evaporated by Saturday afternoon. Conditions were nigh perfect for cross-country racing and Holmgren was looking unstoppable into her first full lap. Crossing the start-finish she had five seconds on Benoit, nine over Olivia Onesti (Trinx Factory Team) and Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing.) Madigan Munroe (Trek Factory Racing) was another six seconds back in fifth. Into the lap one and Holmgren was disappearing up the road. A chasing group of four riders, behind Benoit and led by Munroe, did their best to stay in touch. They couldn’t do much. Holmgren completed the first full lap in 12’56, 43 seconds quicker than anyone else, and led by nearly a minute. One lap later and it was almost 90 seconds, as Munroe was on her own in second. Onesti made third her own midway through lap three. Back down the field the steep roots were causing chaos and forcing riders off. The real racing was for minor places for the rest of the race, although Onesti gained some ground on Munroe the American stayed strong. Holmgren was by far the strongest, though. Hitting the final lap she led by almost two minutes, with gaps even bigger further back. Fatigue showed on the more technical sections, but Holmgren suffered less than others. A late crash meant a DNF for Ella Maclean-Howell.   A faultless finale brought Isabella Holmgren home to take one of the most commanding cross-country victories in recent history. Her winning margin at the end was 2’05. As easy as she made it look, Holmgren said afterwards that “it was definitely really hard. I had a front row start which was really nice and helpful because there was a lot of crashing behind me. I tried to stay out of trouble and race my own race. The roots were slippery, so I was making sure to be super cautious on the descents and gave it my all on the climbs.”   The later U23 men’s race unfolded in similar style as series leader, and unbeaten this season, Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli), rode clear on the first lap, adding a handful of seconds across each completed circuit to stay out for a strong solo victory. He along with Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) were fastest out of the gate and headed into the woods with a clear course in front of them. Alex Malacarne (Trinity Racing MTB) and Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) also had strong starts to the race.  The 160 strong field was still all together onto the first climb, and looking like it would be a tight race. A minute later and onto the drops Riley Amos began to demonstrate that a tight race was not the kind he was planning. He punched his way through and onto the second technical climb, riding onto the rocks a handful of seconds to the good. At the start-finish it was up to six and, as in the women’s U23, a chasing group was forming with work to do. The pressure being put on by Riley successfully strung out and splintered the field in a matter of minutes. France’s Yannis Musy and Dario Lillo fought hard to stay in touch but were taking heavy hits to their endurance in the process. Onto the lap proper and the chasers, led by Marin, were just about able to ride back onto Amos’ wheel, ahead of the technical section of the course through the woods. A mistake on the roots mean Amos had to dismount, giving up first to Martin with Luke Wiedmann (Thomas Maxon) in third. Amos kept close to Martin’s wheel, as Wiedmann and Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) joined on to form a front four. Amos retook the lead on the next climb but struggled to maintain momentum and had two further offs, as Lillo made the four a five. Wiedmann took a turn at the front on lap two, while Amos loomed menacingly with the top ten covered by 27 seconds. By the end of lap two Amos and Martin were looking the strongest in the race. They had broken clear by four seconds from Wiedmann, but he recovered to claw himself back in contact. The second time up the steep rooted climb and it was Martin and Wiedmann who struggled, with both forced to run it.Amos, who didn’t need a second invitation, took a little look back and stamped on the pedals. Wiedmann’s off cost him the most. Halfway through the race he was 25 seconds off the lead, with Martin just four back. Amos was able to rebuild his momentum, increasing his advantage steadily over the next laps into the double-digit seconds. Riley gave himself some clean air over Wiedmann for 3rd. Onto the last circuit Amos was fifteen seconds to the good, growing in confidence and looking ever more comfortable. At the finish he had time to take in the applause and make a show of counting his season’s six victories on his fingers. Martin was a proud second place 17 seconds down. For Riley another podium in 2024, a further 15 behind. For Riley, the course presented as many difficulties as his opponents:  “It was between muddy and dry today, which is for me the most challenging conditions. So slippery out there,” he said afterwards. “So many of the roots had come through over the weekend.” He admitted to errors and said he struggled to find a rhythm across the race: “I was riding some sections good and then on the next I would make mistakes and give the lead back to Luca. We were going back and forth until he made enough of a mistake that I could get away. I just tried to stay on it and stay clean to the finish. And it worked.”  

Two tight short track (XCC) races in Nové Mĕsto Na Morave saw Switzerland’s Alessandra Keller (Thomas Maxon) and Victor Koretsky (Specialized Factory Racing) of France emerge victorious. Keller’s first win of the season took her to the top of the overall standings, while Koretzky made it two in a row to strengthen his grip over the competition.  Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, one of the big courses in short track, known for its cagey racing and close finishes, played to type on round three of the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup. Both men’s and women’s races came down to the wire. Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) went solo and fended off an explosive late chase from Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) to hang on for the women’s win. The men’s came down to a mass sprint from which Victor Koretsky (Specialized Factory Racing) proved fastest, with his team-mate Chris Blevins making it a Specialized 1-2. Unlike the previous day’s U23 races which unfolded in the wet, the elite XCCs were raced in dry conditions, which kept both together and many riders in contention for their duration. From a stacked women’s elite XCC field overall leader Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) exploded off the grid, but no rider was able to achieve any early superiority, as the lead changed hands multiple times in the opening laps. Keller, Batten and Chiara Teocchi (Orbea Factory Team) all spent time on the front in the first phase of the race. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) suffered a painful crash near the start of the second lap, but recovered to resume racing and battled her way back into contention. Keller made her first move over the rollers on lap four, briefly enjoying a gap over the field before being brought back. Her second, ultimately decisive attack, came on the jumps on lap 6. She pushed on to forge herself a short lead that became a significant one over Pieterse and the pack.  As Keller gritted her teeth and blew out her cheeks, the field had no response for several minutes. With track running out, UCI World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) had the most left in the tank to attempt an acceleration in Keller’s direction. It was too little too late as Keller dug in for the win. “I felt really strong,” she said afterwards. “I decided I should attack with two laps to go, had a little gap, and just went all in. Everything worked out perfectly, but it was very hard for the last lap.” As well as the win, Keller usurps American Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) at the top of the overall standings. Batten finished third and is now in second place, 30 points back.  The men’s race was an even closer affair. Though many recognized that the safest place to be was towards the front, none of the riders in the strong field was inclined to show their hand early. Hard racing saw the field strung out for most of the opening minutes before things settled for a short spell midway through the third lap. Riders briefly looked around at each other before things began to wind up again into lap four. In his first race of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), winner of Amstel Gold Race on the road last month, waited towards the back for the first few laps before easing his way through the field. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) upped the ante on lap four, and Nino Schurter (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team) was also looking good, but the wide course made it difficult for any rider to maintain position. Going into the final laps it was still anyone’s race and few were completely out of it. Koretzky led the pack into lap 7 but even as the speed was increasing the riders were five-abrest before the climb. As the sun came out the racing heated Schwarzbauer looked to attack the hill, but no-one really had the confidence of Keller to go long, instead leaving the big fight to the last lap. Pidcock launched himself into the lead but couldn’t keep it as Thomas Litscher (Lapierre Mavic Unity), Schwarzbauer and Blevins all put him back down again. As the finish line neared Litscher had the lead but not the strength to hang on as Koretzky launched his sprint and seized a second win on the spin. For Koretzky’s team-mate Blevins “it was pretty cool to see Viktor have the kick, and I came round Thomas, so not a bad one. The American described the racing as “super chaotic,” adding “it’s always super sketchy in Nové Mĕsto but I like it. You’ve got to be on your guard the whole time.” Friday’s U23 XCC races were more open than their elite counterparts. The women’s was won by Canada’s Isabella Holmgren by nine seconds from Ella Maclean-Howell of Great Britain. On the men’s side, five riders were in contention until the last laps, with series leader Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) sprinting to a third victory of the series.  

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series weekend in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ began under stormy skies with an imperious win for Canada’s Isabella Holmgren in the women’s U23 Cross-country Short Track (XCC). On the men’s side, Series leader Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) took a much tighter one, his third in a row, and fifth across both disciplines.  The opening race of the weekend saw Canada’s Isabella Holmgren battle treacherous conditions on the Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ course. She kept her cool and stayed upright, riding clear of the field with two laps to go to take an impressive victory in her first race of the series. After making her escape, the 19-year-old rode steady to take victory by nine seconds from Ella Maclean-Howell, a career-best result for the British rider. In second place overall after two rounds Madigan Munro (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) finished a close third on the day, to close the gap at the top of the overall standings. Women’s series leader Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing), who won both of the opening rounds, experienced a much more difficult time on the bike. The German rider suffered a fall early on, causing her to drop far down the field. She was then forced to expend precious energy clawing her way back to the front.  “I had a good start and felt good,” Böhm said afterwards, “but then I had a bad crash and lost a lot of time. I tried to get back to the front group and went all out to get there. When I was there, I was totally empty for the last laps.”  Despite coming in a lowly 17th, Böhm maintains her position at the top of the overall standings, with a healthy 49-point lead over USA’s Monroe.  In contrast to Holmgren’s dominant ride, the men’s race was a much closer affair. Five riders were in contention up until the last lap. In the end Amos outsprinted Switzerland’s Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) to make it three from three in XCC, with Amos taking two more in the Under-23 UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup (XCO).    Amos did not seem to experience any major difficulties, but admitted to finding the course a challenge: “All the rain during the day definitely made all the grass sections super muddy [and] super slow,” he said afterwards. “If you were in the group, you were just getting sprayed in the mouth and eyes with mud. Staying out of danger was the goal today because it was really slippery.”  He was, however, “blown away to take the win. I felt amazing out there today. Definitely surprised with how good I felt. I just got over from the US on Monday, so I barely kicked the jet lag on time. To go five in a row and be holding on to both overalls is unreal.”  You can follow the action from the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, Czech Republic wherever you are in the world. For Saturday and Sunday’s UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup, there will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel on Thursday, May 30. Both the men’s and women's UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup U23 races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, but for all other races, tune in to one of the channels or streaming services available in your country.

This weekend marks the return of Endurance competitions to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series after a glut of Gravity action, but it’s not just about the Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-country Olympic (XCO) distance events at Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ. Mountain Bike Marathon is also joining the party for the first time this year, kicking off a three-race series that will take place in Haute-Savoie, France (June 28-30) and Lake Placid, USA (September 27-29), as well as the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in Snowshoe, USA (September 21-22). The format made its UCI World Cup debut in 2023, with Fabian Rabensteiner (Willier Vittoria Factory Racing) and Lejla Njemčević (Allebike) taking the overall series wins as well as race victories in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ. But anything is possible in mountain bike’s longest format, which pits competitors against truly marathon efforts. JAGGED ELEVATION PROFILE The first round of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup starts and finishes at the Vysočina Arena – the location of the iconic grandstand finish straight. From here, the course heads north, deep into the depths of the Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ countryside and woodland, and its jagged, sawtooth elevation profile. Riders are tasked with completing two laps – the second slightly longer and with marginally more elevation gain – which, combined, will see them undertake 2,830m of climbing over the 123km course. There are three feed zones that riders can use on their two loops of the course, with a fourth at the start-finish straight. While it might seem like this distance doesn’t lend itself to bar-to-bar action, last year’s UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup in Czechia proved it can be just as close as the shorter formats – Rabensteiner winning a sprint finish where the top 12 were separated by just nine seconds. RABENSTEINER AND NJEMČEVIĆ FACE STIFF COMPETITION With three events in this year’s UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup, riders will have to be on the mark from the off to secure those all-important UCI points.  In the women’s field, last year’s overall winner Njemčević has started her 2024 strongly – winning the Bosnia & Herzegovina National Championships in April as well as placing 4th at the Andalucía Bike Race by Garmin. But the 29-year-old is likely to come under pressure in Czechia from the duo who won that early-season race in Spain – Rosa Van Doorn (Buff Megamo Team) and Janina Wüst (Buff Megamo Team). Van Doorn has already also tasted success at the Mediterranean Epic, 4 Islands MTB Croatia (XCMS), and Transgrancanaria Bike in 2024, while team-mate Wüst paired the Dutchwoman in Croatia and finished 3rd at the Mediterranean Epic. Aside from those three, Vera Looser finished fourth in the overall standings last year despite only racing half of the rounds, and starts this weekend, while Adelheid Morath will be looking to keep her 100% winning record at UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cups entered – one from one. For the men, Rabensteiner has also started his season strongly, winning in Andalucía alongside Samuele Porro, as well as solo at the Scott Bike Marathon. But he faces stiff competition from Wout Alleman (Buff Megamo Team) to make it back-to-back wins in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ. The Belgian rider has been in scintillating form so far this year, recording victories at the Mediterranean Epic (XCMS), Roc d’Ardenne, as well as third at Cape Epic. Others to look out for include Simon Stiebnjahn (Singer Racing Team) and Hector Leonardo Páez León – the pair knowing what it takes to win a UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup. Those not lining up this weekend include the reigning UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Champions Henrique Avancini and Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing). The UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup gets underway in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ at 7:00 (UTC+2) on Sunday, May 26 with the Women’s Elite, followed by the Men’s Elite at 8:15 (UTC+2) – full schedule and events details are available here. There will be live timings to follow the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series' Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel on Thursday, May 30.

The month of May has been intense for mountain bike, with the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series venturing to Scotland, Italy, and Poland for a hat-trick of Gravity-fueled UCI World Cups, with two rounds each for the Downhill, Enduro and E-Enduro competitions. The action isn’t over yet either, with the Endurance competitions kicking off their European leg in Czechia’s Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ after April’s Brazilian double-header. After two new venues in South America, the third rounds of this year’s UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) and Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cups bring riders to something of an annual staple – Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ. The course at the Czech city’s Vysočina Arena has featured in the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup every year since 2011, except in 2016 when it co-hosted the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Two hours southwest of the Czech capital Prague in the region of Vysočina, Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ has built a reputation for fast, frantic racing, with huge support present around the course and in the start/finish straight’s grandstand arena. And with this weekend’s UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup providing a final chance for athletes to earn points toward Olympic qualification, expect bar-to-bar action from the off. FAST AND FURIOUS COURSE Both the Cross-country Olympic and Cross-country Short Track races feature incredibly technical courses that take in the area’s picturesque forests and countryside before riders cross the start-finish line in front of the arena’s raucous grandstand. Punchy climbs are followed by fast, tricky descents and there’s little let-up for the riders.  Nino Schurter’s (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) six UCI Cross-country Olympic wins (including one UCI Cross-country Olympic World Championship) in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ make him the most successful men’s rider of all time at this venue, but Tom Pidcock’s (Ineos Grenadiers) three-in-a-row means he’s the person to beat this weekend despite not racing his cross-country bike since February. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot’s (Ineos Grenadiers) two Czech wins make her the most consistent currently competing woman on the course.   ALL EYES ON PIDCOCK AND PIETERSE While the first two UCI Cross-country Olympic and Short Track World Cups produced some outstanding, nail-biting racing, there were some notable absences in Brazil who will be making their 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series debut in Czechia. Last year’s Women Elite UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup overall winner Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) returns after a full Spring Classics season on the road, while the specialty’s 2023 UCI World Champion Ferrand-Prévot has been notching up wins in Europe’s early-season HC-class races. Both have tasted victory at the Czech course – Pieterse as recently as last year – so expect them to give the early-season in-form riders like Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing), Savilla Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) a run for their money. In men’s XCO racing, the reigning Olympic and UCI World Champion Pidcock has also prioritised road so far this year, with highlights being the win at the Amstel Gold Race and a top-10 finish in the General Classification at the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race. The multi-talented phenom will be aiming to make it four XCO wins in a row in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, where he also doubled-up with XCC victory last year. Trying to stop him will be the high-flying Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) - who hasn’t finished outside the top four at UCI Cross-country World Cups all season - and this year’s two UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup winners, Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Simon Andreassen (Cannondale Factory Racing). It’s also hard to rule out Nino Schurter – the Swiss legend only failing to make the podium once in 14 previous appearances in Czechia. In the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup, Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing Pirelli) won’t be in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ – the British rider still suffering from the after-effects of a concussion sustained in Araxá’s Olympic-distance event in Brazil. In her absence, expect Pieterse, Keller, Rebecca Henderson, and Laura Stigger to battle it out in the women’s race.  Meanwhile, reigning Men Elite UCI Cross-country Short Track World Champion Samuel Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) faces competition from recently crowned European Champion Andreassen, Pidcock and Koretzky in the men’s competition. OLYMPIC ARITHMETIC The third round of the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup is also the final chance for nations to earn precious points in the UCI Mountain Bike Olympic Qualification Ranking, that determines how many riders they can line up at the Paris 2024 mountain bike event. The top eight nations in the Ranking are allocated two places, and those in 9th to 19th can send one athlete. France and Switzerland lead the way in both the men’s and women’s rankings, but there’s still potential for various permutations as you look further down the table. In the men’s rankings, Denmark currently sits in 8th place with Great Britain just behind them in 9th and Brazil in 10th. All three could still qualify in the top eight depending on results in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, and it could come down to a straight shootout between Pidcock and Andreassen to earn their country a second Olympic spot.  In the women’s, there’s a big contest for 19th, with South Africa (3112) currently in pole position ahead of Slovenia (3042) and Belgium (3035). Racing gets underway in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ tomorrow (Friday 24th May) with the Under-23 XCC racing – full schedule and events details are available here.

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is in full flow following three back-to-back rounds in May that saw the world’s best Gravity athletes take to the trails of Fort William, Finale Outdoor Region and Bielsko-Biała. The action isn’t letting up just yet either, and this weekend sees the return of the Endurance formats at Czech Republic’s Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ venue, where the UCI Cross Country Marathon World Cup will also make its 2024 bow. We look at everything you need to know about the Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, including when the Cross-Country Short Track (XCC), Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) and Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) UCI Worlds Cups are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to watch. WHEN? The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, Czech Republic starts with the Women’s U23 UCI Cross-Country Short Track at 14:00 (UTC+2) on Friday, May 24 and concludes with the Men’s Elite UCI Cross Country Olympic at 14:00 (UTC+2) on Sunday, May 26. Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EST+6/BST+1/CEST): Friday, May 24 ·       14:00 – UCI Cross-Country Short Track World Cup | Women U23 ·       14:35 – UCI Cross-Country Short Track World Cup | Men U23 Saturday, May 25 ·       08:00 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Men Junior ·       10:30 – UCI Cross-Country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite ·       11:05 – UCI Cross-Country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite ·       13:15 – UCI Cross-Country Marathon | Open Racing ·       14:30 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Women U23 ·       16:30 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Men U23Sunday, May 19 ·       07:00 – UCI Cross-Country Marathon World Cup | Women Elite ·       8:15 – UCI Cross-Country Marathon World Cup | Men Elite ·       8:30 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Women Junior ·       10:15 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite ·       14:00 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite WHERE CAN I WATCH? You can watch all the action from the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, Czech Republic wherever you are in the world. For Saturday and Sunday’s UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup, there will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel on Thursday, May 30. Both the men’s and women's UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup U23 races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, but for all other races, tune in to one of the below channels or streaming services: EUROPE: Australia: discovery+ Belgium: Eurosport App, Eurosport 1 Czech Republic: Max, Eurosport 1 and Czech TV Denmark: Max, Eurosport 1 France: Eurosport App, Eurosport 1 and La chaine L’Équipe Germany : discovery+, Eurosport 1 Hungary : Max, Eurosport 1 Ireland : discovery+, Eurosport 1 & 2 Italy : discovery+, Eurosport 1 Netherlands : discovery+ Norway : Max Poland : Player.pl, Eurosport 1 Portugal : Max, Eurosport 1 Romania : Max, Eurosport 1 Spain : Max, Eurosport 1 Sweden : Max, Eurosport 1 Switzerland : Eurosport platforms UK : discovery+, Eurosport 1 & 2  CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICA : Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela: Claro Belize, Brasil, Suriname : Staylive Puerto Rico : Max AFRICA : Staylive NORTH AMERICA : USA : Max Canada : Flosports ASIA : Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan : Staylive China : Zhibo.tv Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand: Eurosport OCEANIA : Australia : Stan Sport New Zealand : Staylive REST OF THE WORLD : Staylive U23 UCI CROSS-COUNTRY OLYMPIC RACES: YouTube LIVE TIMING: live.ucimtbworldseries.com   TUNE IN TO MAX This weekend’s UCI World Cup is the first time that European fans will be able to watch the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series on Max. Already available in the U.S, the enhanced streaming service has been extended to 20 countries across the Nordics, Iberia, and Central and Eastern Europe, with more to follow later this summer. Max has something for everyone, combining HBO Max’s can’t-miss boxsets, Discovery’s real-life entertainment and Eurosport’s world-class sports. It will be the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ new streaming home for the remaining UCI Mountain Bike World Cups of the year, and the only place to stream every event, medal and world record at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.   RIDERS TO WATCH After the first two UCI Cross-country Olympic and Short Track World Cups of the season, there are a handful of in-form riders who are already pulling away from the chasing group. In the women’s field, Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) has been in imperious form, winning both formats in Araxá and podiuming in the Mairiporã Cross-country Olympic event. Compatriot Savilla Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) has been hot on Batten’s heels, while Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) and Jenny Risveds (Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental) have started their seasons strongly. For the men, Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) has been the most consistent, and the Frenchman tops both championships having won the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup in Araxá and recording two seconds and a fourth place in the three other races he’s competed in this season. His team-mate, Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) has had a similarly explosive start to the 2024 Endurance competitions, while the reigning UCI Cross-country XCC World Champion Samuel Gaze (Alpecin- Deceuninck) has shown that he still has the race-winning explosiveness required to win in the shorter format. Both men’s and women’s competitions are set to get even more competitive though, with all eyes will be on those making their 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series debuts this weekend. Last year’s overall UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup series winner Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and the five-time UCI Cross-country Olympic World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) will be lining up in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ having decided to swerve the opening rounds in Brazil, while the reigning Olympic and UCI Cross-country Olympic World Champion Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) will be looking to add a fourth consecutive win at the Czech Republic course on Sunday’s Olympic-distance race. This weekend will also see the start of this year’s Cross-Country Marathon competition – the first of format’s three UCI World Cups for the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, with Haute-Savoie, France (June 29-July 7) and Lake Placid, USA (September 27-29) the other races. Last year’s overall series winners Fabian Rabensteiner and Lejla Njemčević were both victorious in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ in 2023 and will be looking to repeat their success on the 123km course, which includes 2,830m of elevation gain. The pair won’t have to contend with the reigning UCI Cross-country Marathon World Champions, with Henrique Avancini retiring and Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) competing in the Cross-country Olympic and Short Track formats. Racing gets underway on Friday, May 24 in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ.  Full schedule and event details are available HERE. You can find where to watch all the racing action live in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ HERE.

Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) and Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) scored victories in the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Bielsko-Biała. The Frenchwoman returned to winning ways after a disappointing start to the season in Fort William, while Dunne recorded his first-ever UCI Downhill World Cup on the new Polish track. Meanwhile, Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) and Asa Vermette (Framework Racing) made it two from two in the Women’s Juniors and Men’s Juniors. The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series made its Polish downhill debut this week as the best Gravity-fuelled athletes took to the Bielsko-Biała track’s smorgasbord of jumps, roots and rock-filled forest sections. After a heavy downpour in the morning, the sun came out in full force for the Elite UCI Downhill World Cup finals, but the conditions weren’t without their own difficulties. On the track’s drying exposed top sections, the dirt was breaking up because of the constant pounding of race rigs, while the wood sections remained damp, making tyre choice extremely difficult. It didn’t faze Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) and Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) though, who used all their UCI World Cup-winning experience to get to grips with the unknown course and push their bikes to the limits to take the wins. CABIROU STORMS TO VICTORY WITH HÖLL CRASHING IN FIRST SECTOR   Marine Cabirou had a disappointing Fort William by her own high standards, finishing outside the podium places and leaving herself with a lot to do to challenge Valentina Höll (YT Mob) in the UCI World Cup overall championship. She appeared to have put the Scottish season opener behind her though, arriving in Poland as one of the most consistent riders on the Beskid Mountains’ course. Third place in Saturday’s Qualifying and Semi-Finals was a sign that Cabirou wasn’t in Poland to make up the numbers and dropping in on her Finals run with just Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) and Höll to come, she knew she’d have to find more than three seconds on her Semi-Finals time to knock then-race leader Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) out of the hot seat. After a steady top section, the 27-year-old grew in confidence throughout her run, laying down the power to set a blistering pace in the lower section that was good enough for top spot. Seagrave looked like she was on a heater, finding almost a second at the first intermediate split, but the resurgent Brit came unclipped from her pedals in the technical wood section, losing momentum and crossing the line fifth. And then there was Höll. The 2023 UCI Downhill World Champion put a snapped chain in Qualifying behind her to set the fastest time in the Semi-Finals, with Aaron Gwin saying in live commentary that it was “hers to lose”. The 22-year-old set off incredibly powerfully from the start gate, but her run was over as quickly as it had started – a crash in the first sector sending her down hard. Last year’s overall series winner isn’t a quitter and was quickly back on her bike, but it was damage limitation rather than a miraculous recovery – the Austrian coming home in sixth. Her win in Poland was Cabirou’s eighth UCI Downhill World Cup of her career, and speaking after the race, she said: “I’m super happy to win here on this new track in Poland. It’s crazy because the track has changed a lot all week. It was difficult to manage the race run because we had a lot of rain at the start of the afternoon, so I didn’t know if I could push or not, so I just tried to do my best. At the beginning, I saw that the track was kind of dry so I tried to push. I made a mistake but I think everybody made a mistake, so I just had a good run.” DUNNE WINS FIRST UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) put in an assured, controlled performance to take his first-ever UCI Downhill World Cup win in Poland – the Irish 21-year-old piloting his prototype Mondraker down the course in his signature, knife-edge style. It was another Irishman who was in the hot seat for most of the men’s final – Oisin O’Callaghan (YT Mob) fourth on the hill and laying down a marker that would be strong enough for 10th on the day. Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) finally broke the 21-year-old’s dreams of a second UCI World Cup win. The Frenchman’s race run was the first to go inside the 2:57 barrier and enough to see him finish on the podium in fourth – an improvement on his 6th place in Fort William.   Coulanges’ time in the hot seat was short-lived though. Enter Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity). The 2023 UCI Downhill World Cup overall series winner had kicked off his season with victory in Scotland and looked to have overcome a crash in yesterday’s Semi-Finals. He was 1.2 seconds up on Coulanges in the first split alone and would hold on to break the 2:55 barrier. But would it be enough for his 10th UCI Downhill World Cup win? Saturday’s surprise qualifier Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Union - Forged by Steel City Media) appeared to be backing up his strong Semi-Finals run, gapping Bruni deep into the fourth intermediate split until he was brought crashing back down to earth with a front wheel washout on an innocuous piece of track. The 20-year-old New Zealand national champion had shown that there was time to be made on Bruni’s time though, which Dunne exploited to the max. The Irishman laid down a final run where he was fastest in three out of four intermediate splits (and second-fastest in the other), narrowly beating Bruni by 0.64 seconds. The three riders left on the hill didn’t have an answer to Dunne’s dominant run – Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) finishing sixth, Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) rescuing third despite dabbing his foot down, and team-mate Dakotah Norton (Mondraker Factory Racing) down in 31st after sliding out at the top of the first sector on a wet patch. Speaking after his win, Ronan Dunne said: “I was loving the track in Poland. The crowd was insane. It’s the second [UCI Downhill World Cup] with the new team. It’s been perfect and I had myself in the mindset of either I was going for a helicopter trip, or I was coming down in first. We didn’t take the helicopter trip, but we took the win. Usually, I don’t look at the times, but this time I was. I saw the time that Bruni put down and I thought ‘OK, we’re going for it, we’re not messing around’. I was ready to fight someone. It paid off.” Overall series leader Loïc Bruni said: “I’m pretty happy with the result. I don’t think I deserved more because my weekend wasn’t so good. Some of the boys were riding better than me. I’m happy with second. I didn’t think it would be possible to go top three. The run was good, the bike was good, and everything is really nice so hopefully we can carry the momentum. I’m really happy for Ronan. It’s so good to see. WILSON AND VERMETTE RETAIN THEIR 100% RECORDS While the Elites had scorching sun, it was a different story for the Juniors, with rain midway through proceedings making for wet and wild conditions on course.  In the Women’s Juniors, Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) used all of her experience of growing up on Scotland’s sodden tracks to take her second win of the season, edging out Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) by 0.069 seconds, while Sasha Earnest (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) finished third. Speaking after her win, Heather Wilson said: “I can’t believe it. At the top I was just laughing, and I wasn’t feeling nervous. I was like ‘OK, I’m just going to have fun and try and ride my bike’. It was so loose, and I was really enjoying it. It was so fun. The whole track everywhere is so blown out. It’s so physical.” The Men’s Juniors was a far more clear-cut affair, Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) dominating from the second intermediate split onwards to win by almost four seconds. Mylann Falquet (Goodman Santa Cruz) was the next most consistent rider, with Dane Jewett (Pivot Factory Racing) completing the top three.   Speaking after his race win, Asa Vermette said: “It was a loose run. I honestly didn’t think it was going to be the best run. I was sliding all over the place in the woods. I just kept pedaling to the bottom. In my qualis I did crash, so maybe it was good that it wasn’t pouring rain like before. But it was a good run.” STANDINGS AFTER THE UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP ROUND IN BIELSKO-BIAŁA: UCI Downhill World Cup | Women Elite Valentina Höll (YT Mob) – 560 Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) – 550 Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) – 540 Nina Hoffman (Santa Cruz Syndicate) – 506 Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) – 490   UCI Downhill World Cup | Men Elite Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity) – 627 Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) – 467 Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) – 454 Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) – 447 Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) – 441   UCI Downhill World Cup | Women Juniors Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) – 120 Sacha Earnest (Kiwidh) – 95 Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) – 85 Eliana Hulsebosch (Union - Forged by Steel City Media) – 85 Matilda Melton (Transition Factory Racing) – 70   UCI Downhill World Cup | Men Juniors Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) – 120 Luke Wayman (The Gravity Cartel – Rogue Racing) – 80 Dane Jewett (Pivot Factory Racing) – 80 Daniel Parfitt (BNC Racing) – 73 Till Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) – 54   The third rounds of the UCI Downhill World Cup and the UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups will take place in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, Austria on June 7-9, while the Endurance championships resume next weekend (May 24-26) in Nové Město Na Moravě, Czech Republic.