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With titles at stake, the world’s best endurance mountain bikers held nothing back as they took on a gruelling and slippery 100km course in Snowshoe, USA for the final round of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country marathon World Cup. As well as featuring 2,275m of climbing, several days of drizzle and fog had left swathes of the course muddy and super-technical.In the women’s race it was a home nation win for Hannah Otto (Pivot/DT Swiss) who soloed home with a five-minute gap after riding Canada’s Haley Smith off her wheel with around 10 miles to go. Lithuania’s Katazina Sosna (Torpado Factory Team) came in third. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Lejla Njemcevic crossed the line in fourth place which was enough to land her the 2023 champion’s title.In the men’s race it was a three-way sprint finish for the line with Germany’s Simon Stiebjahn (Singer Racing Team) finding the power to take the win. France’s Axel Roudil-Cortinat (Team Bulls) and Switzerland’s Casey South (Torpado Factory Team) had to settle for second and third respectively.Italy’s Fabian Rabensteiner (Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team MX) came home in fifth to claim the 2023 World Cup champion’s title after four rounds.Full results are hereWorld Cup racing continues on Thursday with the Junior Downhill qualifying and the U23 Short-track races.

Thibaut Daprela admits the reaction to his eye-popping mid-run hand shake out at Val Di Sole was almost bigger than the fallout from his win at Andorra and his season-ending crash in Loudenvielle.Fans across the globe stared in disbelief as the 22-year-old Commencal/MucOff By Riding Addiction rider took his hands off the bars in the middle of the infamous Black Snake track in the Italian Dolomites to give them a rejuvenating stretch. Photo credit: Kéno DerleynIt was trademark Daprela, whose runs are hotly anticipated for their excitement and unpredictability, and the Frenchman says he was blown away by the reaction.I don't know what I did, I don't know why. I was just relaxed on the bike and doing it and I think I forgot I was in a World Cup maybe but I don't know, he said.It was crazy to watch after it and the comments and everything, everybody, they speak more about that than the guy who won the race. 100%.  Yeah, it was funny, because I watched it and I was like, oh my God, it did look quite crazy.Daprela said his win in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, his second elite World Cup win, was quite a relief when it came.I didn't expect to win there, he says.I was just doing my thing and I did a good run. But I didn't push too hard also because I just wanted to stay clean and it's what I did. And yeah, for sure the last two riders didn't come in the same conditions. But at the end, it was a very good run and it felt good to win again and take some good points. Following on from that victory, Daprela had a spectacular over the bars crash in round five of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup at Loudenvielle which broke the scaphoid bone at the base of his thumb and ended his season with three rounds still to go.The young Frenchman’s elite career has been punctuated by injuries, winning his first senior World Cup in 2021 at Les Gets just a week after biting through his tongue during a French Cup. That season ended prematurely for Daprela though after a crash in Snowshoe, USA, sidelined him with leg and thumb injuries.In 2022, crashes in Lourdes and Lenzerheide World Cups threatened to derail his season but the Frenchman, from Peymeinade, in the south-east of France, built back up from there finishing the season in 11th place overall.And Daprela refuses to be characterised as an ‘all-or-nothing’ rider.I want to be consistent, you know, but I want to win for sure, but not to win every time and just win or crash, he says.So I didn't even crash a lot this year,  this latest one and in the Worlds and maybe just another one but that's not crazy. It's not just go for it and we will see. Everything is thinking and calculating.With Daprela’s French teammates - multiple World Champion Myriam Nicole and 2022 World Cup champion Amaury Pierron - both sidelined with injury as well,  Commencal/MucOff have taken on privateer American Dylan Maples as wildcard member of their team.In a recent Instagram post, Daprela stated he'll be "Watching from the other side for the next two weeks. A visit to the doctors showed that everything is healing well, but no miracles."The UCI Mountain Bike World Series resumes this week in Snowshoe, West Virginia in the USA for the penultimate rounds of the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups.   

●      4,000 entries across 55 nationalities during the season ●      Cumulative reach of 83.6m across UCI MTB World Series social media platforms ●      1.5m views of Enduro content on dedicated YouTube channel with subscribers doubling As the dust settles on the first season of the UCI Enduro World Cup, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports is pleased to announce coverage of the sport reached more people than ever before. The 2023 UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cup attracted more teams than ever, with no less than 46 professional teams competing, which translated to a total of nearly 2,000 individual entries across the year. Open racing was also on offer at six of the seven rounds, also equating to nearly 2,000 amateur entries - giving a total of close to 4,000 entries from a record 55 nationalities racing enduro this season. The format also enjoyed record audiences engaging with the sport. The season to date has enjoyed a cumulative reach of 83.6 million across all the UCI Mountain Bike World Series social media accounts, thanks to a growing audience that now extends to over 755,000 fans across these channels. Enduro and e-enduro content benefitted from the UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ rapidly expanding YouTube audience, which is up over 100% on last year’s subscriber numbers - leading to 1.5 million views of enduro content on our YouTube channel alone. Enduro Highlight Shows are also shown on Global Cycling Network (GCN), GMBN, e-enduro on EMBN as well as on Eurosport.com. Chris Ball, VP of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, said: “It’s fantastic to see the growth of enduro as it enjoys its first season as a UCI World Cup and part of Warner Bros, Discovery where we have been able to leverage our unmatched global scale and storytelling ability to bring the sport to new audiences. “With the highest ever number of teams in 2023 and more riders out on track, it’s great to see participation in the sport continuing to grow and the level of competition getting even better. There’s never been more ways to watch enduro and we’re excited to see this continue into next year. The 2024 enduro calendar has some great new additions and we’re looking forward to sharing the full race calendar soon.” The seven round season kicked off in Tasmania, Australia, before heading to France, Italy and Austria and concluded in the mountains of Chatel last weekend, where Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) and Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) were crowned the overall enduro series champions, whilst Florencia Espineira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) and Fabien Barel (Canyon CLLCTV) took the e-enduro top honours.  This season was the first in an eight-year partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to advance and elevate mountain biking for a global audience by bringing new innovations to expanded competitions as part of a new era for the sport.

In the Haute-Savoie region of French Alps, Châtel plays host to the finale of the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup season.Stages of world class riding provide the ultimate challenge to the very best athletes, and stands in the way of those waiting to be crowned as the first-ever UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cup overall winners. Sit back, strap in, and enjoy the final race of the season, it’s a good one!The UCI Enduro World Cup returns next spring, while the UCI Mountain Bike World Series resumes in two weeks time in Snowshoe, West Virginia in the USA for the penultimate rounds of the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups.  

The seventh and final round of the inaugural UCI Enduro World Cup, part of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie, tested riders over a mammoth seven stage course that covered nearly 60km of trails in the famous Portes du Soleil area. In the women’s competition, the overall series win was Isabeau Courdurier’s to lose. The Lapierre Zipp Collective racer only needed to put in a conservative effort in order to lift the new trophy, with Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racer) the lone rider who was theoretically capable of depriving the two times Enduro World Series overall winner the title. And despite Charre’s heroic efforts, the race win was not enough to stop Courdurier from securing the overall title. Charre won today’s race by six seconds ahead of Courdurier in second place, while Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) took third place. The same three would find themselves on the overall series podium, but with Courdurier on the top step and Charre and Harnden in second and third respectively. In the men’s race, series leader Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) got off to a shaky start, with sixth place on the first stage whilst main series rival Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV) took the win. Melamed’s performance was a masterclass in consistency, with the reigning Enduro World Series overall winner taking four of the seven stages. The Canadian rider’s performance was awarded with the race win, with Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) claiming second and Rude awarded the third step of the podium. Rude’s third place would hand him his first UCI Enduro World Cup overall trophy to sit alongside the two Enduro World Series overall ones he’s garnered in the past. Melamed would take second in the overall, whilst Alex Rudeau would claim third. In the U21 Women, the closest race in the category to date raged all day between Slovakia’s Simona Kuchynkova and Great Britain’s Emily Carrick-Anderson - with Kuchynkova clinching the win by just one hundredth of a second. Behind Carrick-Anderson was Switzerland’s Delia Da Mocogno. However a strong season meant Emmy Lan (Forbidden Synthesis Team) won the overall title, with Elly Hoskin in second and Lily Planquart (Lapierre Zipp Collective) in third. In the U21 Men it was Raphael Giambi (Specialized Enduro Team) who was fastest on the day, with Lisandru Bertini (Lapierre Zipp Collective) in second and Lief Rodgers of Canada in third. Bertini’s impressive record this year secured him the overall title, with Giambi in second and Australia’s Sascha Kim in third place.Rude’s win would secure Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team the win in the team competition. Full results and rankings after today’s race are available here.The UCI Enduro World Cup returns next spring, while the UCI Mountain Bike World Series resumes in two weeks time in Snowshoe, West Virginia in the USA for the penultimate rounds of the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups.  

The second weekend of racing at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie saw the Elite e-bike racers take to a huge course that encompassed ten stages, 65km and over 4000 metres of descent. In the women’s e-bike race, Tracy Moseley put on a dominant display to win the first three stages of the day. Ines Thoma would claim victory on stage four and stage ten, whilst former EWS-E Champion Laura Charles (Miranda Factory Team) also claimed a stage win. However, none of them could stop reigning Champion Florencia Espineira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) from claiming both the race win and with it the inaugural UCI E-Enduro World Cup Series Overall title.The race will go down as the tightest e-bike women’s finish to date, with Espineira beating Moseley by just four tenths of a second after ten stages of racing. Ines Thoma would finish 41 seconds back to take third. Espineira was joined on the overall series podium by Laura Charles in second and Germany’s Ines Thoma in third. Meanwhile in the men’s race, series leader Fabien Barel (Canyon CLLCTV) snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, when a 60 second penalty applied for a missed section of liaison, cost him the race lead he’d enjoyed from the second he left the start gate. The mistake left Barel back in ninth place and handed the race victory to Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective). He was less than two tenths of a second ahead of Tiago Ladeira (Miranda Factory Team) in second, with Mick Hannah (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) in third. And although the race win was now out of Barel’s grasp, his season-long dominance was richly rewarded with the UCI E-Enduro World Cup overall series title. Kevin Marry took second in the overall with Ladeira completing the podium in third. Full results and rankings from the UCI E-Enduro World Cup are available here.

As we move into the final races of this, the first season of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the new UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Overall Trophy has been revealed.  Made from Scottish Beech, pyrite crystal and polished brass, the Trophy encapsulates the history and heritage of world cup racing. The metal pyrite globe - a nod to the original glass trophy of the 1990’s - is clasped between the endurance and gravity arrows of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, uniting the formats together. The curved brass body not only creates the visual of a flowing trail, but immortalises each and every historic winner of the overall UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and Enduro World Series, etched by hand onto its matt brass exterior. History meets the future on the solid wooden base, where new winners' names will be inscribed. The beech wood - a symbol of the forest and our sports connection to nature. A connection to where we race. Enduro is the first of the formats in the UCI Mountain Bike World Series to award the Trophy, when the enduro and e-enduro season draws to a close amongst Chatel’s iconic mountain ranges on Sunday September 17. Next to lift the Trophy will be the marathon overall winners in Snowshoe, USA, followed by the cross-country Olympic, short track and downhill stars in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada on October 8. The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Overall Trophy awaits. Who will be the first to see their name inscribed onto this iconic new symbol of the sport? 

Racers took to Morzine-Avoriaz’s world famous trails to tackle a 100km course that featured a savage 4000 metres of climbing, including the sort of technical terrain that is synonymous with the Portes du Soleil region.First across the line was Colombia’s Hector Leonardo Paez Leon, who completed the race in an unbelievable time of four hours and fifty minutes. The two times UCI Marathon World Champion finished just 34 seconds ahead of Italy’s Diego Rosa, with Andreas Seewald of Germany rounding out the podium in third. In the women’s race Vera Looser of Namibia put on a typically dominant performance to finish the race in first, posting a time of six hours and nine minutes. The ten times Namibian Time Trial Champion was more than one minute and 30 seconds ahead of closest rival Lejla Njemcevic of Bosnia Herzegovina. Switzerland’s Irina Luetzelschwab took third. The UCI Marathon World Cup concludes in two weeks time in Snowshoe, West Virginia in the United States of America. Full results from today’s race can be found here. Racing continues tomorrow at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie when the enduro riders will conclude their season amongst Chatel’s iconic slopes. 

Seven incredible stages challenging every skill set of the riders, from natural off-camber, loose tech, all the way to janky, flat-out bike park terrain, this course is going to be the final ultimate test. Let’s go racing!Where to Watch: Haute-SavoieThe UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie heads into week two for the final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup taking place in Châtel, plus the UCI Cross-country Marathon in Morzine-Avoriaz. This weekend's racing will determine the sport’s first ever UCI Enduro World Cup overall winners.Find out more about where you can watch the racing action below.Saturday 16 September - UCI Enduro World CupCatch all of the highlights from the UCI Enduro World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.Sunday 17 September - UCI Cross-country Marathon World CupCatch all of the highlights from the UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.

The penultimate round of the UCI Marathon World Cup will take place amongst the famous mountains of Morzine-Avoriaz, whilst the final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup will conclude on Châtel’s iconic slopes.  First out the start gate will be the marathon racers, who will take on an epic 100km loop that will take in a gruelling 4400m of ascent. In the men’s competition Italy’s Fabien Rabensteiner (Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team MX) is the clear favourite into Saturday’s race, with a series lead of 134 points ahead of Czechia’s Martin Stošek (Canyon Northwave MTB Team).  It’s a similar story in the women’s race, with Lejla Njemčević  of Bosnia and Herzegovina way out front in the points with just two races left, leaving Switzerland’s Janina Wüst (Buff Megamo Team) and Germany’s Adelheid Morath with work to do in Morzine-Avoriaz this weekend if they want to stay in contention for the overall.  On Sunday it’s the turn of the enduro racers, who will take on seven big stages that will determine the sport’s first ever UCI Enduro World Cup overall winners. A packed field faces one last challenge this season - and it will indeed be a challenge. The course is nearly 60km long and features an incredible 3600m of descent over a single day of racing.Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) is almost certain to lift the trophy in the women’s competition. The Frenchwoman has a near unassailable lead in the points - and short of failing to finish the race, is all but guaranteed to lift the trophy on home soil. Second placed Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) is in good shape to retain her position in the overall, but behind the French athlete the fight for third place will be fierce.  Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) will go into Sunday’s race third in the points, but with both fellow British rider Bex Baraona (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) and Italian Gloria Scarsi (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) within touching distance, her place on the podium is in no way guaranteed. In the men’s category it’s Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) who is most likely to be crowned the series winner. His nearest rival Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project), of France, would have to win the race, along with every stage in it, to be in with a chance of beating the USA rider. And even then, a sixth place finish or higher would still hand the victory to Rude.  Again it’s the battle for the remaining two spots on the podium where the racing is likely to be the most intense. Just 84 points separate Rudeau and Canadians Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) and Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team). All three riders are in contention for second place, and with just seven stages standing between them and the final podium of the year, they’ll be leaving it all out on Châtel’s iconic trails.  More information on this weekend’s racing is available here.Where to Watch: Haute-SavoieThe UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie heads into week two for the final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup taking place in Châtel, plus the UCI Cross-country Marathon in Morzine-Avoriaz. This weekend's racing will determine the sport’s first ever UCI Enduro World Cup overall winners.Find out more about where you can watch the racing action below. Saturday 16 September - UCI Enduro World CupCatch all of the highlights from the UCI Enduro World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.Sunday 17 September - UCI Cross-country Marathon World CupCatch all of the highlights from the UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.

As riders prepare for one more battle in the seven-round UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup series, we take a look at the elite racers likely to take the inaugural titles in Châtel.Leaders Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) are sitting on healthy leads but they still need to finish the finals in decent shape to take the spoils.Courdurier currently boasts a 212-point lead going into the final round and only second-placed Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) could possibly deny her the title. If France’s Charre was to win every stage in Châtel and therefore take the race win itself, her compatriot Courdurier would need 335 points to guarantee her the series lead. As an example, that would equate to 5th place in each stage and 4th in the race standings at the end of the day. So far this season, Courdurier has averaged 451 points per round, so providing she rides to form, the inaugural elite women’s crown will be her’s. It would be Courdurier’s third world title having been Enduro World Series champion in 2019 and 2022.If she is unable to overhaul Courdurier, Charre is guaranteed second place in the overall series standings this year as she’s leading third-place Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) by 554 points with a maximum of 540 on offer. That battle for third will be tough though. Harnden, Gloria Scarsi (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) and Bex Baraona (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) are all in contention and go into the final race separated by just 165 points. Mathematically, third place could go to Melanie Pugin (WeRide Fulgur Factory Team), Rae Morrison (Liv Factory Racing) or Raphaela Richter (Ibis Enduro Team) but it would require Harnden, Scarsi and Baraona to all have a shocker.In the elite men’s category, Richie Rude has a 238-point lead going into Châtel and is clearly favourite to take the title. Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) is his closest rival and could potentially overhaul the American but it would require Rude to have an uncharacteristically bad day. If France’s Rudeau won the race and every one of the Chatel stages, Rude would need 303 points. That equates, for example, to finishing fifth place or better in all seven stages, and sixth place or better in the race itself. Rude has averaged 366 points per round so far this season so, whatever another rider does, barring disaster, it’s well within his gift to take the inaugural World Cup title.With a maximum of 540 points available for a rider in Châtel, seven riders are still in contention for a place on the series podium. Just 84 points separate Rudeau in second, Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) in third and his countryman Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) in fourth. There’s a 230-point gap back to Specialized Gravity’s Charlie Murray in fifth meaning the battle for overall podium places will likely play out between Rudeau, Melamed and Verner.In the team standings,Yeti/Fox Factory Racing are favourite to take the title with a 698-point lead over Lapierre Zipp Collective. A maximum of 1,150 team points are available in Chatel - calculated by combining the points total from the top-three riders in each team. Yeti/Fox Factory Racing are guaranteed a podium place this year, but three other teams are theoretically capable of passing Lapierre Zipp Collective and taking their place on the podium, however this would involve both Forbidden Synthesis and Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team to score 1,000+ points and Lapierre Zipp Collective to score less than 375 points - something which hasn’t happened at any round this season. Pivot Factory Racing are currently sitting in third some 554 points behind Lapierre Zipp Collective and just 164 points clear of fourth place. Pivot have averaged 740 points per round and 4th place Forbidden Synthesis have averaged 713 per round, meaning it'll be a tight finish for the last podium spot in France. Behind the favourites for the podium, Giant Factory Off-Road Team, Commencal Enduro Project and Ibis Enduro Race Team are still theoretically capable of a third-place finish this year, but each would need to score approximately double their season-average points-per-round and would require Pivot Factory Racing to score less than 400 points in Châtel which is 340 points less than their average per round this season.You can catch all of the highlights from the UCI Enduro World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.

Mona Mitterwallner and Victor Koretzky timed their attacks to perfection to triumph in the heat and dust of Les Gets.In the women’s elite race, Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) made it back-to-back World Cup Olympic wins riding everyone off her wheel on the slick, dirt-coated roots of Les Gets.The Austrian national champion was imperious as she battled with series leader and fellow 21-year-old Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) during the closing laps of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup.Mitterwallner showed her confidence in the searing Haute Savoie heat attacking the Dutch rider on the descents as well as the climbs.The two-time Cross-country Marathon World Champion carried an 18-second lead into the final of six laps and eventually crossed the line some 38 seconds up on Pieterse. World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) -  who missed Friday’s Short-Track race because of sickness - battled hard to take third-place in front of a passionate home crowd.In the men’s race it was a hugely-popular home win for Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing). The Frenchman attacked at the halfway point of the race to drop a leading group containing countryman Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing Team) and Swiss star Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team).Koretzy, who won Friday’s Short-Track World Cup, thrilled the vocal home crowd by crossing the line some 17 seconds in front of the field after an inch-perfect ride on the slippery, technical course.Schurter, who had missed the Short Track through sickness, managed to battle his way from 25th position on the grid to lead the race early on but a puncture lost him almost 30 seconds and he faced a huge fight to claw his way back into an impressive second place.Romania’s Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory Racing) overhauled Marcel Guerrini (Bixs Performance Race Team) and France’s Dubau on the final lap to take third place.Schurter holds on to the series lead after the sixth of eight rounds.The U23 racers were between the tapes in the morning with World Champion Samara Maxwell backing up the rainbow stripes she won in Scotland with a convincing victory.The Kiwi broke away on lap one of five with Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) but the Swiss rider couldn’t hold on to Maxwell on the climbs. The World Champion finished some 24 seconds ahead of Blöchlinger despite a slide out in the final lap that cut into her lead. Switzerland’s Ginia Caluori (Thömus Akros Youngstars) was third.Denmark’s Sofie Heby Pedersen (Wilier Pirelli Factory Team XCO) finished in fourth and retains the overall leader’s jersey.In the men’s race it was another show of strength from France’s Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) who led from the gun and dominated. Only the USA’s Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) could live with the Frenchman’s pace on lap one but a crash saw the American forced to fight back through the field to regain his second spot some 23 seconds behind Boichis.Canada’s Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC) came in third mirroring Friday’s Short-Track podium. Boichis retains the lead in the overall with two rounds to go.Next weekend the action transfers to Morzine-Avoriaz for the third round of the UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup and Châtel for the final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup. Full race results are available here.

Huge, vocal crowds lined a dry and dusty Les Gets track to watch the world’s best downhill riders deliver a masterclass on the formidable deep dirt and polished roots of Mont Chéry.French riders Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) and Benoit Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) tamed the super-dry, loose course, carrying speed on the very edge of grip to win the sixth round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup.It was a hugely-popular home-nation victory for Cabirou who put together a faultless final run in the steep and testing conditions to take the victory in the race which is part of the 10-day UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival in Haute Savoie.The 26-year-old went into the hot seat with just World Champion Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) to go and watched as the Austrian series leader went down in the third corner of the track and ended up 10th.Slovenia’s Monika Hrastnik (Dorval AM Commencal) finished second just under four seconds back with a precise and aggressive run. Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Nina Hoffman was third around half a second further back. Höll continues to lead the series with the two North-American rounds to come.In the men’s elite race, it went right down to the wire with the last rider down the hill, Coulanges, taking the win by just 0.16s. Having won both the qualifying and semi-finals in Les Gets, it was the 28-year-old’s first elite World Cup win and prompted home fans to storm the finish bowl.Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) looked like he might take his second win of the season with an epic display but Coulanges proved too fast relegating the Austrian to second place. Frenchman Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Gravity Racing) was third.France’s Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity) ended up fifth but continues to lead the overall standings.The juniors raced on Friday and it was a debut World Cup win for Colombia’s Valentina Roa Sanchez (Transition Factory Racing) who was 3.4s up on Australia’s Sacha Mills. France’s Lais Bonnaure was third. Junior World Champion Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) was sidelined by a practice crash on Thursday. Roa Sanchez leads the overall standings.In the men’s junior race, the USA’s Ryan Pinkerton (GT Continental Factory Racing) made it three weekends in a row on the top of the box by following up his Loudenvielle and Andorra victories with another decisive win. In second, some 3.7s back, was 14th-placed qualifier Jon Mozell (Forbidden Synthesis Team). Pinkerton’s compatriot Evan Medcalf (Evolve Racing) was third. Pinkerton leads the standings from Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) who sat the race out after a suspected concussion in Loudenvielle.Racing continues on Sunday with the Elite cross-country Olympic. Next weekend the action transfers to Morzine-Avoriaz for the third round of the UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup and Chatel for the final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup. Full race results are available here. 

Dutch debut elite star Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) says she was delighted to see fellow 21-year-old Mona Mitterwallner take the top step in Andorra.Pieterse, who struggled with the altitude of the year’s loftiest course, says she predicted the Cannondale Factory Racing rider, who won the Cross-country marathon World Championship would win at Pal Arinsal.“It was really cool to see. Before the race, I already told the team that I thought she was going to win,” she said.Mitterwallner ground out an impressive win on the lung-busting Andorra course“Last year in Andorra, she was also outstanding. And it was, I think for her, just a matter of time until she won her first World Cup. So yeah, it was well deserved.“It’s also really cool that she's another 21-year-old, so the young generation is really knocking on the door.”Pieterse, who has won three of five rounds in the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup, came seventh in Andorra - having not been further back than fifth all season. The young rider still leads the overall rankings by more than 260 points and she says she was still happy with that result.“Andorra was quite a tough race. I think for me mostly because of the altitude,” she says.“I quite liked the rain and the cold, the extra element. But yeah, I gave it everything I had. I didn't have my best day. But I was happy I could still finish in the top 10.“So yeah, it's good to also have a day where maybe the legs are a bit less. Or the situation with the altitude is maybe not the best. It's good to still push through, I think. “Pieterse was happy to finish in the top 10 at Pal ArinsalLooking to this weekend’s race in Les Gets, Pieterse said she expected World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) to go all in for win but says she won’t be the only one.“ I think she will race all out again for sure, but yeah, there are also some other riders - I'm one of them - who want to do the same, of course, so we'll see how it goes,” she said.“ I think it's a course that suits me. It's a bit more of a traditional course, like the uphills don't have any technical things. And in the downhill it's a bit playful, but I really like it so I hope it will show in my results. “Ronja Blöchlinger took the first win of the Haute Savoie Festival in the U23 Short Track on Thursday afternoonPieterse came second in the U23 World Championship at Les Gets last year and she said the crowd had been something else.“Last year here it was really crazy with the spectators,” she said. “They were all over the course and they make so much noise. I was on the podium in the under 23s and that podium ceremony was crazy. Everyone was singing like the French national anthem and stuff. I think it’s one of the busiest races of the year with spectators.”The UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie, taking place in Châtel, Les Gets and Morzine-Avoriaz, will combine no less that 20 individual UCI Mountain Bike World Cup races alongside a 10-day festival that celebrates mountain biking within this iconic French region, from September 7 - 17. Watch on GCN+, which is available globally, on the Eurosport App and discovery+, as well as catch all of the highlights from the UCI Enduro World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.More details here

The sixth round of the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup offered fast and relentless racing at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie this evening. The Elite Women’s race was a show of strength by Dutch rider Puck Pieterse (Alpecin Deceuninck) who took her first Short-Track win of the season with a characteristically gritty display in the heat and dust of Les Gets.France’s Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) led early on but Pieterse, Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing XC) and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) ended up breaking away from a group of five going into the last of seven laps.Pieterse dropped the hammer hardest though as the three splintered off the front and the Dutch rider managed to eke out a lead of a few bike lengths which she held to the line. Britain’s Richards passed Keller in sight of the finish straight and consigned the Swiss rider to third place.France’s Short-Track World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) was sick and unable to start the race.Pieterse now leads the Short-Track rankings with Keller in secondIn the men’s race it was another hard-fought battle that exploded in the final lap with France’s Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) holding off his countryman Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) to take the win.Koretzky’s win was all the more special after the home nation rider had battled through the field from 32nd place on the grid.Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) surprised no one by leading for much of the race but the German had to settle for third place after Koretzky’s final-lap punch proved too strong.Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) missed the race due to sickness.Schwarzbauer continues to lead the standings after six rounds of eight.The U23 race kicked off racing on Thursday evening, with the women first to take the start. Ronja Blochlinger’s (Liv Factory Racing) dominance showed no signs of abating, crossing the line first to take her sixth XCC win of the season. New Zealand’s Samara Maxwell was two seconds back in second place, with Noelle Buri (BIXS Performance Race Team) in third.There was equally tight racing in the men’s competition, when Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) secured the win, just ahead of Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) in second, followed by Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC) rounding out the podium in third. Racing continues on Saturday with the U23 cross-country Olympic and UCI Downhill World Cup tomorrow (Saturday), before the Elite cross-country Olympic on Sunday. Next weekend the action transfers to Morzine-Avoriaz for the third round of the UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup and Chatel for the final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup. Full race results are available here.

The series’ flagship event, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie, takes place in the iconic Portes du Soleil region in the towns of Les Gets, Châtel and Morzine-Avoriaz. Alongside no less than 20 individual UCI Mountain Bike World Cup races, a wider festival will see fans treated to activations across the area that include autograph signing sessions, live music and freestyle riding demonstrations. The festival represents the first time all the major mountain biking formats have come together across a single event, with cross-country Olympic, cross-country short track, cross-country marathon, downhill, enduro and E-enduro all on the roster for 10 days of non-stop action. The spotlight is on the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups this weekend, where the stakes will be higher than ever as the series titles come into sharp focus - each format only has three races left this season. In cross-country Olympic, Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) remains the name to beat in the Women's Elite category. Her early season dominance means she sits on top of the leaderboard, however, she faces stiff competition from the likes of UCI World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) and Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) who will be looking to put down the power in front of their home crowd. Ferrand-Prevot will be hoping to recreate her 2022 World Champs form in Les GetsIn the Men's Elite racing, it’s still Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) who leads the points, however, Mathias Flückiger’s (Thömus Maxon) win in Andorra means he is very much still in the contention for the series title, as is Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) whose strong form has seen him rack up two wins already this season. In the downhill Vali Höll’s (Rockshox Trek Race Team) winning streak shows no signs of abating, as the reigning UCI World Champion is now over 600 points clear of closest competitor Nina Hoffman (Santa Cruz Syndicate) in the series points. However, both will be wary of Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory), as a French rider on home soil can never be discounted. And it’s a similar story in the men’s race, with Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) the clear favourite heading into Sunday’s race. Bruni’s win in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes last weekend propelled him to the overall series lead, which coupled with his legendary winning run at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets last year, means he’s very much the man to beat this weekend. Specialized Gravity Teammate Finn Iles will have a point to prove - his disqualification last weekend saw him lose the title lead - and a win in Les Gets would get his overall series campaign back on track. Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is just five points behind Iles, so expect a fierce battle to play out between these two. les will be gunning for a win after losing the series leader's jersey in LoudenvielleThe marathon and enduro riders get their chance to shine next weekend, when the penultimate round of the UCI Marathon World Cup takes place in Morzine on Saturday (September 16), followed by the final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Châtel on Sunday (September 17). More information on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie is available here.  

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie, taking place in Châtel, Les Gets and Morzine-Avoriaz, will combine no less that 20 individual UCI Mountain Bike World Cup races alongside a 10-day festival that celebrates mountain biking within this iconic French region, from September 7 - 17. Watch on GCN+, which is available globally, on the Eurosport App and discovery+, as well as catch all of the highlights from the UCI Enduro World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.Friday 8 SeptemberLive on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:From 12:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Junior FinalsLive on GCN+ globally, Eurosport 1, Eurosport app and discovery+ across Europe:From 18:00 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Cup - EliteSaturday 9 SeptemberLive on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:From 10:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Elite Semi-FinalLive on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+:12:45 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Elite FinalsSunday 10 SeptemberLive on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:08:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup - U23Live on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+:From 12:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup - EliteSunday 17 September Catch all of the highlights from the UCI Enduro World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.

In the women’s race, reigning Champion Valentina Holl (Rockshox Trek Race Team) remained typically unfazed by the conditions, continuing her winning form to take her third UCI Downhill World Cup win of the year.Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was just 2.8 seconds back in second, while Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) equalled her best result of the season so far to round out the podium in third. Holl’s win extends her overall series lead, she’s now over 400 points clear of Hoffman who sits in second, with Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) in third place. In the men’s race, overall points leader Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) caused the biggest shock of the race, after an uncharacteristic mistake saw him leave the course and pick up a DSQ in the process. Having a very different day at the office was Dakotah Norton (Intense Factory Racing), who put down a flawless run to take the early lead. However, an on-form Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity) in front of a home crowd proved unstoppable, taking his first UCI World Cup win of the season by less than a second, pushing Norton into second. Laurie Greenland (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was also within the same second to take third place. With three races left this season, Bruni now leads the overall standings, with Iles’ disqualification costing him valuable points and relegating him into second place. Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is just five points behind Iles in third place.  In the Junior competition, New Zealand once again proved they are the nation to beat in the Women’s race, claiming the top two spots on the podium in the form of Sacha Earnest (KIWIDH) in first and Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) in second. In third place was Colombia’s Valentina Roa Sanchez (Transition Factory Racing). However, it’s still Lisa Bouladou of France who still leads the overall points. Meanwhile in the Junior Men’s race Ryan Pinkerton (GT-Continental Factory Racing) took the win ahead of Nathan Pontvianne (Pinkbike Racing) in second, with Christian Hauser (Union-Forged by Steel City) in third. Pinkerton’s win today has propelled him to the top of the leaderboard in the overall series points.  Santa Cruz Syndicate were awarded team of the day and also lead the overall standings.Full results and overall standings from today’s race are available here. The UCI Downhill World Cup returns next weekend when the series remains in France to head to the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie taking place in Les Gets, Chatel and Morzine-Avoriaz. 

Loudenvielle Peyragudes hosted the penultimate round of the UCI Enduro World Cup, and what a show it put on! Enduro riders enjoyed prime conditions for the five-stage, 38km epic, with racing brought forward a day in order to miss a storm due to roll into the French venue late on Saturday afternoon.Tight times and full gas racing were the story of the day, with new faces, comebacks, and faultless performances all playing part in what was a truly epic UCI Enduro World Cup!You can watch all the action from the UCI Downhill World Cup on GCN+, which is available globally, on the Eurosport App and discovery+ tomorrow, Sunday 3 September. To find out more on where to watch, click here.

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series brings the UCI Downhill World Cup and UCI Enduro World Cups to Loudenvielle-Peyragudes in France, alongside a festival in the heart of the French Pyrenees.You can watch all the action from the UCI Downhill World Cup on GCN+, which is available globally, on the Eurosport App and discovery+, as well as catch all of the highlights from the UCI Enduro World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel. *OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION - 2 SEPTEMBER*Due to overnight storms and significant rainfall, today's UCI Downhill World Cup Junior Finals race has been cancelled. This is a safety decision based on the difficulty of the conditions on course and the welfare of the riders. Official qualifying results will be used to determine the final result. Tomorrow's UCI Downhill World Cup Elite race is set to proceed as planned.  Sunday 3 SeptemberLive on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:From 10:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Semi FinalsLive on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+:12:45 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Elite FinalsYou can learn more about the event here.