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The 2023 UCI Short Track World Cup got off to an explosive start in Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic. The top 40 ranked men and women took to the famous Vysočina Arena to kick off the new season in dramatic fashion on one of the most iconic courses of them all, where tactical riding came to the fore and delivered the most exciting start to the cross-country season imaginable.

  Right from the start of the opening Endurance rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Nové Město na Moravě expectations were high as the latest crop of young stars set to take on the top tier of their sport prepared to take to the stage. Martin Vidaurre-Kossmann (Specialized Racing) and Laura Stigger (Specialized Racing) both are recent graduates from the younger category who are poised to make waves in the elite ranks.  Watch the highlights on our YouTube channel to see how the opening rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup went down. Don’t forget to subscribe to GCN+, discovery+ or Eurosport to make sure that you don’t miss a second of the action. Find out more on where to watch here.  

The first ever UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup went down in spectacular style in Nové Město na Moravě last weekend.  A stacked field of riders took to the start line in the Czech Republic for a gruelling 120km course, made all the more difficult by the addition of heavy rain. It was not enough to dampen the spirits of competitors though - who rose to the challenge to conquer the steep and technical route - and even had the energy for a sprint finish on the final straight. And it wasn’t just elite riders who took to the course - amateur racers also got their chance thanks to the Marathon of Nové Město na Moravě, where they had the option to race the full 120km or a 60km loop.  Full results from the Marathon can be found here.  Amateur entries for the Marathon of Finale Outdoor Region and the Marathon of Morzine-Avoriaz are now open here. Missed any of the action from Nové Město na Moravě? Catch up on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube Channel. 

There are many venues around the world that can lay claim to hosting some scintillating racing over the years, but perhaps maybe none more so than Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic. The track centred in the Vysocina Arena is a rider and fan favourite. What it lacks in sustained gradient it makes up for in relentlessness.  It was a fitting venue then to host the opening Endurance rounds of this year’s UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Here’s a deep dive of some of the most interesting findings played out across the root-lined Czech hillside: Tom Pidcock is terrifying/irresistible in 2023 When the Ineos Grenadier’s Tom Pidcock told us that mountain bike racing, ‘was purely for fun’, at the start of the week the uninitiated may have doubted his conviction, but that would have been a mistake. The Briton hit home in the opening Cross-country Short Track race on Friday evening, beating and then out-sprinting Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV). That would have been impressive alone, but there was so much more to it. He only got the nod to race (due to a debated points technicality) a couple of hours beforehand having completed a three and a half hour road ride. He crossed the line stone last at the end of lap one before proceeding to tick off the world’s best Cross-country riders one by one before arriving at the front of the race.  Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing Team) may not have been who he would have predicted that he would have been battling it out with in the Cross-country Olympic race but the Frenchman arguably rode the better, more consistent race. Pidcock crashed out of the lead but fought his way back to the leader only to completely out gun him on the final lap. It remains to be seen how much more we’ll see of him on a mountain bike this season but one thing can be sure, when Pidcock is at a bike race, he’s by default one of the favourites.   Puck Pieterse is a star Much of the media attention around the Alpecin-Deceuninck pit focused on the imposing figure of Sam Gaze. The reigning UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Champ almost didn’t start (due to the same points technicality which affected Pidcock). But in his not unimposing shadow was Holland’s Puck Pieterse. The 21 year-old wouldn’t remain in the shadows for long.  Already a seasoned cyclocross veteran, the Dutchwoman took the race to Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) and time and time again came up with an answer for the veteran UCI World Champion’s questions. Pieterse powered home on the final lap and headed into the arena with an unassailable lead. It was a statement ride and one that cements her credentials as one of the best all-rounders in the world.  The Swiss stumbled (sort of) For many seasons now, Switzerland has dominated the international Cross-country landscape like no other nation. Much of the pre-race hyperbole and column inches were devoted to how many of the top spots would be hoovered by the alpine nation, but it didn’t quite work out that way.  Sina Frei (Specialized Racing) and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon Swiss MTB Racing Team) took up two spots on the Cross-country Short Track podium. On the elite men’s roster, Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon Swiss MTB Racing Team) and Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM MTB Racing Team) were fourth and fifth respectively but in the XCO only one space respectively would go to Switzerland - Schuter in third and Keller in fifth. That may seem decent enough but considering the depth of talent that the country has had over the years it was scant reward for the Swiss fans. They’ll be hoping for much more come the next round in Lenzerheide.   Joshua Dubau may just be the real deal  As the world’s MTB press collectively shrugged and pretended to have known already that Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing Team) was on for a good 2023 his team simply got on with celebrating wildly.   The 26 year-old from Reims rode a virtually faultless race, it was only the nuclear power station-reserves of energy of the mercurial Pidcock that proved too much for him on the final lap. Dubau’s metronomicity was only perhaps matched by his compatriot Pauline Ferrand-Prevot in the elite women’s Cross-country Olympic race. All eyes will be on the rider in dark green when the lights go out in Switzerland.   Laura Stigger is now a factor in the big leagues Laura Stigger (Specialized Racing) had the sort of U23 career that many racers would give their right clipless pedal for. Now though, with her debut elite-level victory in the Cross-country Short Track on Friday night backed up by a top 20 finish in the Olympic distance she is a rider who, even if hiding in plain sight, needs to be taken seriously.  Evie Richards though… The rider from Malvern in the UK has done a lot of work this off-season. The back injury which plagued her last couple of seasons has apparently been addressed. Her descending has been improved thanks to in no small part to the attentions of one Tracy Moseley. The speed the Trek Factory Racing rider was able to carry through the ferocious rocks of Nové Město na Moravě was nothing short of searing. And ultimately proved too much for her rear Pirelli to cope with. But, ignore that, the takeaway was that Evie is back! Expect her to be right in amongst it this season.   

Tom Pidcock and Puck Pieterse battled hard to take the top spots in the UCI Cross-country World Cup season opener in Nové Město na Moravě The pair stamped their authority on the technical Czech course mastering the damp rocks and roots that pepper the demanding track. In the women’s elite race, it was Britain’s Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing XC) who took the early lead until a flat tyre on lap four saw the competition blown wide open.But a final lap attack from Dutch rider Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was enough to give her the win at her first-ever Elite UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup.  Puck Pieterse held off a strong challenge from World Champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot World Champion, France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) had to settle for silver, with European Champion, France’s Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) completing the podium. After the race, Puck Pieterse said: “I don’t know what happened.. Normally my start is really good, but everyone was going so fast I thought I’d blown up. It looked like the others did too though. ‘Pauline and I kept swapping places, then after a few laps Evie had a flat or something. All of a sudden, I was racing at the front and I didn’t know what to do so I just tried to keep calm and it worked out.” Evie Richards led the women's race until a flat tyre lost her nearly a minute Second-place Pauline Ferrand-Prévot said: “I just wanted to give my best today. I trained really hard this winter. My goal is for later in the year but I knew I was strong so I just wanted to start the season well. “I did a long off-season of training, so I knew I had good endurance, but I didn’t know about my explosivity. I tried to build into a good position in the race. "When I saw Evie had her mechanical, I knew it was time to go full gas and not wait. On the last lap I had a mechanical so Puck came back and I tried to finish as strong as I could.”Podium XCO Women: 1. Puck Pieterse (NED | Alpecin-Deceuninck) 1:23:01 2. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA | Ineos Grenadiers) 1:23:06 3. Loana Lecomte (FRA | Canyon CLLCTV) 1:23:12 4. Evie Richards (GBR | Trek Factory Racing XC) 1:23:17 5. Alessandra Keller (SUI | Thömus Maxon) 1:23:39 Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) said earlier in the week that he had never lost a race in Nové Město na Moravě and he still hasn’t after adding the Cross-country Olympic win to his Short-Track victory on Friday.Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing Team) led out the race after Pidcock crashed in front of him and lost time but the 23-year-old Yorkshireman attacked on the final lap to emerge victorious in Nové Město. Pidcock fought his way back from a crash to take the win Swiss rider and reigning World Champion Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM MTB Racing Team) took third.Speaking after the race, Pidcock said: “Today was a hard race honestly. The conditions were super tricky, we hadn’t ridden that at all in the rain... We had the short track but there’s no roots in that race. I think my tyres were a bit hard so I was a struggling a bit on the roots. It’s nice to win in the end.” “When a crash like that happens, I think it’s important to take a minute, don’t panic and reset. I had a dead leg, so I just came to the pits, got a bottle, had a drink, got a gel and then focused on trying to get back to the front. I didn’t do any whips all race so I had to do some at the finish.”Second place Joshua Dubau said: “I was so close to the win so it’s a bit of a bummer. After all it is a race, you need a first and a second. Tom was strong in the final. It didn’t come down to much.  “I’m really happy. My best place in the World Cup so far was 10th. I can only be satisfied with a second place. I knew I was well prepared. My form was good and improving since the beginning of the season. I came with the goal of at least beating my best World Cup finish.” Podium XCO Men: 1. Tom Pidcock (GBR | Ineos Grenadiers) 1:22:46 2. Joshua Dubau (FRA | Rockrider Ford Racing Team) 1:22:51 3. Nino Schurter (SUI | Scott Sram MTB Racing Team) 1:23:09 4. Jordan Sarrou (FRA | Team BMC) 1:23:09 5. Thomas Griot (FRA | Canyon CLLCTV) 1:24:07 The full results from today’s men's race can be found here The full results from today’s women's race can be found here The UCI Mountain Bike World Series will continue in the Finale Outdoor Region in Italy with the disciplines enduro and Cross-country marathon.  

Nino Schurter has revealed he thought about retiring before his stellar 2022 season. The ten-times World Champion says the Covid years of 2020 and 2021 robbed him of motivation and he missed the crowds. But after taking his eighth overall World Cup title and yet another World Champs last season, he says he’s completely regained his mojo. “The 2022 season for me was almost like a comeback,” he said. “During those years of Corona, I didn’t have my best years - I wasn’t that motivated anymore. I was missing the spectators and I already had thoughts about retiring. And then 2022 went really well again.  “I won the first World Cup in Brazil, I had really consistent results in the World Cup -  I won the overall and won my 10th World Championship title. So, for me it was almost again a perfect season. I’m feeling strong again.” Schurter was fifth in the Short Track Cross-country at Nove Mesto Schurter, who was celebrating his 37th birthday on Saturday, May 13, has won 33 World Cups so far and is now starting his 23rd World Cup season at the Czech venue of Nove Mesto Na Morave. He admits he can hardly believe that he could ride the sort of rock gardens and technical features that face cross-country riders on the kind of bike he started his career on. Talking about the development of XC bikes ahead of the first World Cup of 2023, the Swiss rider said the idea of riding a 26-inch hardtail with V-brakes and no dropper post through some of the tech features at Nove Mesto was daunting. For 2023, Schurter, who is the 2022 overall World Cup champion and World Champion, is riding a special-edition Scott Spark RC. The bike has been customised to celebrate his glorious professional career with every one of his World Championship wins marked on the frame and even engraved into the links of his chain.   The 10x World Champ's 2023 Scott Spark The 120mm-travel Scott has three remote suspension modes, 12-speed AXS gears, a 100mm dropper, four-piston disc brakes and 2.4-inch tyres. “If you look back at the bikes I had at the beginning of my career they were totally different,” says Schurter. “Wheel size is one thing, 26, but also the tyre sizes, I was on narrow 1.9 tyres, narrow handlebar, no suspension in the back. Now I’m racing on a 120mm rocket that you can also bring to a bike park if you want - with dropper post.  “Also, the whole drive train changed completely. Disc brakes - I was on V-brakes at the beginning. It’s a different world.” “But it’s crazy we’re still racing on the same tracks and if I now see those rock gardens, and I’m like -  with a 26” hardtail without dropper - I don’t know if I can get down there!” Here's how you can watch all the action from Nove Mesto Na Morave 

Danish riders Oliver Sølvhøj and Heby Sofie Pedersen showed their class at the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup taking impressive wins. In the U23 men, Denmark’s Oliver Vedersø Sølvhøj lined up with Adrien Biochis (Trinity Racing MTB) and Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) to make the perfect front row thanks to their Short-Track performances.  In a thrilling race, a peloton formed early on before Sølvhøj, Amos and Dario Lillo (Scott Davos MTB Project) managed to pull away on lap four. After several lead changes, the Dane Sølvhøj finally took the lead on lap six and took that lead to the finish. Lillo from Switzerland finished second, Tom Schellekens from Holland third. Eventually Sølvhøj was just too strong for Lillo After the race, Oliver Sølvhøj said: “Yeah, it was just incredible. I still can’t quite believe it. It was just flat out racing all day and a very good weekend in general for me. I’m just over the moon.  “When we were pushing on up the Expert Climb, Riley made a mistake on the downhill. At that point I took it a bit slower on the downhill and then putting a bit more pressure on the uphills to try and force a mistake from Dario. At that point it was quite scary.“ Dario Lillo said after the race: “It was a good, hard race. It’s always hard in Nové Město, the track is quite physical. We were quite a big group at the front at the beginning of the race then us three guys managed to open a gap. Then it was an all-out sprint to the finish with Oliver. He was a bit faster than me, I had some problems in the last lap but I think it was a good performance from me today.  “Yeah, it was special because it was the first time that we have done a short track race before a World Cup, so it’s new and we had to adapt a little to everything that goes with it. I made some mistakes in the short track, but I felt the performance was there so I tried to enjoy today and see what’s possible. I’m really looking forward to my home World Cup in Lenzerheide now.“  Results XCO U23 Men Top 5: 1.    Oliver Vedersø Sølvhøj (DEN) 1:08:27 2.    Dario Lillo (SUI | Scott Davos MTB Project) 1:08:29 3.    Tom Schellekens (NED) 1:09:08 4.    Oleksandr Hudyma (UKR | KMC MTB Racing Team) 1:09:12 5.    Matthew Wilson (NZL | Team Talley’s – Kiwi MTB Collective) 1:09:22 Pedersen looked strong from the start In the women's race in the absence of reigning U23 overall World Cup winner and World Champion Line Burquier (Canyon CLLCTV), who will contest her first elite season in 2023, Switzerland's Noëlle Buri (Bixs Performance Race Team), who finished second last year, was one of the favourites. Over the short distance on Thursday, she only had to admit defeat to compatriot Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing), who in turn has the chance of a perfect World Cup weekend. Blöchlinger, Heby Sofie Pedersen (Wilier – Pirelli Factory Team XCO) and Giana Caluori (Thömus Akros – Youngstars) pulled away from the field early in the race before Blöchlinger had to say goodbye to the title fight on the fourth lap with a mechanical. Now the hour had struck for the Dane Pedersen, who dominated for the remainder of the race. Swiss rider Caluori challenge to Pedersen eventually faded and she crossed the line in second place. Third place went to Emilly Johnston (Trek Future Racing) from Canada. Sofie Pedersen had this to say about her victory: “It was a super hard and exciting race. I just tried to go full gas from the start. I think I was strong on the downhills so I could get more time on each descent then go full gas on the uphills. It was hard to tell what Ronja’s mechanical issue was, she was very strong and it’s a shame she had a problem.” Second place Ginia Caluori said: “I can’t believe it, I feel like I’m in a film. It’s so cool. Today I felt really strong and I could ride the downhills controlled and concentrated and push the uphills too. Cross-country is my favourite compared to the short track so it was super cool to start in the second row and just ride today.” Results XCO U23 Women Top 5: 1.    Heby Sofie Pedersen (DEN | Wilier – Pirelli Factory Team XCO) 1:09:21 2.    Giana Caluori (SUI | Thömus Akros - Youngstars) 1:09:51 3.    Emilly Johnston (CAN | Trek Future Racing) 1:10:41 4.    Sara Cortinovis (ITA | Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team) 1:10:53 5.    Noëlle Buri (SUI | Bixs Performance Race Team) 1:11:11 Here are the full U23 men's results Here are the full U23 women's results

The Elite women’s race had all the big names on the start line as the rain came down. Last year’s cross-country short track winner Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing XC), the defending overall series champion Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) and reigning World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) looked to take the win.  The season got off to the perfect start for the Austrian Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) as she crossed the finish line first after some intense racing at the first Elite UCI Mountain Bike World Series Cross-country Short Track of the year. The other podium places would be taken by Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) from Switzerland just one second ahead of her compatriot Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing). Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) powers to victory in Nové Město na Moravě After crossing the line, Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing), had this to say:  I didn’t expect this at all. It turned out perfectly. It’s so hard though, I had to fight for every spot. At the right point I was in the right spot. I’m really happy to have such great support all around me, and thanks to all of them. It’s great to go away with this jersey, I’m so proud to do this with the Specialized team as well as in front of my family and friends. It’s just great. Results XCC Women Top 5: 1.    Laura Stigger (AUT) 19:02 2.    Alessandra Keller (SUI) 19:03 3.    Sina Frei (SUI) 19:03 4.    Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) 19:03 5.    Evie Richards (GBR) 19:03 It’s the dream start for Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grendiers). Last year’s Nové Město na Moravě XCO winner, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) from the UK, would join the start line as Czech Ondrej Cink (Primaflor Mondraker Genuins) retires pre-race. Current Cross-country short track and Cross-country Marathon World Champion Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) from New Zealand also starts as a substitute.  It would be Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grendiers) that would master the course to take the win despite lap times being tight all race. Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) would take silver, with Germany’s Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) finishing third. Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grendiers) had this to say about his win: Working my way up through the pack to win does make it all the sweeter. I only found out I was racing at three o’clock, having already done a three and a half hour training ride this morning. I always like racing here, I’ve been second in the short track before so it’s nice to win one. I wasn’t really stressed at the start as I’d rather start a bit further behind, give ourselves a bit of space. I didn’t want to crash today. I’ve crashed in the short track before and it can ruin the weekend. I just tried to stay out of trouble, and it was all about whoever went into the finish straight first was going to win. Results XCC Men Top 5: Tom Pidcock (GBR) 20:17 Sam Gaze (NZL) 20:18 Luca Schwarzbauer (GER) 20:18 Mathias Flückiger (SUI) 20:19 Nino Schurter (SUI) 20:19 The full results from today’s races can be found here. Full Men’s XCC results are here Full Women's XCC results are here For the schedule of the upcoming races of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Nové Město na Moravě here. More information on where to watch which race is available here. 

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series kicks off its 2023 endurance calendar this week when it lands in Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic for the first round of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup. The sport's biggest stars will once more line up to battle it out in this most iconic of venues - Nové Město na Moravě has been awarded a cross-country  round no fewer than ten times. This year’s event is one of the most hotly-anticipated thanks to a golden age of stars from all over the world set to confront each other as they aim to get an early good position in the UCI World Cup standings. In the Women Elite cross-country Olympic (XCO) and cross-country short track (XCC), Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon), the reigning UCI World Cup winner will square off against Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) who rode away from 2022 with an impressive four UCI World Championship titles. And that’s before you factor in the return of the Olympic Champion Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing XC) and the 2021 UCI World Cup overall title holder Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV).  Meanwhile, in the Men Elite ranks it’s all eyes on the greatest of all-time, Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM MTB Racing). The 10-time UCI World Champion and the winner of last season’s overall XCO title remains the man to beat - but a talent-studded top 20 are vying to take his crown. Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck), 2022 XCC overall winner Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) and Titouan Carod (Team BMC) are some of the big names already going fast this off-season and are amongst the favourites to make a run at the title. The action kicks off on Thursday night with the Men and Women Under 23 XCC races, more than enough to warm up the always incredible Czech crowds. On Friday it’s the turn of the Elite athletes to get between the tapes for their XCC outing, which will determine the start grid for Sunday’s XCO racing.  On Saturday the cross-country marathon (XCM) specialists will make their debut at UCI World Cup level, with XCM being included in the leading mountain bike series for the first time in its history.  Some of the best endurance athletes will line up to take on a gruelling 120km course that requires a fiendishly difficult combination of physical fitness and technical skill. As well as the pros, amateurs will also get the chance to race on Saturday thanks to the Marathon of Nové Město na Moravě, which offers them the choice to do the full 120km course or a slightly friendlier 60km. Also getting between the tapes on Saturday will be the U23 XCO racers.  Sunday will see the biggest test of the weekend in the form of the XCO racing, when huge crowds will watch the stars of the sport battle it out on this world-famous course.  This weekend’s action will be available to view on GCN+, Eurosport and discovery+. Live coverage kicks off on Friday evening with the Elite XCC races and resumes on Sunday with the  XCO racing. Elsewhere, the U23 XCO will be streamed live free on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series and GMBN YouTube channels, as well as on GCN. Full details about where to watch are available here

“I’ve never lost in Nove Mesto,” points out a grinning Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) ahead of the first round of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup. The British rider knows as well as anyone that anything can happen but he’s certainly earned the right to be upbeat about his chances in Sunday’s Olympic race at the Czech venue where he has stood on the top step of a World Cup podium four times. Following a short but high-profile cyclocross campaign and a hugely-successful spring season on the road, it’s hardly surprising the 23-year-old is backing himself. Pidcock won the Strade Bianche and made the podium at Amstel Gold Race and then Liege-Bastogne-Liege, before switching focus from drop to flat bars earlier this month. A victory at the Swiss Cup in Chur last weekend saw the British rider get the better of a stacked field which included both World Champion Nino Schurter and a resurgent Mathias Fluckiger. And Pidcock, who won the Cross-country gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is looking forward to competing for the leader’s jersey at Nove Mesto Na Morave on his all-new Pinarello Dogma XC bike. Pidcock and teammate World Champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot with their all-new bikes “I really like the course, I just feel good here,” he says. “It’s technical and pretty physical. All the roots means there’s not much rest, even on the flat you are having to work to keep momentum over the roots and there are quite a few climbs too - more than a minute long. “This is the first opportunity I’ve had to take the leader’s jersey since I was U23 and I’m excited about that.” Pidcock, who will be riding in his European Champion’s jersey, is quick to point out though that he’s yet to win a Short Track World Cup (XCC) tending to view the race as a stepping stone for the XCO. “The XCC to me is just a race to get a good position for the real race, if you like, the XCO,” he says. “I think it’s not a bad thing, you get a little hit out and it’s only 20 minutes and it’s hard and intense and sets you up nicely for the race on Sunday.” Pidcock, a Tour de France stage winner, says his focus for this year will be the World Championship in Scotland and after that he’ll be looking to defend his Olympic title in Paris next year. “Last year I got ill the week before the Worlds,” he says. “I still managed to get fourth which I’m pretty amazed with. I just finished and I was completely empty mentally, physically. “This year I want to go back especially with it being in Glasgow.” Find out how to keep up with all the race action here.

Swiss rider Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) and Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) from France powered to victory at the first Cross-country Short Track event of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Nové Město na Moravě.  In a close-fought race from start to finish, first place in the U23 women’s race went to Blöchlinger, Noëlle Buri (BIXS Performance Race Team) took second place just one second behind, with Sofie Pedersen (Wilier – Pirelli Factory Team XCO) completing the podium in third. Ronja Blöchlinger attacked on the final lap After her win, Blöchlinger had this to say: “This was really amazing. It was the first short track race in the U23 category and I am really happy that I could win today. In my mind yes, I thought I could win but you never know what happens. It’s made me confident going into the next race. It’s my first World Cup win, so I am looking forward to Saturday” Results XCC U23 Women Top 5: Ronja Blöchlinger (SUI) 20:13 Noëlle Buri (SUI) 20:14 Sofie Pedersen (DEN) 20:14 Ella McLean-Howell (GBR) 20:14 Kira Böhm (GER) 20:14 Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) held off the USA's Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) to take the first win of the year. After another nail-biting race, the men’s podium consisted of the Frenchman Boichis in first place, with second place going to Amos and Oliver Sølvhøj from Denmark taking the bronze. No one could live with Boichis' sprint at the start of the final lap After the race, Boichis said: “It's a little hard to believe to be honest. I just did the best race I could do. I tried to stay patient and make my attack on the last lap and it paid off. I still don't believe it. To be able to put that attack in, I still had to feel good. But yes, you have to stay in the right place and make an attack at the right time. Nove Mesto is a mythical circuit. Until last year, this circuit did not suit me very well. Then last year, I did a good race here. This year, I didn't have any expectations, I just wanted to do my best.” Results XCC U23 Men Top 5: Adrien Boichis (FRA) 18:55 Riley Amos (USA) 18:57 Oliver Vedersø Sølvhøj (DEN) 18:57 Bjorn Riley (USA) 18:58 Dario Lillo (SUI) 18:58 The full results from the men's U23 race can be found here. The full results from the women's U23 race can be found here Find out how to watch this weekend's racing here

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series is delighted to welcome WHOOP as a major new partner for the upcoming race season.  WHOOP is a wearable health and fitness coach that provides personalised insights via a wrist band and companion app - and it’s about to revolutionise the way fans experience the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Live biometric data from athletes wearing the devices will be shared during racing, as well as helping to inform the pre and post-show analysis and commentary teams. It’s the first time this data has been used in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup coverage and will bring an entirely new dimension to the broadcasts of downhill and cross-country, thanks to the insights into athletic performance offered by WHOOP.  WHOOP is the most advanced health and fitness wearable tech available, offering high resolution of detail on training, sleep and strain, giving a complete picture of an athlete’s performance. The ground-breaking partnership comes at an exciting time for mountain biking as it enters a new era with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports securing the broadcasting, promotional and organisational rights for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, which will be shown on discovery+, GCN+ and Eurosport.  And whilst the technology may be new to mountain biking, WHOOP already has an award-winning relationship with WBD Sports thanks to its pioneering work with Eurosport in the 2022 Giro d’Italia Grand Tour. The partnership gave viewers a unique insight into the heart rate and strain of riders in real time as they took on the final gruelling climb of the race, as well as more detailed metrics in the post show analysis. Riders who’ll be wearing the WHOOP band during racing and sharing their data include members of the Alpecin Deceuninck Team such as  UCI Cross-country U23 European Champion Puck Pieterse and reigning UCI Cross-country Short Track Champion Sam Gaze. Scott Young, SVP Content and Production at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, said: Our mission to propel the UCI Mountain Bike World Series into a new era is underpinned by our desire to take fans to places they couldn't ordinarily reach and to deepen their connections with the sport they love and its athletes.  To do this, we're looking forward to integrating cutting-edge innovations into our broadcast coverage including partnering with WHOOP for game-changing insights into rider performance. Not only will this help explain to spectators and our audience how an athlete is able to overcome their rival, but it will elevate the endurance and skill to a whole new level by enabling the most advanced real time race analysis ever witnessed. WHOOP is excited to be building on our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. John Sullivan, SVP of Marketing at WHOOP.  This summer we’re bringing WHOOP Live to the international coverage of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, supporting the sport, and providing viewers and fans with a unique viewing experience; with insights into the feat of human performance involved in mountain biking. It’s our goal, together with WBD, to help elevate the broadcast, athletes and commentators to this new era of the Mountain Bike World Series. Our team is looking forward to being on site, to meet this community at several events this summer, and allow more people to unlock their own human performance with WHOOP. And it’s not just fans at home who’ll benefit from the WHOOP experience, as the brand will be on site at select rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups this season, offering live demos and the opportunity to purchase the WHOOP 4.0 and bands. The next race in the UCI Mountain Bike World Series takes place this week in Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic with the first round of the UCI Cross-Country World Cup (May 11-14).

With the firepower of one of the world’s biggest sports broadcasters behind the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, there will be more live coverage and more ways to watch the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup action from Nové Město na Moravě, in the Czech Repubic.  Live on GCN+, Eurosport and discovery+ Friday 12 May17:45 CET UCI Mountain Bike Short Track World Cup Women’s Elite race18:35 CET UCI Mountain Bike Short Track World Cup Men’s Elite race Sunday 14 May11:00 CET UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup Women’s Elite race14:30 CET UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup Men’s Elite race LIVE on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel: Saturday 13 May14:45 CET UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup Men’s U23 race16:45 CET UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup Women’s U23 race If you think that you have what it takes to compete against the world’s best mountain bike race courses alongside the world’s best racers then you need to check out Open Racing. Entries are now live for the Marathon of Finale Outdoor Region 02 -04 June as well as UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival, Haute-Savoie - Châtel, Les Gets, Morzine-Avoriaz (September 7 - 17). Enter now to secure your place at this summer’s biggest mountain bike races! You can also follow the racing live on local channels including:  CT SportCzech Republic  Claro SportsMéxico, Rep Dominicana, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá. Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Perú, Uruguay, Venezuela SuperSport Angola, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cape Verde, Cote d'lvoire, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Niger, Reunion, Rwanda, South Africa, Eswatini, São Tome and Principe, St Helena and Ascension, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Socotra, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia SRGSwitzerland  

We're looking for a talented Press Officer to join the Warner Bros. Discovery Sport team with a focus on cycling, in particular the UCI Mountain Bike World Series. About the company: With its head office at the heart of UK mountain biking in the Tweed Valley, Scotland, ESO Sports are specialists in major global mountain bike races and festivals. Formed in 2012, ESO Sports, is now part of the Warner Bros. Discovery Sports family. Following a landmark agreement with the UCI in February 2022, ESO Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports added the promotion, broadcast and delivery of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in XCO, XCC, DHI and XCM categories to the ESO Sports roster. With the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup now under one roof, ESO Sports is now firmly the leading international mountain bike racing and events operator in the world, under the umbrella of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series. In addition to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, ESO Sports will deliver the Mountain Bike Cross-Country and Mountain Bike Marathon races on behalf of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland. Our vision: We share a collective ambition to elevate mountain biking to one of the most respected sports in the world, inviting audiences around the globe to connect with this incredible sport Through working closely with the industry on new technology, we continue to drive forward innovations in sport, safety and sustainability Our sporting events showcase and develop MTB tourism destinations, ensuring a positive legacy for local communities Our core values: We operate with professionalism and legitimacy, always striving to maintain the integrity of the sport We use our drive and our passion to spark innovation and push boundaries Creating strong connections is incredibly important to us. Communicating is central to everything that we do About the role We are looking for an organised, detail driven press officer with excellent writing and interpersonal skills to join our communications and marketing team. The role would involve travelling to all UCI Mountain Bike World Series events across the world, working as the key contact for media, teams, athletes, PR agencies and local organisers. This is a new role created with the focus of creating a consistent and professional sports media presence at UCI Mountain Bike World Series events, providing global media opportunities to profile the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups. The role is based from our office in Innerleithen, Scotland. Job responsibilities: Plan, deliver and stage manage press conferences at each event, including: Invite and coordinate the onsite and online attendance of global mountain bike, cycling and sport media Arrange athlete/team attendance and brief them on messaging On-site media liaison, including;Coordinating on-site logistics Responsible for the media room Race communication e.g. maps, delayed race starts etc Arranging on-site media transport e.g. lift passes, enduro course shuttles Setting up athlete interviews Provide on-site event insights on PR opportunities and coverage ideas Race and event press release writing and distribution Responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key cycling media, both during the race season and in off-season Identifying editorial content opportunities throughout the year Writing editorial content for the UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and other channels Support the wider corporate communications and media opportunities for ESO and Warner Bros. Discovery Sport Skills and Experience: Excellent English written language skills with a keen eye for grammar, spelling and punctuation Strong organisational and administrative skills Excellent interpersonal and problem solving skills Proficiency in Google Suites, including Gmail, Sheets, Docs, Slides, Drive etc. Able to work with minimum supervision, demonstrating a high degree of initiative and ability to produce high quality work under tight deadlines Sports media/events experience, preferably in the mountain biking/cycling industry Proficiency in other languages (e.g. French, Italian) would be advantageous As an active, outdoor and passionate cycling company, at the heart of the mountain bike industry, we celebrate ambitious, creative, innovative and self-motivated individuals who want to join a growing Scottish-based, global organisation. Benefits include: Competitive salary, depending on experience Company pension Cycle to Work scheme Staff discounts with partners Team rides/social activities Schedule: Full time, permanent Based in Innerleithen, Scottish Borders Regular global travel during the race season (March-October) Start date: May 2023 Application Deadline: 14 May 2023 This role requires the successful candidate to be fully vaccinated as per the current Scottish Government guidelines. If you have any concerns or questions about this, please contact ESO HR at anja.rodenbroker@eso-sports.com Job Type: Full-time Salary: £25,000.00-£45,000.00 per year Benefits: Casual dress Company pension Cycle to work scheme Employee discount Free parking Sick pay Store discount Work from home Schedule: Monday to Friday Weekend availability Ability to commute/relocate: Innerleithen, EH44 6HN: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required) Work Location: In person Application deadline: 14/05/2023APPLY HERE

The UCI Mountain Bike World Series live broadcasts kick off this weekend with the opening rounds of the Endurance formats in Nové Město na Moravě, CZE.  Cross-country racing is one of the founding formats of mountain bike racing and in 1996 saw the sport elevated from its roots as an outlier of mainstream cycling into a legitimate Olympic sport in its own right. Some of the most insanely skilled and unbelievably physically fit athletes in the world compete in Cross-country racing and it has become world renowned as one of the most dramatic two-wheeled sports in existence. The weekend kicks off with Friday night’s UCI Mountain Bike Short-track World Cup races. Short-track (XCC) sees a stacked field of pro’s racing on a condensed version of Sunday’s full course for a reduced period of time. The result is high octane, high stakes racing with the results not only determining the grid positions for Sunday’s race but also the points for the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Cup overall. Saturday is all about the new-look UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Marathon World Cup. Marathon (XCM) sees racers depart from Nové Město na Moravě’s iconic start/finish line and head out for two mammoth 60km laps of some of the Czech Republic’s finest trails. If you want to test yourself against the world’s toughest race courses then check out Open Racing. Sunday is the big one, the one that they all want to win - the first round of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup! The course in Nové Město na Moravě is a riders favourite featuring technical descents and power-sapping climbs. Racers will battle it out over a set number of laps to see who can be the first to the line in the Vysočina Arena. Don’t forget to subscribe to GCN+, discovery+ or Eurosport to make sure that you don’t miss a second of the action. Find out more on where to watch here.

When it comes to the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup, few stars shine brighter than Brazil’s Henrique Avancini. The 34 year-old from Petrópolis has had a busy offseason having stepped away from his long-time employers, Cannondale Factory Racing, to rejoin an old sponsor but a new team.  We caught up with Henrique to talk all things Caloi Henrique Avancini Racing and to find out how he rates his own (and everyone else’s) chances ahead of a brand new season of racing kicking off in just under one week's time.  The opening round of this season’s Endurance calendar will take place in the storied surroundings of a certified rider’s favourite - Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic. For Avancini it will be a return to a happy hunting ground as it’s within the famous Vysočina Arena that he sealed a historic double victory in both the Short Track and Olympic races 2020. Excited about round one of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup? You should be! Find out where and how to watch HERE.   

When it comes to Cross-country mountain bike racing, there are few riders who can lay claim to breaking as much ground as Holland’s Bart Brentjens. The Dutch superstar was the sports first ever Olympic gold medal winner at the Atlanta games in 1996. In the latest video as we continue our build-up to the opening rounds of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup we caught up with Bart at home to relive that historic day and to look forward to the season ahead.  Bart Brentjens will be taking up the position of expert commentator across all of the Endurance side of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series live broadcasts this season which kick off next weekend. The first rounds of the UCI Cross-country Short Track, Cross-country Marathon and Cross-country Olympic World Cups will take place at the iconic Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic. Find out where to watch here. The venue has hosted some historic battles over the years and there’s now a way for you to be on the start line! Thanks to Open Racing you now have the opportunity to test yourself and your bike to the limit at the Marathon of Nové Město na Moravě. Find out more about Open Racing here.

UCI Mountain Bike World Cups coverage totals 135 hours of racing broadcast All coverage available globally on GCN+ Coverage also available on Eurosport and discovery+ U23 Cross-country Olympic and Junior Downhill racing to be broadcast for the first time and will be free to watch New Elite Downhill semi-finals broadcast for free All-new presentation team revealed Full where to watch information here. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series is excited to reveal that there are more ways to watch the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups than ever before.  Fans will be treated to a completely new way of enjoying live broadcasts this season, as the sport ushers in a new era of coverage of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups in cross-country Olympic, cross-country short track, cross-country marathon and downhill. Warner Bros. Discovery will harness the breadth of its network throughout the year to grow the sport and ensure the widest possible audiences are reached.  Live broadcasts of the downhill, cross-country Olympic and cross-country short track elite finals and coverage of all major races from each of the 13 race weekends will be available globally on GCN+*.  GCN+ can be accessed worldwide through a monthly or annual subscription. Racing coverage and content is available live and on demand via the GCN App, all web browsers, Amazon FireTV, Samsung Smart TV, AndroidTV, Chromecast, Apple AirPlay and Apple TV.  As well as broadening the reach of the series, Warner Bros. Discovery will revolutionise the way mountain biking is watched by fans across the globe. With over 20 cameras on course, supplemented by three camera drones, the mountain-biking viewer experience will be completely transformed at each event – offering fans entirely different angles from each venue and ensuring every major moment is captured in every single race - a first for the sport. And it’s not just the elite finals that will enjoy coverage this season, with free to air live streams of the U23 cross-country races as well as the Junior and semi-final downhill races on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, GCN+, Eurosport, discovery+ and GMBN Racing. Meanwhile, cross-country marathon and enduro will enjoy race day highlights shows hosted on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Youtube channel, alongside in-depth bike checks, course previews and exclusive behind the scenes content. Fronting the new coverage will be a new talent team headed up by Kate Mason, who will anchor each of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series events broadcast on Warner Bros. Discovery platforms, starting with the first round of the 2023 UCI Cross-country World Cups from Nové Město na Moravě in May.  Mason will be joined by legendary racer Cedric Gracia as an expert commentator in downhill, while titan of the sport Bart Brentjens will fulfil the same role for cross-country. They’ll be joined by reporters Josh Carlson and Hayley Edmonds, with Ric McLaughlin completing the team as lead commentator. Cedric Gracia, visiting the Cube studio in London for the cycling season launch event, said:  I am extremely excited, of course. We are going to add new technology into this beautiful sport, drones following races, incredible views, put your seatbelt on because it’s going to be flat-out. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series kicked off last week with a double header UCI Enduro World Cup in Tasmania, and roars back into life in the Czech Republic on (11-14 May) with the UCI Cross-country World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě, whilst the UCI Downhill World Cup live coverage starts its season in Lenzerheide, Switzerland (8-11 June).  The full UCI Mountain Bike World Series race calendar is available here. More information about GCN+ is available here. *Coverage of the Cross-country Olympic, Cross-country Short Track and UCI Downhill World Cups will be available globally on GCN+, and will also be shown on Eurosport and discovery+. The UCI Cross-country Marathon and Enduro World Cups will benefit from in-depth highlights and behind the scenes coverage on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube Channel as well as GCN+. 

When it comes to competing in the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup, few riders can match the breadth of experience of Florent Payet (Scott DH Factory). The unmissable lofty frame of the rider from the Reunion Islands has been amongst the world’s fastest for nearly two decades. Sadly, the race in Val di Sole last year was to be Flo’s last top flight Downhill race. Over the course of the year, Payet has climbed as high as third at the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Championships at the same track in 2016. He has also been a European Continental Champion and taken multiple Coupe de France VTT wins along the way too.  Mainly though, Flo is known and respected for an imperiously smooth riding style and technical skills up there with the very best. He was on hand for Scott DH Factory team at the recent Lourdes Pre-season Downhill Testing session in Lourdes so we are hopeful that he’ll still be on hand at the races to lend some wise words to the young racers who may be metaphorically and physically looking up to him.  Don’t forget to find out how you can watch all the action from the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup in Lenzerheide 08-11 June.

Featuring eight days of racing and a total distance of over 600 km, and 15,000m of climbing, the Untamed Cape Epic styles itself as the toughest mountain bike stage race in the world. It is approached with respect and trepidation, even by names as big as Nino Schurter.  The 10 time UCI Cross-country OIympic World Champion was paired up with his Scott SRAM MTB Racing stablemate, Andri Frischknecht for the 2023 running of the race which featured one of the fiercest seven days of racing imaginable.  For Frischknecht, the son of Cross-country legend Thomas, it was his first time being paired with the rider whom many still view as the GOAT. The race, which began in Somerset West, went down to the final of seven stages finishing in Val de Vie Estate in Paarl and saw the Swiss pairing finish third in the overall. They were behind Georg Egger and Lukas Baum (Orbea X Leatt X Speed Company) who were themselves second to the winners Matthew Beers and Christopher Blevins (Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne).  Kim le Court and Vera Looser (Efficient Infiniti Insure) won the women’s overall.  The film tells the story of just how tough the week under the hot South African sun really is and just how it can humble and reward in equal measures. Fancy a go at some Cross-country Marathon (XCM) racing? There are a limited number of entries left open for the Marathon of Finale Outdoor Region in Italy 02-04 June. The area has hosted high profile enduro and cross-country events for over 20 years, and it’s little wonder, as the region has hundreds of trails with a wide variety of environments and terrains, from the mountains to the sea.  Find out how you can book your place on the start line, HERE.