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The enduro riders enjoyed prime conditions for the five stage epic, with racing brought forward a day in order to miss a storm due to roll into the French venue late on Saturday afternoon. And if anyone made the most of the dry weather, it was the host nation, who dominated the top spots on four of the six podiums that were up for grabs.  Series leader Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) cemented her series lead with another dominant performance in the women’s category, finishing the race with an incredible 22 second lead. Fellow Frenchwoman Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) would claim second place, with Scotland’s Ella Conolly (Cannondale Enduro Team) rounding out the top three.  The French proved equally strong in the men’s race, with Youn Deniaud (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - EDR) taking his first UCI Enduro World Cup win in front of his home crowd. Joining him on an all French podium would be last year’s Loudenvielle winner Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project), who was less than one second back in second place. Rudeau’s Commencal teammate Louis Jeandel posted his best Elite result to date to take third.  In the U21 Women it was Canada’s Emmy Lan (Forbidden Synthesis Team) who took the win by the slimmest of margins, beating Scotland’s Emily Carrick-Anderson by less than a second. Lily Planquart (Lapierre Zipp Collective) took third. Meanwhile, in the U21 Men, Planqaurt’s teammate Lisandru Bertini (Lapierre Zipp Collective) took his third win of the season, whilst Raphael Giambi (Specialized Enduro Team) came second, with Sascha Kim (Raw Racing Team) in third.  Over in the E-EDR category, reigning series champion Flo Espineira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) won four of the seven stages to add another e-bike victory to her impressive roster. The UK’s Tracy Moseley put on a strong performance to take second, with Laura Charles (Miranda Factory Team) finishing in third. Espineira leads the overall standings with one race to go. In the men’s E-EDR race it was France’s Fabien Barel who claimed the top spot, after a hard fought battle with Alex Marin (GASGAS SRAM Factory Racing). After seven incredibly physical stages, Barel would finish ahead of Marin by just seven seconds. Alexandre Cure (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) was third. Barel leads the series points heading into the last race of the season. Team of the day went to Commencal Enduro Project, but it’s still Yeti/Fox Factory Racing who lead the overall points. With just one enduro race left this year, next weekend’s showdown at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie, which takes place in Les Gets, Morzine-Avoriaz and Chatel is shaping up to be an epic battle.  Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) leads the men’s overall series points, whilst it’s today’s winner Isabeau Courdurier who leads the women’s title fight. They’ll be back in action on September 17, when the first ever UCI Enduro World Cup Series Champions will be crowned in Chatel.  Full results from today’s race are available here.

Practice day in Loudenvielle in the stunning French Pyrenees put on an incredible show! The sun was out and the trail conditions were all-time as the riders dialled in their bikes and brains ahead of race day in the penultimate UCI Enduro World Cup! Five stages, 38km, and over 3000m of descending lie ahead of the riders. As we close in to the end of the season and the focus shifts to the overall, who do you think could take the win?

Hop on board with GoPro and Alex Rudeau as he heads deep into Loudenvielle in the French Pyrenees to tackle five incredible stages in the sixth UCI Enduro World Cup!  Race day is going to be a massive test of physical fitness and riding ability, meaning only the best of the best will take the top step. Who will take the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup win in Loudenvielle? For more information of where to watch all of this weekends racing, click here.

Tight racing and a raft of different winners means that with just two rounds of seven to go in the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup, nothing can be taken for granted. In the women’s field, the top five are separated by 647 points where the men’s is tighter as just 474 between first and fifth. With 400 points for a win, 350 for second and 310, 280 and 250 for third, fourth and fifth - plus associated stage points - there are still around 1,000 points up for grabs so there is scope for everything to change. The spread across the women’s overall is greater than the men’s and the top two riders - the French pair of Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) -  have a significant margin of 439 points to third-placed Bex Baraona (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team).  Courdurier - with three wins - and Charre - with one win and two seconds - are separated by only 144 points so that battle promises to be as intense as ever going into the sixth round at Loudenvielle-Peyragudes where Charre won last year. If the battle for the lead is tight then the scramble for third place is even harder fought. Britain’s Baraona is only seven points ahead of her compatriot Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity). Italy’s Gloria Scarsi (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) is only 57 points further back in fifth. The men have a more even spread with five different winners across the five rounds so far and the higher placings in each race much more spread across the field than in the women’s. Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) comes to Loudenvielle - Peyragudes wearing the points leader’s jersey. The American is some 173 points ahead of Canada’s Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) but Verner’s countryman Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) is nipping at his heels just 79 back. And last year’s Loudenvielle winner Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) is only 65 behind the 2022 EWS champ in fourth. Charlie Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) is in fifth after fourth places in the last two rounds pushed him up the rankings.In the U21 rankings and the e-enduro fields (EDR-E), there are roughly half the points of the standard enduro races available - 200 points for a win and 10 for a stage win. That means there are some 500 points up for grabs from the last two races in U21 and around 560 in the EDR-E with the extra stages. Canadian Emmy Lan (Forbidden Synthesis Team) leads the women’s overall by a significant margin after winning four out of five rounds. Lan’s compatriot Elly Hoskin is some 398 points back in second and UCI Junior Downhill World champion Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) is 207 points back from Hoskin having only competed in two rounds. In the men’s, it’s very tight at the sharp end with the top two in the rankings having won two races apiece. France’s Lisandru Bertini leads the way with 964 points but Aussie Sascha Kim (Raw Racing Team) is just 34 points back in second. France’s Alexis Icardo (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) is in third some 202 points further back. In the EDR-E races, after three rounds from five, the spoils have been shared relatively widely and consequently the series rankings are tight. In the women’s, it’s Flo Espineira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) whose consistency has left her in front with a win and two seconds under her belt. Espineira is on 708 points just 49 ahead of France’s Laura Charles (Miranda Factory Team) who has two wins and a fourth to her name. Germany’s Ines Thoma is 158 points further back in third. Former UCI Downhill World Champion Fabien Barel leads the men’s EDR-E field after winning the first two rounds of the season. Barel with 546 points is just 13 ahead of his fellow-Frenchman Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective) who won the last round at Val Di Fassa Trentino. Spain’s Alex Marin (GasGas SRAM Racing) is in third just 69 points further back. To follow all the racing live from Loudenvielle, be sure to tune into GCN+. More information about the event is available here.  

A brand-new downhill track awaits racers alongside the Pyrenean venue’s world-class network of enduro trails. Loudenvielle - Peyragudes is the main village in the Louron Valley, in the heart of the French Pyrénées. The area’s mountain bike community has grown significantly in the last six years, building some 500 km of trails across the steep valley sides and beyond. Hot on the heels of the Pal Arinsal UCI World Cup action in Andorra, elite racing will kick off with the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups on Friday. No stranger to enduro races, the venue hosted two Enduro World Series (EWS) rounds in 2021 and 2022.Heading into the penultimate UCI Enduro World Cup rounds of 2023, Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) leads the pack with 1,862 points, but Canada’s Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) is hot on his heels with 1,689.Last year’s EWS Champion Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) will also be focused on maximum points this weekend sitting just 79 points adrift of his compatriot. But last year’s Loudenvielle winner Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) will also be hoping to conjure up his 2022 form, sitting in fourth in the overall after five rounds.In the women’s competition, it’s the 2022 EWS Champ Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) who remains the rider to beat wearing the UCI Enduro World Cup leader’s jersey with 2,210 points. Her fellow French rider and last year’s Loudenvielle winner Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) is close with some 2,066 and Great Britain’s Bex Baraona (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) is in third. On Saturday morning, the junior downhill riders will start the fifth round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup, going against the clock for the first time on the brand-new Loudenvielle course. The semi-finals and finals for the elites will take place on Sunday afternoon.Series leader Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) will be aiming to take his first win of the 2023 season to consolidate his grip on the points jersey. The Canadian currently leads the way with 969 points and his countryman Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is lying in second with 816. Pal Arinsal winner Thibaut Dapréla (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) is in third just nine points further back.In the Women Elite, UCI World Champion Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) will be aiming to get back to winning ways after having to settle for the second spot in Andorra. Höll leads the series with 1,242 points ahead of Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) who is on 1,020. Pal Arinsal winner Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is in third. To follow all the racing live from Loudenvielle, be sure to tune into GCN+. More information about the event is available here.

Mona Mitterwallner has blown two massive holes in the theory that Cross-country Marathon is for older riders. The 21-year-old took her second World Championship title in Scotland earlier this month after taking her first aged just 19. And the Cannondale Factory Racing star from the Tyröl region of the Austrian Alps reckons that every racer should give the long-distance format a go. I think to every rider who asks me ‘should I do a marathon or not?’ I would say yes 100%,” she says. A marathon is where you really have to feel yourself, you have to have a good body feeling. Do I go too fast now? Or can I hold the pace?  It's really like you have to be one with your body if you want to succeed. So yeah, I mean it always depends what is your goal. For me it's winning and everything but for another person it's maybe just having that feeling of being in the flow with your bike. I love to do long hours in the saddle, I mean there’s nothing I love more. So in the end I'm just doing what I love. Mitterwallner, who is currently sitting in fourth in the overall Cross-country Olympic rankings after winning her debut elite World Cup in Andorra, admits that the World Championship race in the Tweed Valley was one of her biggest challenges to date. The Cannondale rider is a Whoop-sponsored athlete and uses the wristband and app to closely track her condition, recovery and sleep. After the 96-km epic, the Whoop revealed she’d used 4,168 calories during the race and that the strain on her body during the day had been 20.7 out of a possible 21. It was a tough one, I mean it was the longest race I've ever done, she says. It was over five hours of racing you feel every ten minutes I would say. So the beginning was I would say not slow but we were just pacing, we were just riding and seeing who put her to pace and because you can't really go all out from start to finish. And then the course was great. I mean this Scottish terrain and the hills and the mountains and the views, I mean I really loved to race there and also the tracks were super fun and we were so lucky with the weather, it just rained in the last half hour where I got proper frozen. I think after three hours I just tested everyone's legs and then I saw two other girls who can go with me maybe in the climbs and then in the down I said okay I let go of the brakes and suddenly I had a gap of 30 seconds and I said okay now I keep going I won't wait. In the end Mitterwallner crossed the finish line with almost a minute’s gap to South African Candice Lill who took silver, while Germany’s Adelheid Morath was some 10 minutes back in third. For more information on how to enter the Marathon of Morzine click here For more information on how to enter the Marathon of Snowshoe click here

Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) and Matthias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) took the elite wins in Pal Arinsal, Andorra as a cocktail of rain, low temperatures and altitude made for one of the toughest Cross- country World Cups of the season.Austrian Mitterwallner’s victory was her first elite UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup win as she proved she had the measure of both the climbs and the slippery descents that characterised the wet course.The 21-year-old Cross-country Marathon World Champion attacked the weekend’s Short-Track winner Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) going into the final of five cold and rainy laps at Pal Arinsal. The Austrian national champion continued to turn the screw extending her lead to eventually cross the line with a 34-second gap to the Swiss rider.World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) had to settle for third after seeing a 20-second first-lap lead decimated by Mitterwallner and Keller.Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) retains the series leader’s jersey after finishing the race in seventh.In the men’s race Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) won his first World Cup of the 2023 season after taking the lead on the second lap of seven.The Swiss rider was pushed hard by France’s Thomas Griot (Canyon CLLCTV) who rode through a chasing bunch to get within 8s of Flückiger on the penultimate lap. But Flückiger, who looked planted on the technical wet descents, extended the gap to take the win by some 23 seconds.Third place was decided in the last few seconds of the race as World Champion Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) managed to reel in and pass Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) in sight of the finishing straight.Series leader Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) lost almost a minute to a puncture but holds on to the series leader’s jersey after managing to finish in 12th.The U23 riders went between the tapes in the morning with a Swiss 1-2 in a wet women’s race which saw Noëlle Buri (Bixs Performance Race Team) take a convincing win some 24 seconds ahead of Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing). France’s Noemi Garnier (Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret) took third. Sofie Heby Pedersen (Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team XCO) finished the day in seventh but holds on to the leader’s jersey after winning the first four rounds of the 2023 season.Overnight rain made the U23 men’s race a slick affair but the USA’s Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) coped best with the conditions and the altitude to take the win. France’s Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) was some 13s back in second. His compatriot Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) was third. Boichis retains the series lead ahead of the sixth round.Full results from today’s race are available here.Womens UCI Cross-country Olympic results Mens UCI Cross-country Olympic resultsU23 Womens UCI Cross-country Olympic resultsU23 Mens UCI Cross-country Olympic resultsMissed any of the action? Full replays from today’s elite races are available on GCN+.The cross-country athletes will be back in action at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival in Haute-Savoie, France between September 7 and 17.

Get all of the results from todays race HERE. You can catch the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup tomorrow from 12:30 CEST live on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+.  

Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) ended World Champion Valentina Höll’s winning streak by taking a convincing victory in the fourth round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup in Pal-Arinsal, Andorra. Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) had been aiming to make it four World-level wins in a row but had no answer for the German’s speed crossing the line nearly three seconds back. An elated Hoffmann spoke of her relief after taking her first win of the 2023 season having struggled to get back up to speed following a knee injury. Britain’s Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) also enjoyed a return to form ending up in third on the super-fast track. Switzerland’s Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) went into the weekend as series leader but a qualifying crash ruled her out of the final. Höll now leads the overall ahead of Balanche. In the men’s race, Thibaut Daprela (Commencal/Muc-Off By Riding Addiction) took the win by one tenth of a second from four-times World Champion Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate). Canadian Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) was third. Daprela rode with trademark panache to claim his second elite World Cup victory with one of the day’s last dry runs. The 10 fastest qualifiers faced persistent rain which left the exposed top section of the track greasy. Last man down the hill, five-times elite World Champion Loic Bruni, threw everything at the wet course but ultimately came down in 22nd nearly five seconds off his French compatriot’s pace. Iles leapfrogs fellow Canadian Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) to claim the series leader’s jersey going into the fifth round next weekend. Santa Cruz Syndicate lead the team standings after four rounds. High winds had lashed the course in the morning throwing the race in to doubt and leaving riders with an anxious wait to see whether the fourth round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup would go ahead. Fortunately a weather window allowed organisers to run the race although winds at the top were still significant ruling out the 1.6km-long track’s big road gap jump. The juniors though went between the tapes during Friday’s sunshine and enjoyed dry and dusty conditions. New World Champion Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) backed up her rainbow stripes earned in Scotland by taking the win in the women’s race by a hefty 5.3 seconds from Colombian Valentina Roa Sanchez (Transition Factory Racing). France’s Lisa Bouladou was third and keeps hold of the leader’s jersey. In the junior men, USA’s Ryan Pinkerton (GT Continental Factory Racing) made good on some scorching qualifying and semi-final runs by taking the win by more than a second from Italy’s Christian Hauser (Union - Forged by Steel City Media). Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) ended up fifth but retains the lead in the overall. The Cross-country racing continues on Sunday when the fifth round of the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup gets underway in Andorra. Women's UCI Downhill World Cup results here. Men's UCI Downhill World Cup results here. Full results from the weekend’s racing so far are available here. Missed any of the action? Full replays from today’s race are available on GCN+. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series stays in the Pyrenees next weekend but moves further west to Loudenvielle-Peyragudes in France for its first ever all-gravity weekend from September 1-3. Racers will take on the fifth round of the downhill and the sixth and fourth rounds of the enduro and e-enduro.

The UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup elite finals in Andorra are to go ahead after being postponed due to high winds. The prospect of worsening conditions meant that the races had been set to start earlier than planned on Saturday in a reduced format - with no semi-final - but a worsening outlook early on Saturday morning forced a further safety hold. Now, after favourable weather updates, the finals will be live from 14:30 (CEST) on GCN+ globally, Eurosport.com and discovery+ The women - whose race will also be live on Eurosport 2 -will be on track from 14:45 and the men at 15:30. A statement by the UCI WBD Sports and the local organisers reads: "Due to extreme wind speeds Saturday's UCI Downhill World Cup will go ahead on a reduced schedule. "This safety decision has been made by the UCI, WBD Sports and the local organisers to ensure the welfare of the athletes, teams, marshals, volunteers, spectators, and everyone working at the event. "There will be no semi-final race." The juniors went between the tapes during Friday’s sunshine and enjoyed dry and dusty conditions. It was new World Champion Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) who backed up her triumph in Scotland by taking the win in the women’s race by a hefty 5.3 seconds from Colombian Valentina Roa Sanchez (Transition Factory Racing). France’s Lisa Bouladou was third but keeps hold of the leader’s jersey. In the junior men, USA’s Ryan Pinkerton (GT Continental Factory Racing) made good on some scorching qualifying runs by taking the win by just over a second from Italy’s Christian Hauser (Union - Forged by Steel City Media). Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) ended up fifth but retains the lead in the overall. The Cross-country racing is due to continue on Sunday when the fifth round of the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup gets underway in Andorra. Full results from the weekend’s racing so far are available here. Full details on on how to catch the weekend's action on TV

Switzerland’s Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Racing) dominated the dry and dusty conditions in the elite women’s short-track race at Pal Arinsal, Andorra to take her first win of the 2023 season. The 2022 overall champion in both UCI Mountain Bike cross-country formats controlled the high-altitude action for most of the series’s fifth-round race crossing the line some six seconds ahead of hard-charging Brit Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing XC). In the sixth of eight laps the pair managed to gap a group containing third-placed finisher Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Martina Berta (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team). Newly-crowned World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) came in sixth. Keller now takes the lead from Ferrand-Prévot in the overall standings. In the men’s race it was another characteristically high-powered display from series leader Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) that saw him take his third short-track win of the season. The German was pushed hard by Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) who came in second from a front group that included third-placed finisher Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC). Schwarzbauer mastered the 2,000m altitude and once again spent most of the nine-lap race in front to extend his lead in the overall standings. The U23 riders were in short-track action on Thursday afternoon with Switzerland’s Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) making it her fifth straight win of the season by edging out Kiwi Samara Maxwell on the line. Blöchlinger leads the rankings. In the U23 men, it was a third 2023 win for France’s Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) with the USA’s Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) in second. Boichis leads the overall ahead of round six. The action continues on Saturday when the UCI Downhill World Cup semi-finals and finals take place on the super-fast and technical 1.6km track from Andorra’s Pic del Cubil to Fontanals. And on Sunday the cross-country athletes are back between the tapes for the fifth round of the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup.  For the full results, schedule and more information on this week’s races click here. You can watch this weekend’s action live globally on GCN+, and across Europe on Eurosport.com and discovery+. For more information on Where to Watch: Pal Arinsal Andorra, click here

The 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup has been closer than ever, impossible to predict and already a record breaker.Now, approaching the halfway point with three of eight rounds in the bag, it’s Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) who are leading the way in the elite fields coming into Andorra.Goldstone is out front by a scant 12 points from his Canadian countryman Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity). In third place just 32 points further back is France’s Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity).In the women’s, Balanche leads newly-crowned World Champion Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) by just 38 points. British downhill legend Rachel Atherton (Continental Atherton) lies in third after racing at just two of the first three 2023 rounds.The UCI mountain bike World Series Downhill season kicked off at the start of June in Lenzerheide in Switzerland. The form book was promptly torn up with two of the most notable wins in recent history - Britain’s Atherton took an unprecedented 40th UCI World Cup win after a break of several years. The men’s race was won by another Brit but this one was a rider racing their first-ever elite level UCI World Cup - Specialized Gravity’s Jordan Williams. The series then moved across the border to Leogang in Austria - a venue that always produces close racing.History was made yet again with a double Austrian win on home soil. Valentina Höll finally ticked off victory at her home track to get the crowd going before Andreas Kolb sent them into raptures with his debut UCI World Cup win after nearly a decade of trying.The third round took place on one of the most terrifying tracks of all - Val di Sole Trentino. Again, Höll struck gold with her second win of the season. Superb consistency however sees her great rival Balanche still sporting the overall points jersey. Will she still have it in her possession come Saturday evening in Pal Arinsal - Andorra?The Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Jackson Goldstone had had enough of watching his rivals doing the winning and stormed to his debut elite win at Val Di Sole with one of the best runs of the season so far. Incredibly, it put the 18-year-old Canadian into the overall points leader's vest. In the Junior standings after three rounds, it’s France’s Lisa Bouladou leading the women’s overall and Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) leading the men’s.We can’t wait to find out who can take to the top step this weekend in Pal Arinsal Andorra. You can watch all the action across GCN+ (globally), on the Eurosport App, discovery+ and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel. To find out more, click here.

The UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cups in 2023 have seen new players, impossibly tight head-to-head racing and history made. As riders prepare for the fifth round of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup in Andorra this weekend, the overall standings in the elite fields reveal a mouth-watering showdown in prospect. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) Going into the second half of the season, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) and Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) lead the way in the Cross-country Short Track while Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM MTB Racing Team) have control of the Cross-country Olympic ranks. Just 14 points separate France’s Ferrand-Prévot and second-placed Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) in the XCC while Schwarzbauer leads Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) by 180 points going into the fifth round.  Nino Schurter taking another win in Val Di Sole, Italy. In the Cross-country Olympic rankings, it’s multiple World Champion Schurter who leads the men’s field by some 122 points from France’s Sarrou. Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) trails Sarrou by just five points back in third.  Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) In the women’s XCO standings, it’s Dutch debut elite Pieterse who leads the way by 296 points from Ferrand-Prévot who comes to Andorra in fantastic form fresh from a second consecutive World Championship win in Scotland. Austrian Stigger is another 110 points back in third. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) The opening Endurance race of the year kicked off in the Czech Republic in Nove Mesto na Morave back in May.  In the elite women’s category there was a changing of the generational guard with two debut winners. Stigger won the Cross-country short track and Pieterse took a hard-fought victory in the Cross-country Olympic.  Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) The elite men’s races were dominated by Ineos Grenadiers’ Tom Pidcock who did the double.  Lenzerheide in Switzerland followed and Jenny Rissveds (Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental) and Schwarzbauer took the short track wins whilst Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) won the women’s Cross-country Olympic race.  In the men’s, it was over to Schurter to make history by taking a record 34th UCI World Cup win in front of an ecstatic home crowd.  Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) The following week brought with it a very different set of circumstances as riders headed for Leogang in Austria. The steepest track of the year ensured that the racing would be all about the climbers. The French pairing of Ferrand-Prévot and Sarrou took the Cross-country short track wins whilst Puck Pieterse and Lars Forster (Thömus Maxon) won over the longer distance.  Val di Sole Trentino in Italy was the next stop and the first chance for the Italian fans to see their Endurance heroes go bar-to-bar this season. Laura Stigger edged out Puck Pieterse in a photo finish in the short track whilst Jordan Sarrou won the men’s race.  Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) In the Cross-country Olympic races, Puck Pieterse took another win, this time ahead of Martina Berta (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team) whilst Nino Schurter scooped a 35th career win with Mathias Flückiger in second.  After four rounds in the U23 women’s short-track it’s Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) of Switzerland leading the overall and in the men’s it’s France’s Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) out in front. In the U23 Olympic distance, it’s Boichis again leading the way in the men’s and in the women’s it’s Dane Sofie Pedersen (Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team XCO). You can watch all the action from Pal Arinsal - Andorra across GCN+ (globally), on the Eurosport App, discovery+ and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel. More information about the races taking place in Pal Arinsal - Andorra is available here.

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series kicks off the second half of the season in Pal Arinsal - Andorra, this weekend. But where in the world are we, what makes it special and what should we expect from the Endurance and Gravity tracks?Here’s all that you need to know:High altitude hideawayThe Principality of Andorra is situated on the Iberian peninsula and is bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south. It’s a microstate consisting of a total of 467 km squared. Situated in the eastern Pyrenees it’s highest peak is the Coma Pedrosa (2942m vertical) and, in terms of mountain biking, it is home to Max Commencal’s eponymous bike company. The country is a co-principality currently presided over by the Bishop of Urgell (Joan Enric Vives) and the President of France (Emanuel Macron) jointly and a parliament of local councilors. Tourism accounts for roughly 80% of its GDP. This is comfortably the highest round of the year. The start of the downhill track is at 2400m vertical whilst the Cross-country tracks are situated at 1900m vertical. What are the tracks like? The UCI World Cup first came to Andorra back in 2008 and since then it has been producing thrillers. The downhill track is the third one to have featured in the principality. The high altitude is less of a factor for the Gravity athletes but can come into play towards the bottom of the run. The latest version of the Andorran track is one of the shortest of the year however at just 1.6km in length with a vertical drop of 427m vertical. The top half is brutally fast right from the gate (which is situated just a couple of meters inside the border with Spain) and it’s a theme which continues right to the new-look finish bowl. Around the halfway point it swaps bullet-fast hardpack for super choppy rock gardens, open off-camber piste and widely-taped wooded sections. The latter of which are new for this year and are coated in a deep covering of fluffy loam. Expect it to change dramatically as the week wears on. The Cross-country tracks are dominated by altitude. Many Endurance racers use altitude as part of their training regimes but when it comes to monstering around the 3.8km lap of the Cross-country Olympic track. At this kind of altitude oxygen levels are reduced by around 25% which can dramatically effect performances. Some riders are better at it than others and there are a variety of ways to deal with it. Extremely dry, scorching climbs and dusty rock gardens mix with root-lined wood sections to make for a supremely tough high altitude dust up. Who has done well here in the past? Last year's races in Pal Arinsal - Andorra finished like this:Downhill Elite Women1st. Vali Höll: 3:09.8032nd. Nina Hoffmann: 3:13.3413rd. Camille Balanche: 3:13.4874th. Jess Blewitt: 3:15.0025th. Mille Johnset: 3:15.922Downhill Elite Men1st. Loris Vergier: 2:44.5002nd. Loic Bruni: 2:45.9183rd. Finn Iles: 2:46.1974th. Aaron Gwin: 2:46.9135th. Andreas Kolb: 2:47.519Cross-country Short Track Elite Women1st. Alessandra Keller 20:502nd. Anne Terpstra 0:013rd. Rebecca McConnell 0:054th. Linda Indergand 0:125th. Laura Stigger 0:16Cross-country Short Track Elite Men1st. Mathias Flueckiger 20:552nd. Alan Hatherly +0:013rd. Vlad Dascalu +0:044th. Thomas Litscher +0:115th. Jordan Sarrou +0:12Cross-country Olympic Elite Women1st. Anne Terpstra: 1:15:212nd. Mona Mitterwallner: 1:16:183rd. Ramona Forchini: 1:16:554th. Laura Stigger: 1:17:045th. Caroline Bohé: 1:17:10 Cross-country Olympic Elite Men1st. Luca Braidot: 1:15:312nd. David Valero Serrano: 1:15:413rd. Nino Schurter: 1:15:584th. Vlad Dascalu: 1:16:095th. Jordan Sarrou: 1:16:21Where can I watch it?You can watch all the action from Pal Arinsal - Andorra live on GCN+ globally, Eurosport 1, Eurosport app and discovery+ across Europe. For a detailed schedule of where and how to tune in, click here. 

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series is back as the second half of the race season kicks off this weekend in Pal Arinsal, Andorra.  This incredible venue makes its ninth appearance in the international calendar, with athletes lining up to take on the famously steep trails that sit at a lung-busting altitude of over 2000m!   You can watch all the action from the UCI Cross-country Olympic, short track and downhill World Cups across GCN+ (globally), on the Eurosport App, discovery+ and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel. Friday 25 August Live on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:12.40 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Junior FinalsLive on GCN+ globally, Eurosport 1, Eurosport app and discovery+ across Europe:From 17:15 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Cup - Elite **UPDATED** Saturday 26 August Due to extreme wind speeds Saturday's UCI Downhill World Cup will go ahead on a reduced schedule. This safety decision has been made by the UCI, WBD Sports and the local organisers to ensure the welfare of the athletes, teams, marshals, volunteers, spectators, and everyone working at the event. There will be no semi-final race. 14:30 Elite Finals LIVE on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport.com and discovery+ The women's final will also be broadcast live on Eurosport 2 Sunday 27 AugustLive on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+:From 12:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup - Elite You can find out more about Pal Arinsal - Andorra here.

The world of mountain bike racing has had a bit of a summer holiday, albeit a busy one. With this year’s UCI Cycling World Champions crowned in Glasgow, Scotland over the first mega event of its kind it is finally time for the UCI Mountain Bike World Series to roar into life for the second half of the season. And what a place to do so - Pal Arinsal - Andorra is a unique venue for a few reasons and some riders are arriving here off the back of huge wins, whilst others remained on the hunt for a badly needed ‘W’. Here then are some of the names to watch this weekend in Pal Arinsal - Andorra:  Charlie Hatton (Continental Atherton Race Team) What a difference a day makes, eh? So long a protege of the Atherton family’s race team, mild-mannered yet searingly fast Charlie Hatton is the newly-crowned UCI World Champion in elite men’s Downhill. The 25 year-old beat the world’s best on a wet afternoon in Fort William and having been in and around the top 10 for a few seasons now, he will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Danny Hart (Cube Factory Racing) and Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing) and back up that Worlds win by taking a debut UCI World Cup victory. All eyes are on Charlie. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) A living legend of the sport, France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prevot openly admitted that the first half of the season was a dress rehearsal to help her to adjust to life in her new team. Her performances at the UCI World Championships in Glentress were every bit as impressive and dominant as those conjured up in Les Gets 12 months prior. The last four UCI World Champion Cross-country titles have now gone her way. Will we see the same all-conquering realignment of what’s possible in Andorra?  Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) The Swiss racer was third last time in the elite women’s Downhill round in Andorra, but she desperately needs to go two spots better in 2023. Her arch rival Valentina Höll (RockShox Trek Race Team) is currently running amuck at the front of the field, has a new set of rainbow stripes and looks as though she’ll hit the second half of the season like a wrecking ball. If Balanche wants to keep her crown, she needs to get on terms and a win in Pal Arinsal - Andorra would feel like the place to start.  Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) An 18 year-old leads the overall points chase in the elite men’s ranks of the UCI Downhill World Cup. It’s a staggering stat that puts him already comfortably into the pages of the mountain bike history books. The Canadian missed the UCI World Championships to hopefully put pay to his season-long battle against (what was left of) his own appendix. The Santa Cruz Syndicate rider took his debut elite win in Val di Sol - can he add to it at a track that he’s won at as a Junior? There is plenty of action and intrigue set to unfold at the latest round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series when racing gets underway this weekend in Pal Arinsal - Andorra. Find out where you can watch here.

This storied venue makes its ninth appearance on the UCI International Mountain Bike Calendar, with riders lining up to take on the famously-steep Pyrenean trails, that sit at a lung-busting altitude of more than 2,000 metres, for both the UCI Cross-country and UCI Downhill World Cups. Fresh from the UCI Cycling World Championships (held in Glasgow and across Scotland from 3 to 13 August), athletes now shift their focus to the sharp end of the UCI World Cup calendar. The first elite athletes to get between the tapes will be the cross-country riders, who will kick off their week with the cross-country short track (XCC) on Friday evening, before lining up again on Sunday for the cross-country Olympic (XCO). In the women’s race few would bet against Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) after her dominant performance in Glentress, Scotland, saw her crowned UCI World Champion for both the XCC and XCO. However, it’s Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who leads the current UCI XCO World Cup standings so expect a strong showing from her, as she fights to maintain that lead. In the men’s competition, Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) remains the man to beat in the XCO, as he leads the standings by more than 100 points, ahead of France’s Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) in second and Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) in third. In the XCC standings it’s Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) who’s way out front and he’ll be working hard to stay at the top of the leaderboard as we head into the last half of the race season. In the UCI Downhill World Cup all eyes will be on the newly-crowned UCI World Champions, Charlie Hatton (Continental Atherton) and Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team). Höll currently trails series leader Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) in the overall standings, but less than 50 points separate the pair and a win from either this Saturday would secure them the series lead. The stakes couldn’t be higher in the men’s race, where just 12 points lie between series leader Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and fellow Canadian Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity). And just over 30 points back lies Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity). However, Hatton will be heading into the weekend feeling confident after his decisive UCI World Champs victory in Fort William and is more than capable of a podium finish in Pal Arinsal. To follow all the racing live from Andorra be sure to tune into GCN+ . More information about the races taking place in Pal Arinsal is available here.

It’s less than two months to go until the biggest mountain bike festival of the year gets underway - and you can be there.  The UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival, Haute-Savoie - Châtel, Les Gets, Morzine-Avoriaz kicks off next month and is like nothing that’s gone before. Featuring no less than 20 individual UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, this brand new festival is the biggest celebration of mountain biking the world has ever seen.  Each of the major mountain bike formats will be represented across the ten days; Cross-country Olympic, Short Track, Marathon, Downhill, Enduro and E-Enduro. The biggest names in the sport will be taking to the iconic trails of this most famous of race venues - but they’re not the only ones.  Amateur racers are invited to get between the tapes at the Marathon of Morzine and the Enduro of Chatel , allowing them to race the same trails as the biggest names in the sport and compare their times against the World’s best riders.  Racers in the Marathon of Morzine will take on an epic 100km course that encompasses the very best terrain that the region has to offer. Featuring some very challenging climbs, the views at the top and the thrilling singletrack descents will make the event worthwhile. Enduro riders can test their skills on an incredible multi-stage course at the Enduro of Châtel. This famous venue will not only host an amateur race, but also make its UCI Enduro World Cup debut. Amateur racers get to take on the same course as the pros, then watch them hit the same lines the next day.  And for those not brave enough to take to the start line, there’s a whole programme of festival events to enjoy instead. Each of the venues (Châtel, Les Gets and Morzine-Avoriaz), will have a dedicated Red Bull fan zone to make sure you can follow all the race action as it happens. There’s also film nights, ride-outs and parties throughout the ten days across all three festival sites.  For more information on how to enter the Marathon of Morzine and the Enduro of Chatel click here.   

UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Cup  Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) 860 points (+80) The king of horsepower, Luca Schwarzbauer continues to threaten to turn the world back on its axis with his corss-country short track (XCC) performances. Not only does he have almost irresistible reserves of firepower however, in 2023 he’s becoming a pass master in where and how to best deploy them. There have been some clever performances in his wake but ultimately no-one has found an answer to getting past the big German.  Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) 720 points (+14) Consistency has long been multiple UCI World Champ Pauline Ferrand-Prevot’s watchword and this season, despite stating that she’d prefer to be winning UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup races, she’s been a podium constant on Friday evenings.  UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup  Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM MTB Racing Team) 848 points (+122) Rumour has it that teams of scholars of linguistics are combing the farthest flung corners of the earth in an attempt to unearth as-yet unheard superlatives for what Nino Schurter is accomplishing in 2023. Joking aside, when he goes, he goes and no-one has any answers for it. Lenzerheide (where he took the overall wins record) and Val di Sole (where he vanished at the front of the race) were both vintage displays and well worthy of the points lead. Behind him his rivals continue to scrap and take points off of each other.   Puck Pieterse (Alpecin Deceuninck) 1096 points (+296) The Flying Dutchwoman is rapidly becoming the stand out, brightest star of 2023. She’s a threat in the UCI XCC World Cup but it’s in the UCI XCO World Cup where she really comes to life. Three out of four rounds have gone her way - it looks highly likely that more will follow.  UCI Mountain Bike E-Enduro World Cup Fabien Barel 546 points (+13) One of the most established figureheads of international mountain bike racing refuses to hang up his painstakingly well-positioned cleats. Barel is pioneering onwards on a new battlefield - E-EDR. He remains cagey about how many more rounds he will compete in but rest assured if he has a leader's jersey to defend then he will take to the start stage. Flo Espineira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) 708 points (+49) Popular Chilean Flo Espineira is one of those journeyman racers who seems to have landed in a format that suits her down to the ground. Laura Charles (Miranda Factory Team) remains a thorn in her side but as long as Flo keeps smiling, she’ll keep the lead. UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup Richie Rude (Yeti / Fox Factory Racing Team) 1862 points (+173)  They say that the third time's a charm but could this be the season that America’s Richie Rude finally clinches his third overall title for Yeti / Fox Factory Racing Team? The UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup is proving to be a tightly-contested theatre of conflict as ever. Only two riders (Sam Hill and Cecile Ravanel) have managed to snare three titles in staged racing over the years. Rude is on two and, for now, looks confident of making it three.  Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) 2210 points (+144) Much more so than the elite men’s ranks, elite women’s side of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup is more used to seeing single dominating figures loom large at the top of the overall points tables. But over the last couple of years, that has shifted. New faces have emerged and rivalries have dug in. Isabeau Courdurier, already an overall winner, is under pressure from Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) but is still holding on to the jersey. UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup  Camille Balance (Commencal AM Dorval) 1020 points (+38) In the elite women’s ranks of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup the momentum feels like it is firmly with one Valentina Höll (XXXX). The reigning UCI World Champion won at home in Leogang and backed it up with a win in Val di Sole Trentino. But, crucially, it’s not yet been enough to remove the leaders jersey from the shoulders of the reigning overall title holder Camille Balanche. The Swiss star will be hoping that the summer break takes some of the momentum out of Höll’s current stellar form.  Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) 786 points (+12) The early season headlines and plaudits (rightly) went to Jackson Goldstone’s rival Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) when he won his first ever elite level UCI World Cup win at the first time of asking at round one in Lenzerheide. But Goldstone kept working and kept building his speed. It nearly came together in Leogang before his irresistible performance in Val di Sole brought him not only that debut top flight win but also the overall title leaders jersey. It’s tight at the top but, for the moment, an 18 year-old Canadian leads the way.