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Isabella Holmgren and Cole Punchard (Pivot Cycles – OTE) come away with wins in dominant solo performances, while Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing) and Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli) lead the overall series with one round to go. After Friday’s high-intensity UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup races, today saw the turn of the Olympic (XCO) format for the U23 age category. It was also the first time fans got to see the full extent of the newly unveiled Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid course, and it once again didn’t disappoint.  While the Men’s and Women’s U23 XCC races were both close contests until the last, the XCO formats presented a punchier, feature-packed course, and two athletes seized the opportunity to break away and solo to the line.  HOLMGREN KEEPS UP 100% RECORD Twenty-four hours earlier, Isabella Holmgren was forced to settle for second in the Women’s U23 UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup – the new UCI XCC and XCO World Champion unable to keep up with Kira Böhm’s (Cube Factory Racing) final lap surge.  In the XCO, the Canadian wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. Part of a sizeable leading group in the first lap, the 19-year-old made her move on the course’s main climb on lap two and it would prove decisive. Pulling away from the pack, she was able to put 37 seconds into second place Böhm by the end of lap two, and it was a gap that would continue to grow with each loop. Behind her, Böhm, Ginia Calouri (Willier-Vittoria Factory Team XCO) and Madigan Munro (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli) were the next group on course, but the trio appeared to be more interested in battling for the remaining podium spots rather than reeling in the Canadian.  Holmgren’s advantage allowed her to ease up on the final lap, savouring the adoration of the many Canadians who had made the trip over the border to be at the USA’s WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round. Crossing the line, she maintained her incredible 100%-win record for all four XCO races she’s entered in the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and will be looking to make it a fantastic five at her home event in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec next weekend.  Böhm edged away from Calouri and Munro in the last lap to secure second, while the Swiss Calouri pipped the local favourite on the line to claim third. Speaking after the race, Isabella Holmgren said: “It was a super tough race today. Really hard course. I just went full gas the whole time. It was super special to wear the jersey today in the race. The crowd was amazing. Lots of Americans and quite a few Canadians came out since we’re quite close to the border. It was really nice to have some good crowds out there today. It was super tough. There’s a really long climb for pretty much the first half of the course. It feels like you’re going up forever. I tried to keep it a hard pace for the whole climb, and I made a bit of a gap and did my best to hold it. PUNCHARD WINS FIRST UCI U23 XCO WORLD CUP Just like in the U23 UCI XCC World Cup race, all eyes were on Riley Amos. But it wasn’t to be for the series leader, with another North American – Cole Punchard – seizing the initiative from the off.  Just like in the Women’s U23, a big group led by Luke Weidmann (Thömus Maxon) remained bunched together as the pack crossed the line for the first time. But when Punchard attacked, unlike Holmgren’s efforts in the earlier race, one rider – the previous day’s U23 XCC winner Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) – was able to hold his wheel.  The pair held a marginal lead over Amos and newly crowned UCI Cross-country Olympic World Champion, Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) at the halfway point of the race, but when a puncture put a dent in Lillo’s efforts, Punchard sensed it was his time to attack again. The Canadian cleverly used the Swiss rider’s misfortune as a launch pad, extending his lead out to over a minute, and by the time he crossed the line for the final time, he had enough of an advantage to let the experience of his first UCI U23 XCO World Cup win sink in. Behind him, Lillo had managed to recover to find himself in a group with Alex Junior Malacarne (Trinity Racing MTB) and Amos, and the up-and-coming Swiss star used his XCC prowess to sprint his way to second, Malacarne pipping Amos to third.  Speaking after the race, Cole Punchard said: “That’s such an unreal race. Riding from the front all race long. The crowd here, everyone cheering my name, is just unreal. The power you feel at the front of a race is just crazy and I was riding my tempo every lap, ticking off sections lap by lap. When Dario [Lillo] flatted, I was just like ‘okay we’re going right to the end’, and I just wanted to hang on. Two laps to go, I couldn’t believe the gap behind. I was just riding for my life. That was an unreal race. So fun. Canada next week baby!” The action continues tomorrow in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid with the men’s and women’s Elite UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup from 11:30 (EDT). Find out how to watch all the racing here.

Swiss and French riders win the first Elite races to be held at the new North American venue, while Keller is confirmed as series winner.  Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) and Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) made it two wins from two in the UCI Cross-country Short-Track (XCC) World Cup for the American team at its home race. The Swiss rider and new UCI XCC World Champion came out on top in two engaging contests at Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid, where both timed their attacks perfectly to leave the competition in their tracks.  The results also saw the women’s series title decided ahead of next week’s WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series events in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada – Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) crowned winner with one round to go.  FREI FIRES HERSELF TO FIRST UCI XCC WORLD CUP WIN  The women’s elite XCC got the action underway on a dry short track course and it was Rio 2016 Olympic champion Jenny Risveds (Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental) who set the early pace. The Red Bull Rock and Roll rock garden looked like it could cause trouble with its various technical lines, but while it slowed the speed, all riders made it through with no issues.  Series leader Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) fought her way to the front, but she couldn’t get any breathing room from the chasing pack, which still numbered double figures.  Chiara Teocchi (Orbea Factory Team) and Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) both attempted to go alone, but their surges were reeled back in before a breakaway finally appeared to have set in by lap five – Risveds, Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing), Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) and Koller gaining some ground. And when Stigger stumbled in the rock garden, Koller, Risveds and Lecomte went clear. The new UCI XCC World Champion Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) wasn’t far off the pace though, bridging the gap in her first race in the rainbow jersey. The Brit had won her two previous XCC races in the US too and appeared to be winding up for an attack to claim her third. It wasn’t to be though. Frei had also timed her tactics well and going into the final lap, she and Risveds broke clear. The pair were inseparable through the rock garden, but the Swiss rider threw down the hammer on the final climb to drop her Swedish competitor. Risveds had no answer, with Frei soloing to the line. Behind them, Richards outsprinted Lecomte to take third.  With Puck Pietrse (Alpecin-Deceunick) not racing in North America, the series title was effectively a foregone conclusion, but Keller’s eighth confirmed it. Tomorrow, she’ll be attempting to do the same in the UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup.  Speaking after the race, Sina Frei said: “It’s very nice. It’s my first UCI World Cup victory in short track and it’s very special. I tried to stay on the wheels and wait and be patient and in the last lap we just went full gas until the finish line. I felt in that moment that I had to go. I just tried it and I’m super happy that in the end I won.” Allesandra Keller said: “It’s amazing. The overall is a big goal of mine. Consistency is one of the goals in my life. Securing the overall means a lot to me. Even today I had a pretty good race, I made one mistake that basically cost me the podium but still I’m very happy to be there again and especially to secure it one round before the finish.”  KORETZKY SHOWS OFF RAINBOW JERSEY IN STYLE While Keller’s series title was effectively sewn up, the men’s contest looked like it was going to go to the wire with Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceunick) and Koretzky battling it out for top spot. It was Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) who set the early pace though – the new UCI XCO World Champion showing he can mix it in the shorter format, as proved last time out in Les Gets, Haute Savoie (France).  Another Cannondale Factory Racing rider, Simon Andreassen, came to the fore in the second, and it was clear that the pair had some team tactics in play. Then disaster struck for Gaze. Entering a pinch point just before the tunnel, the series leader hit the deck and soon found himself in dead last. Koretzky sensed his opportunity. Midway through lap five, the Frenchman put in a burst of pace, but was merely testing the waters for later in the race.  Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing), Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) and Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) all took their turns on the front, but Koretzky was never far behind.  A surge from Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) at the start of the penultimate lap came to a premature end with a big crash for the American halfway around the course. Entering the final loop, there was a clear lead group of five riders – Koretzky, Andreassen, Hatherly, Schurter and Martins Blums (KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team).  Approaching the rock garden, Koretzky laid down the power, and no one else could respond. From nowhere the Frenchman built a huge lead after the technical feature that just stretched to the finish line. Behind him, Andreassen finished second, while Hatherly outsprinted Schurter for third.  Gaze managed to battle back to 32nd, securing 42 points in the process, meaning that the series title will still be on the line next week.  Speaking after the race, Victor Koretzky said: “It was amazing. It was my first race [in the jersey] and it was a lot of pleasure for me. It’s always special when you wear this jersey. It’s only for one year so you need to enjoy it. Here in front of US crowd it was super nice. They’re always on fire. I can’t wait until tomorrow. “It was difficult [to be patient]. I think the only critical part was the rock garden. The goal was to stay on the front, especially there, but then also Cannondale and Scott had team tactics, so we just paid attention to that. One time Simon [Andreassen] was trying to go alone on the front, but I was jumping on his wheel. It was tactical but you need to be patient. It was nice for Specialized today.” LILLO AND BÖHM ON TOP IN U23 Yesterday, it was the turn of the Under 23s, and the racing was just as exciting. Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) and Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing) came out on top in the Men’s and Women’s U23 UCI Cross-country Short-Track World Cup respectively, but both races went down to the wire on a relentless short track course. Böhm and Isabella Holmgren exchanged the lead throughout, but the German surged ahead on the last lap, leaving the Canadian in her dust. Soloing to the line, she celebrated her fourth win of the season, and with it the overall series ahead of the season finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, next weekend. Lillo meanwhile left it to a last lap attack that no one could compete with to take his first XCC win of the series. The men's U23 series will go to the wire though, with Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) and Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) neck and neck going into the final round. The action continues today in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid with the Under 23 XCO races while the men’s and women’s Elite UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup will take place tomorrow from 11:30 (EDT). Find out how to watch all the racing here.

Swiss and German riders claim the first wins at the brand-new WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series venue, while Kira Böhm also clinches series title.  The Under 23 riders got the action underway at Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid’s first ever WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, and if the UCI Short Track (XCC) World Cup is anything to go by, then we’re in for a fast and furious affair this weekend. Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) and Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing) came out on top in the Men’s U23 and Women’s U23 respectively, but both races went down to the wire on a relentless short track course. Böhm’s victory also meant that she wrapped up the series title ahead of the season finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, next weekend. BÖHM BLITZES THE COMPETITION The women’s field kicked proceedings off in crisp, autumnal conditions – a welcome break from the rain that had plagued the course during practice earlier in the week. Series leader Böhm crossed the line first on lap one, but the new U23 UCI XCC World Champion Isabella Holmgren was right in the German’s slipstream. The Canadian, who already had two U23 UCI XCC World Cup wins to her name this year, took up the mantel on lap two, and looked a solid bet to add a third to her palmarès. But Böhm had other ideas. After the pair exchanged the lead as the race was entering its final stages, the Cube Factory Racing rider surged ahead on the last lap, leaving Holmgren in her dust. Soloing to the line, she had enough of a gap to celebrate her fourth win of the season, and with it the overall series. Holmgren would finish two seconds back in second, while Czechia’s Simona Spěšná finished third. LILLO BURSTS AMOS’ BUBBLE In the men’s contest that followed, all eyes were on Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli). Sporting his new rainbow jersey, the American has dominated the format all year – winning four out of the five races he’s entered this season, and finishing second in the other. His closest competitor, Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing), would not be on the start line too, having pulled out with illness. But it wasn’t to be for the 22-year-old in his penultimate U23 XCC race in front of a partisan home crowd. After battling with the bunch, Amos lead at the end of lap four, but that was the last of him we’d see at the front of the race. Instead, it was Dario Lillo and the Canadian Cole Punchard (Pivot Cycles) who were battling it out for the win. And as the pace continued to ramp up, no one could hold Lillo’s wheel – the Swiss rider laying down a blistering last lap that saw him break clear of the chasing pack. In his wake was Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) and Luke Wiedmann (Thömus Maxon), who finished in second and third respectively. Amos meanwhile had to settle for fifth. Tomorrow sees the U23 riders on course again in the XCO as well as the turn of the Elites for the men’s and women’s XCC. Find out how to watch all the racing here.

This weekend marks the final round of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup (XCM) in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, as riders line up in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid, New York, USA, for the third and final long-distance Endurance event in the format’s season.  Although the most recent race in the series was June’s Mont Blanc Ultra Somfy in Megève, Haute Savoie, France, riders haven’t had the whole summer off. In fact, last weekend saw Snowshoe, West Virginia, USA host the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships, where Simon Andreassen (Denmark) and Mona Mitterwallner (Austria) won the 2024 titles. Both fields were packed full of Cross-country Olympic (XCO) format riders, but this weekend’s clash with the UCI XCO World Cup race means it’s one for the marathon purists at the second new venue for the format in this year’s series.  While Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid is making its UCI World Cup debut, the area has some serious mountain bike marathon credentials, and the nearby town Wilmington hosts the annual 100K and 50K Wilmington Whiteface mountain bike races.  ROLLERCOASTER COURSE  The foothills of Mt Van Hoevenberg are the setting for the race, but with the 2024 series titles up for grabs, riders will be focused on the task at hand for the duration of the 100km course.  The race will see riders complete three laps of the same 33.3km course, tackling 721m of elevation gain per loop and giving fans plenty of opportunities to catch the action. The climbing starts as soon as riders leave the Lake Placid race village, with the first half of each lap containing four monster ascents before it becomes a bit more undulating north of the bobsled course.  RABENSTEINER VS PÁEZ AND NJEMČEVIĆ VS LOOSER  The three-race nature of the 2024 UCI XCM World Cup series means every position and UCI point counts in the contest for the overall series win.  Hector Leonardo Páez took the victory in Mègeve, Haute-Savoie (France), but will rue his 13th place at the season opener in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ (Czechia) – the Colombian 60 points behind the more consistent Fabian Rabensteiner (Willier Vittoria Factory Racing) in the standings. The former had the better UCI XCM World Championships, finishing in 12th compared to the Italian’s 21st, but Rabensteiner – the reigning UCI XCM World Series title holder – knows how to close out a series win from here.  Other riders to watch out for include Andreas Seewald (Canyon Sidi MTB Team), the German national champion finishing fourth last week and second last time out in Megève, Haute-Savoie; and Samuele Porro – the Italian coming third in both UCI XCM World Cups this year and 10th in the UCI XCM World Championships.  The women’s title is even tighter than the men’s, with just 40 points separating Lejla Njemčević and Vera Looser. Both have tasted success in this year’s series, with the Bosnian edging it because of marginally better results in the race she didn’t win. It would take both to not finish for third-place Janina Wüst (Buff Megamo Team) to be within a realistic chance of leapfrogging them to take the series, so expect a tussle for the race win and the series between last year’s overall winner and the Namibian.  HOW TO KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION  You can stay up to date with all the action from the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Mt Van Hoevenberg-Lake Placid, USA wherever you are in the world. There will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and top stories from the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup to be published on the YouTube channel on Thursday, October 3rd. The UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup gets underway in Mt Hoevenberg-Lake Placid at 7:45 (UTC-4) on Sunday, September 29 with the Women’s Elite, followed by the Men’s Elite at 8:55 (UTC-4) – full schedule and events details are available here.

After a 12-week break, the Endurance action returns in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series with this weekend’s Mt Van Hoevenberg - Lake Placid UCI Cross-country World Cup in New York, USA, a brand-new venue of the 2024 calendar.  Riders and fans haven’t had to go completely cold turkey in that time, with the Olympic Games of Paris 2024 and UCI Mountain Bike World Championships taking place in July and August respectively. But we now enter the nitty-gritty end of the season in the Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-country Olympic (XCO) formats – this weekend’s round the penultimate UCI World Cup of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.  There is an unknown quality to the venue too – Mt Van Hoevenberg - Lake Placid becoming the fourth Endurance location to make its UCI World Cup debut this year. Five hours north of Manhattan, Mt Van Hoevenberg - Lake Placid is located in the Adirondack Mountains. It has a sporting heritage – hosting the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980 – and at the end of its summer season, the forests turn into a picturesque golden, early autumn hue.  With titles on the lines though, riders will be focused on the racing at hand, with only a handful of points left to decide the outcome of the series.  FUN, FEATURE-PACKED COURSE  The course is so new that it was built this summer and finished towards the end of August, meaning not even local riders would have an advantage. Although the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series will be the first time anyone has raced on the Mt Van Hoevenberg - Lake Placid course, it has some serious trail construction credentials. Local managers Kris Cheney-Seymour and Allan Serrano have collaborated with industry experts including Max Van Wie and Martin Seddon – designer of the London 2012 Olympic course – to create a parcours that should provide a stern test for all competitors. Starting and finishing within the stadium area of the Mt Van Hoevenberg Nordic ski trails, riders will have to tackle rock gardens, a dual slalom course, a section designed to emulate the mountain’s Olympic bobsled run, and a feature that will see them jump through a modified cabin – something that will truly have to be seen to be believed. HATHERLY TARGETTING UCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS-WORLD CUP SERIES DOUBLE, KELLER IN CRUISE CONTROL There are a maximum of 660 points up for grabs in the UCI XCO World Cup, which means that only a handful of riders realistically have a chance of winning the title. In the women’s field, Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) has a 200-plus point lead over the new UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Champion Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck). The Dutch rider has opted to stay in Europe to try and add the road and gravel rainbow jerseys to her collection, meaning the Swiss star – who has been the queen of consistency all year with four podiums and no finishes outside the top 10 – could wrap up the overall this weekend. Keller’s closest competitors are the Americans Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) and Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) and although both faded since strong starts earlier in the season, they can’t be ruled out. Kate Courtney (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) meanwhile is another who will be aiming to put on a show for the home fans. Things are tighter in the men’s contest, but the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Champion and series leader Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) appears to be hitting form just at the right time. His last three results read win-third win, and second-place Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) has his work cut out if he’s going to catch the South African. The pair won’t have to face Olympic champion Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), with the multi-discipline Brit competing at the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich (Switzerland) this weekend, but Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) and Matthias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) are two riders to watch. All of the above will be in contention during the XCC, and in the women’s field again it’s Keller’s title to lose. But a handful of specialists might also have a say in how the spoils are shared this weekend.  Reigning UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short-Track World Champion Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) and Samuel Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) have two wins a piece from the first six UCI XCC World Cups of 2024, while the new women’s UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Champion Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) has history in the US – winning both XCC races she entered at West Virginia’s Snowshoe venue in 2021 and 2023. Racing gets underway in Mt Van Hoevenberg - Lake Placid on Friday with the U23 UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup – full schedule and event details are available here.

After three months without an Endurance-focused UCI World Cup, it’s time for a doubleheader to conclude the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Before the season finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec (Canada) there’s the penultimate round to be settled. And with both of the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup titles yet to be wrapped up, everything is still to play for as Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid, New  York (USA) makes its WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series debut. We look at everything you need to know about the Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid round, including when the Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-country Olympic (XCO) events are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to watch. WHEN? The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid starts with the Women’s U23 UCI XCC World Cup at 14:00 (UTC-4) on Friday, September 27, and concludes with the Men’s Elite UCI XCO World Cup at 14:00 (UTC-4) on Sunday, September 29. Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC-4 (EDT/BST-5/CEST-6): Friday, September 27 14:00 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women U23 14:35 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men U23 Saturday, September 28 11:30 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite 12:05 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite 14:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women U23 16:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men U23 Sunday, September 29 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup 11:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite 14:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite   WHERE CAN I WATCH? You can watch all the action from the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid, New York (USA) wherever you are in the world. High Both the men’s and women's UCI XCO World Cup U23 races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, but for all other races, tune in to one of the below channels or streaming services: For the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup, there will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website, with top stories from the race to be published on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel on Thursday October 3rd. North America Canada – FlosportsUSA  – Max South & Central America Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela – Claro Belize, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname,– Staylive Puerto Rico – Max Asia Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan – Staylive Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand – Eurosport OceaniaAustralia – StanNew Zealand – Staylive Africa – Staylive Europe Austria – discovery+ Belgium – HBO Max, Eurosport 1 Czech Republic – Max, Eurosport 1, CT Sport/CT Sport Plus Denmark – Max, Eurosport 1 France – Max, Eurosport 1, L’Équipe TV Germany – discovery+, Eurosport 1 Greece – Eurosport Hungary – Max, Eurosport 1 Ireland – discovery+, Eurosport 1 and TNT Sports 2 Italy – discovery+, Eurosport 1 Netherlands – HBO Max, Eurosport 1 Norway – Max, Eurosport 1 Poland – Max, Eurosport 1 Portugal – Max, Eurosport 1 Romania – Max, Eurosport 1 Slovenia – Max, Eurosport 1 Spain – Max, Eurosport 1 Sweden – Max, Eurosport 1 Switzerland – Eurosport 1, Staylive, SRF2 and RSI la Due United Kingdom – discovery+, Eurosport 1 and TNT Sports 2  Rest of world – Staylive RIDERS TO WATCH The Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid venue will be a completely new experience for all of the riders with the New York State course built this summer. By the time of Saturday and Sunday’s XCO and XCC races, the field will have had plenty of time to practise and get the lay of the land, but with no past editions, no one comes into the penultimate round of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series with past performances on their side. Going purely off of form, Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) is in a purple patch, recording two wins and a third in his last three races, bagging himself an Olympic bronze medal and the rainbow jersey in the process. Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) has joined the South African on the podium in two of those races, while the Frenchman’s teammate Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) will be looking to bounce back with a strong performance in front of a partisan home crowd. In the women’s field, Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) can wrap up the series win this weekend, but the Swiss rider is still without a UCI XCO World Cup victory this year – expect her to go all out to right this wrong. Others in consideration are the American pair Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) and Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team), while Candice Lill has been in contention all season. In the UCI Cross-country Short-Track (XCC) World Cup, expect Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Koretzky to battle it out once again at the front of the men’s field, while the new UCI XCC World Champion Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) will be aiming to stand on the top step of the podium in her new rainbow jersey.

The three-time UCI Enduro World Cup overall champion Isabeau Courdurier has competed as a full-time professional racer for the last time, signing off with a win in the first-ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Championships. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman has been at the top of the sport since its very start but will be taking a step back in 2025 to focus on herself and starting a family. Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) has finished her full-time professional racing career as the best rider in the world, claiming the first-ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Championship to win everything there is to in the Gravity format. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman announced at the start of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series season that this would be her last, although she ruled out retirement completely. Speaking in Finale Outdoor Region ahead of the first UCI Enduro World Cup of the season, she said: “It’s my last season as a full-time professional racer. I’m not going to retire soon but I’m having a break next season because I’d like to get more time for me and to have a family.” The three-time UCI Enduro World Cup overall champion is one of the greats of the sport, and is tied for most championship wins alongside Cecile Ravanel (France) and Tracy Moseley (Great-Britain). She was on course to become the all-time best but was overhauled on the very last day of racing – Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) winning the title by 21 points to stop any chances of a fairytale ending. But just one week later, she put any disappointment behind her to win the rainbow jersey in the Italian Dolomites. From her first top 10 finish through to her final performance in Val di Fassa, Trentino, here are the highlights of Courdurier’s stunning career. MAKING THE SWITCH Courdurier grew up on the outskirts of Marseille, in Gardanne, France, and was competing in cross-country races from the age of five. After struggling with balancing her studies and training, she made the switch to Enduro aged 16 and didn’t look back. When the Enduro World Series (EWS) kicked off in 2013, she was one of its first riders, competing in the debut race in Punta Ala, Italy – where she finished 10th – before securing her first podium with fifth in the second race in Val d’Allos, France. A fourth in Val d’Isère, France, was her best result of the season on the international stage, and a sign of things to come. CONSISTENCY IS KEY By 2015, Courdurier was competing at every round of the EWS and travelling the world with her enduro bike in tow. In Whistler, British Columbia, Canada she scored her first top-three finish, sharing the podium with two icons of the sport – Tracy Moseley and Cecile Ravanel. She followed this up in the following round with another third in Zona Zero Ainsa-Sobrarbe, Spain. Her consistency was enough to secure her fourth in the overall championship, and it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before her first win. THE BREAKTHROUGH Despite being in the top three at every round in 2016 and securing second in the overall, the top spot alluded Courdurier. That was until 2017, where she finally got the better of Ravanel in Blue Derby, Tasmania, Australia, winning five out of seven stages to take her first EWS win. Her compatriot and rival would resume her dominance for the rest of the series and into 2018, recording near-perfect seasons, but it was a sign that Courdurier would be there pushing her every step of the way. PERFECT SEASON After six years of hard work and graft, everything aligned for Courdurier in 2019. With Ravanel ruled out before the first round with an ultimately career-ending injury in training, no one could stand in Courdurier’s way, and the Frenchwoman seized the initiative, winning all eight EWS rounds to complete a perfect season. It wasn’t just individual honours either – Courdurier winning the first-ever EWS Trophy of Nations title alongside teammates Melanie Pugin and Morgane Charre. BACK-TO-BACK DOMINANCE Cancellations and postponements caused by Covid robbed Courdurier of her momentum in 2020 and 2021, but when the full, uninterrupted season resumed in 2022, she got back to winning ways – first in EWS and then as part of the new UCI Mountain Bike World Series, launched in 2023 to unite all mountain bike’s major formats under a single brand for the first time.  Over the two seasons and 15 races, she won eight contests, finished on the podium six times, with the only blot on her scorecard a seventh. Her dominance saw her win back-to-back series, taking her level with Moseley and Ravenel. ROLLERCOASTER RIDE Ahead of the first UCI Enduro World Cup of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Courdurier announced that it would be her last as a full-time professional, and in the next seven races, she had the chance to claim a record fourth series and the first-ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Championship. It didn’t get off to the greatest start – Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) showing in Finale Outdoor Region (Italy) that Courdurier would have her work cut out to finish as the greatest enduro rider of all time. Courdurier would win two UCI Enduro World Cup rounds and only finish off the podium once (ninth in Loudenvielle), but it wasn’t enough to beat the Brit – who claimed the series on the final stage of the final race. Courdurier didn’t let the disappointment get to her though and was back on the top spot in arguably the biggest race of the season just one week later. The Frenchwoman dominated the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Championship from the off, winning the first two stages to build an unassailable lead in Val di Fassa, Trentino, with her compatriot Pugin the only rider who could get within a minute of her.

A groundbreaking inaugural UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships saw France take a clean sweep of the four titles on offer as Isabeau Courdurier, Alex Rudeau, Kevin Miquel and Estelle Charles became the first riders in their disciplines to don the iconic rainbow bands. The snow and ice that greeted the 240 competitors above Canazei, skiing capital of the Dolomites, had largely cleared before the start of stage one meaning improved grip on the trail but leaving behind slippery frozen roots and rocks to set up an abrasive day of racing in Val di Fassa, Trentino.  Enduro (EDR) riders needed to tame 42.4 gruelling kilometres and a staggering 2,800m of descent, and both races were decided on the tough and technical Ciasates finale. Alex Rudeau (France) won every men’s stage apart from the last, but never managed to strike a decisive blow, instead inching away from Louis Jeandel (France) and Richie Rude (USA) kilometre by kilometre. That methodical work left him with a 25-second buffer for Stage 5 and the ability to throttle back, though fellow Frenchman Jeandel did anything but and won the final run, going into second place by 1.4 seconds and demoting Rude to bronze.  Meanwhile Isabeau Courdurier (France) also started Stage 5 last after the women’s reseed, protecting a lead of less than eight seconds after Melanie Pugin (France) had pegged her compatriot back on Infinity SE. But the irresistible French national champion held on to celebrate the end of her full-time Enduro career in the best way possible, while teammate Morgane Charre survived three huge crashes on her last run to cling onto third by a handful of seconds ahead of GB’s Harriet Harnden.  The women’s E-enduro (E-EDR) race saw Estelle Charles take a commanding lead in the opening loop before Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Chile) came storming back in the shorter 20.7km loop two. The Chilean took 11 seconds back in the third quarter, but Charles stopped the rot in style on the final power stage and could afford to play things safe on the last stage to claim the win. Kevin Miquel (France) won the men’s E-enduro title in markedly different circumstances. Fifth after the opening run on Titans, he slowly but surely clawed his way back first onto the podium with a scorching win on Infinity SE, then into first on the penultimate stage. Compatriot Adrien Dailly had looked unstoppable until that point but came unstuck on the short uphill Becherle power stage, and ultimately failed to finish meaning Andrea Garibbo (Italy) secured a silver medal on home trails and France’s Kevin Marry was third. CONTRASTING STYLES EARNS SAME RESULT FOR RUDEAU AND COURDURIER The last rider to clinch his rainbow jersey in Val di Fassa, France’s Alex Rudeau was the most dominant rider of the day in terms of stage positions but still wasn’t home and dry until he crossed the Ciasates finishing line.  The men’s runs on Titans didn’t produce anything like the same field spread as in the women’s race, with the top 22 riders separated by 22 seconds. Rudeau edged ahead of American Rude and Australia’s Corey Watson, who stayed just a second behind Rude on stage two but lost out badly on Tuttifrutti to end his challenge for a medal. Gregory Callaghan and Jack Menzies remained in the chase for Ireland and Canada though, as Rudeau extended his advantage and Menzie’s teammate Jesse Melamed continued to learn why the district’s trails are included in the Gravity Card with another crash.  Only 3.2 seconds split silver medal position from fifth ahead of the penultimate run but Rude and Jeandel finally created some distance on the longest stage of all while Rudeau bolstered his cushion, clinching gold and leading a French 1-2. Rudeau said: “It’s just amazing, I’ve dreamt about it for so long, my first individual UCI World Champion’s jersey so I’m super proud of the team, all the work that we’ve done, my coach, everything.VAnd it was a good time to don it, because tomorrow I don’t know for who I will ride, I don’t have any plans.” Courdurier was the woman to beat early on, defying a very loose dropper lever to explode into a 13-second lead over Pugin with back-to-back stage wins. That would be the widest that gap would extend all afternoon though, partly exacerbated by crash after crash on a toxic opening run.  Barely a rider finished without a rip or tear to their kit and sixth seed Rebecca Baraona played no further part for GB, who took a further blow when the highly tipped Ella Conolly (Great-Britain) hit the deck on the next stage. But things did improve with Harnden’s second place on Tuttifrutti, gaining time on Courdurier and Charre with Pugin the fastest of all.  After an uphill Infinity SE section wreaked havoc in practice, Stage 4 was surprisingly a much cleaner affair. Only Harnden needed to dismount out of the favourites, costing eight vital seconds to Charre while Pugin also eroded Courdurier’s lead ahead of the climax. Courdurier gave a champion’s response though, adding 3.5 seconds to her margin of overall victory and taking the rainbow jersey a week after Harnden pipped her to UCI Enduro World Cup glory in the season finale at WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France).  “I don’t have any words, so I guess I’ll just say it’s amazing,” Courdurier said. “I just don’t know, it’s insane. I didn’t want it to finish, my career at Loudenveille in ninth, losing the overall in the final one. I really worked super hard this week to really deliver a performance I can be proud of. It was a true fight with the conditions, the snow and I just kept focusing and it paid off. How could I finish my career on a better podium than a full-France podium? I’m just so happy.” CHARLES AND MIQUEL SPRING ELECTRIC DOUBLE SURPRISE  Ryan Gilchrist (Australia) and Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Chile) racked up a 998-point combined margin of victory in the UCI E-enduro World Cups, but both came unstuck on an unpredictable afternoon.  Espiñeira entered the women’s race as hot favourite just a fortnight after sealing a dominant UCI World Cup overall victory, almost 3,000 points ahead of seventh-placed Charles. However, the Frenchwoman was the class of the field in Italy and forced the flying Chilean into second place by half a minute. She took 27 seconds of that in the very first stage with Espiñeira failing to find any purchase on a course that had changed dramatically from yesterday’s practice.  Riders arrived with the mountainsides looking more akin to the conditions when Trentino plays host to the iconic cross-country Tour de Ski after Christmas, but the trail gripped up overnight and Charles took full advantage. She put further time into her rivals on the first power stage - flying up Bridge 72 like the paragliders that frequent the Dolomites and their excellent updrafts in summer - with Raphaela Richter of Germany initially Charles’ closest competitor.  However, Espiñeira recovered from her initial struggles to overhaul first Britain’s Tracy Moseley, then Richter thanks to a Stage 5 victory and eventually put almost a minute into the German. The battle for the final medal was much closer though, thanks to trouble for Richter on stage eight. She lost more than half her lead in just 200m to leave Mosely only five second behind but rebounded decisively to win the finale and claim bronze.  “I’m really happy to win, I was on the nerves all day, so I need to calm down now a bit! I just want to enjoy it with the team,” Charles said.“It was very slippery, fun to ride on. We waited so many years to have the UCI World Championships so, for E-enduro, it’s really cool to finally have one.” In the men’s race, Kevin Miquel showed good things come to those who wait. A decade after he missed out on rainbow bands in Lillehammer (Norway), he was perfectly placed to take advantage of misfortune for French teammate Adrien Dailly.  Dailly scorched through the first loop to hold a 10-second lead over Andrea Garibbo (Italy) at the recharge break. But after an uncertain stage 6 and 7, it all fell apart on the final power stage. No sooner had Miquel hoisted himself into second as the fastest man on Infinity SE, he was first and Dailly was out of the picture. With an advantage of just 0.176 seconds over Garibbo, it was all to play for on the last stage but Miquel held his nerve to finally claim a rainbow jersey.  UCI E-enduro World Cup winner Gilchrist had a hit-and-miss afternoon, finishing four stages on the podium and four outside the top 10 as his mission to claim the rainbow bands faltered. A resounding stage 8 put him just about in touch with Kevin Marry who struggled on the destructive Becherle the Australian requiring 15 seconds in 1.4km on the Ciasates finale to secure a medal.  But the pair could barely be separated and Marry made it double delight for France on the podium.  Miquel said: “I really don’t believe it. It was a super hard day, emotional day because I had some mechanical issues, so I was thinking the day was ending just before the end. Step by step my mind was better, to finish first for the first UCI World Championship. I missed the jersey in Cross-country Eliminator 10 years ago, so now when I’ll put the jersey on, it’s really a dream and I’m also super happy for Estelle, my teammate.” A HISTORICAL EVENT FOR MOUNTAIN BIKING Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, global promoter of the first-ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships said: "Val di Fassa and the region of Trentino are renowned for its long-standing tradition of hosting top-tier mountain bike events. They have once again demonstrated its capacity to tackle the organisational demands of a UCI World Championship. The local organising committee faced challenging and unforeseen weather conditions that required adjustments to both the course and the schedule. Thanks to the team’s swift and effective response, combined with their extensive knowledge of the terrain and the discipline of enduro, the organizers provided a course that was both safe and demanding, delivering a race truly deserving of a first-ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships.  The essence of enduro was fully realized in Val di Fassa Trentino, with the unpredictable weather emphasizing core enduro values such as improvisation, adaptation, and resilience. The result was a remarkable and exceptional event, fitting for the international stage".  “The Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provided the perfect setting to give this inaugural World Championship an epic atmosphere. The unexpected snowfall made the event even more extraordinary, elevating it to legendary status. We couldn’t have asked for a more breathtaking backdrop to celebrate such a memorable day”, said Nicolò Weiss, Director of APT Val di Fassa.  “Enduro mountain biking continues to surprise and captivate us more each year. We strongly believe in this format and the unique experience it offers”, added William Basilico, Event Manager for the local organising committee. “We’re confident we’ve delivered a successful event—the first-ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships—an event that will go down in history. We’ve shared with everyone emotions that are authentic, intense, and unforgettable".  Highlights with top stories from the racing in Val di Fassa, Trentino will be published on UCI’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, September 17 and broadcast on Eurosport on Thursday, September 19 at 17:00 (UTC+2). Full results of the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships are available HERE WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES HITS NORTH AMERICA  While the action in Val di Fassa capped an adrenaline thrilled Enduro season, the Downhill and Cross-country excitement is far from over with a spectacular double-header still to come. The UCI Cross-country World Cup travels to Mt Van Hoevenberg - Lake Placid, USA on 27-29 September, then heads across the border to Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada which also hosts the UCI Downhill and Cross-country World Cup finales on 4-6 October 2024.

The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series returned this weekend for the penultimate round of competition of the UCI Downhill World Cup, and the stakes couldn’t have been higher.  The Loudenvielle – Peyragudes round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series was billed as a possible title decider for both the men’s and women’s Elite titles ahead of October’s final race in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.  And at the end of a thrilling day of racing reigning overall UCI Downhill World Cup champions Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Valentina Höll (YT Mob) both secured overall victory for a second season running.  The two Elite gravity racers defended their titles in style, wrapping up the season with one round to spare, despite hugely tough conditions on the wet and wind-swept mountainside in the Pyrenees. Neither rider could replicate their winning rides in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes last year, but it was a glorious day for the huge crowd nonetheless. Home riders Myriam Nicole Commencal/Muc-Off Riding) and Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) won the women’s and men’s Elite races and Max Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off By Riding Addiction) kicked off the French medal rush earlier in the day with victory in the men’s junior race.  Höll’s second place in the Pyrenees was enough to seal the overall title as her closest rival Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) crashed out of contention, finishing 10th in a bitter blow for the Brit. Bruni had looked on course to take the series victory by the halfway point of his race to but he faded to fourth, only realising he had done enough to win the overall when he was told in his post-race interview.  Storms battered the Louron Valley all week and the weather wreaked havoc on Saturday’s schedule, forcing the cancellation of the Elite semi-finals and limiting practice runs. Sunday dawned thankfully dry but conditions rapidly worsened, with clouds rolling in at the height of the mountain and poor visibility making the highest top sections even tougher, before the heavens opened during the women’s race.  The stunning spot in the Pyrenees has hosted stage finishes of the Tour de France and famously featured in James Bond movies, and it was once again a theatre for high drama after its debut in the UCI Downhill World Cup series last year.  Following last week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, this penultimate round of the UCI Downhill World Cup was just a short hop over the border, with a fleet of new rainbow jerseys leading the charge.  HÖLL SECURES UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP OVERALL VICTORY AS SEAGRAVE CRASHES OUT OF CONTENTION The women’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup title was decided amidst driving rain as YT MOB’s Valentina Höll sealed victory with a second-place finish just a week after winning the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Home favourite Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) took her first win since 2022 as she surged to victory in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, besting overall race leader Höll by 1.145 seconds. But second place was enough for Höll to secure the overall series win with one round to spare, as her closest challenger Tahnee Seagrave crashed amid dismal conditions at the close of the race.  Britain’s Phoebe Gale (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) set the fastest time early on, but it was another Brit and Canyon rider, Seagrave, who had laid down the marker in qualifying. The Fort William winner was the only rider who could have prevented Höll from doubling up on rainbow stripes and UCI World Cup glory, and the crowd was buzzing ahead of their hotly-anticipated clash.  Höll put disappointing fifth places in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) and Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy) behind her last week as she charged to a third straight UCI World Championships title in Andorra. The 22-year-old lost 0.277 seconds to Gale in the top section in Loudenvielle, where the visibility continued to deteriorate, but she only got better as the course went on. The Austrian qualified seventh, 8.657 seconds off the pace, but had clearly saved her best for when it mattered. She built up speed and attacked every part of the course to best Gale’s hot-seat time by 3.657 seconds.  Myriam Nicole had come second to Höll in last week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships by just half-a-second and the Frenchwoman – who qualified third fastest here - was clearly determined Loudenvielle-Peyragudes wouldn’t see the same result.  After a succession of top-five finishes she was due a win and, roared on by the home crowd, she slipped into the provisional lead by just 0.047 seconds at the second time split. She dropped 0.363 down at the third split but a flying run saw her power back into the lead, and she crossed the line 1.145 seconds ahead of her Austrian rival to move into the hot seat. The exposed, open top section of the mountain was almost completely obscured by thick fog as the race continued, with the faster qualifiers setting off in white-out conditions and unable to see the lines in front of them.  A result of fourth or better for fastest qualifier Tahnee Seagrave would guarantee the title would go down to the wire in Canada, but it was to be a bitter disappointment for the Brit. Seagrave posted a faster time at the first split but her hopes of taking her first senior title came to a crashing halt as she hit the deck in the early section. The Brit has been back to her best this season but went down in the lashing rain and couldn’t recover, finishing 10th. Speaking after her win, Loudenvielle – Peyragudes winner Myriam Nicole said: “It means the world, it’s not good with these conditions, but despite this I’m really happy. What a comeback, I’m super stoked, and winning today with a French crowd…  “I gave it to the end, it was a tough track, at the start it was super windy, so we had to adapt. I pushed to the bottom, and I didn’t give up. Being back at the top, it’s an incredible feeling, and in France it’s even better. I’ve been through everything, I’m super super lucky to have [my team] with me.” New UCI Downhill World Cup winner Höll said: “It’s insane, even if it’s not the conditions I wanted to fight for overall. It’s the first time I’m happy not starting last. I’m really sorry for Tahnee [Seagrave], she was riding so strong, I hope she’s not injured. On my side I’m really happy and stoked and I can go on holiday next week!  “It’s way more stressful than last year [having close competition for victory], I’m not really enjoying it but it’s a different kind of nerves. When you do your best and it works out at the end it’s an amazing feeling. I was just lacking commitment [yesterday], I was just on the breaks the whole time, I wasn’t really feeling it, obviously I was tired from the World Champs. It’s not an excuse, but I’ll take it!” COULANGES WINS IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD AS BRUNI LOCKS UP FOURTH UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP TITLE It was double delight for the French fans in the men’s Elite race as series leader Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) sealed a fourth UCI Downhill World Cup title with a fourth-placed finish in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, while compatriot Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) took victory in the penultimate round of the season.  It was a second series victory for Coulanges, who qualified just 16th-fastest but was unstoppable in grim conditions in the Pyrenees, posting a time of 3:40.480. Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) came second, 2.231 seconds down, with European champion Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) third.  One of many fast Frenchmen in contention, Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) was able to take advantage of the track before it was completely destroyed, and his assured performance meant he moved into the hot seat with the fastest time. The Frenchman celebrated with the crowds as he crossed the line but faced a nervous wait as racer after racer dropped in. Ultimately not even the series winner could better his time as Commencal bikes took a clean sweep of all four races in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes this weekend.  Bruni capitalised on a late drop-in time and the drying track to post the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying of 3:35, and got off to a similar start in Sunday’s race, fastest at the first two splits and expertly negotiating the toughest corners. The Frenchman had a point to prove after crashing out of contention for an incredible sixth rainbow jersey in Andorra, where he finished 78th.  Ultimately victory would be beyond his grasp but fourth place on the day was enough to secure yet another UCI Downhill World Cup title, as his closest rival Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) crashed and could only manage 10th.  Pierron, who was fifth at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships last week, was 0.269 seconds off the pace at the first split but paid the price for his blistering start as he got caught in a rut and crashed into the mud. It was a heartbreaking finish for the Frenchman, who was the only man within touching distance of Bruni for the overall, as he finished 10.499 seconds off Coulanges’ time.  Newly crowned UCI world champion Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) was powering down the mountainside and hoping to mirror his triumph in Andorra but just missed a rut on a corner and tumbled off his bike, impressively managing to rescue his run to finish 14th. Fourth-fastest qualifier Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) came unstuck in an early left-hander that brought several other riders to grief, dropping down to seven seconds off the pace. In third place overall at the start of the day, he was straight back on his bike and fighting on, but he slid out on a swerving corner, finishing the course coated head to toe and mud and with the title out of his grasp.  Speaking after his victory, Coulanges said: “Vive la France! Thank you to the French fans, I feel a bit lucky today. I’m really stoked to win my second World Cup here in France. I really like muddy conditions, you hear the sound of the rain, the water on the ground, makes you feel like you’re riding really fast. I just love it.” Bruni was another to cheer in delight as he was told in his post-race interview that he had secured the overall victory, saying: “I didn’t know! No way, actually? Oh my god, sick – Apart from that, I was really happy with today’s performance. We have a bad spell on the  World Cup at the moment, we see conditions change on the last minute so it’s quite difficult to deliver proper race runs. I’m really proud of my performance and my team, we tried to stay confident, so super happy.  “My mechanic one minute and a half before I dropped in showed me [Amaury’s crash], which lifted some pressure, he’s an absolute danger-man in these conditions, so it kind of released a little bit of pressure. Most of the lines were destroyed, so it was a new kind of ride… struggle-bus! I tried to have fun, the crowd was still pretty amazing, so can’t complain. I knew if I could put aside the negativity of failing [at the UCI World Championships] I could keep riding pretty solid, and I think I showed this weekend the pace is good, and even on wet conditions we are not too shabby!” UCI WORLD CHAMPION VAN LEUVEN CHARGES IN UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP OVERALL LEAD WITH WIN IN LOUDENVIELLE – PEYRAGUDES  It was a dramatic start to the day as Downhill Junior UCI Mountain Bike World champion Erice van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) took her win at Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, snatching the overall series lead from compatriot Eliana Hulsebosch (Union-Forged by Steel City Media). Van Leuven triumphed in Pal Arinsal, Andorra last week to retain the rainbow stripes and carried on that fine form to beat Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) by just 3.034 seconds, posting a winning time of 4:09.898. Sacha Earnest (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) was the fastest qualifier, and van Leuven faced a nervy wait in the hot seat for her fellow Kiwi to finish her run, but last year’s winner in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes ran out of gas and finished third. Former series leader Hulsebosch suffered an early crash and never quite got back into contention for a spot on the podium. She finished fifth despite hitting the deck, but it wasn’t enough to keep hold of her UCI Downhill World Cup lead as she slipped to third overall, with Wilson rising up into second. It’s tight at the top of just 20 points separating first from third the women’s junior standings with, and with just one UCI Downhill World Cup round left, the fight for the overall title will go right down to the wire in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada. Speaking after the race, Van Leuven said: “I was really motivated, it’s always really good to back it up after getting the stripes again. Just really proud of myself and stoked as to how my run went. First day of practice was crazy, [it was] a mudbath. This morning it was a bit slick, but then race-run track was awesome, just had to let it rip and have some fun. I obviously don’t take it [the UCI World Champion’s jersey] for granted, but when you put it on, I just smile and think of how proud of myself I am.” FRENCHMAN MAX ALRAN WINS IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD, WAYMAN THIRD DESPITE HUGE CRASH ON THE LINE The drama continued in the men’s junior race as European champion Max Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) took the win at the death, completing the course in 3:31.707 to soar into the overall lead in the UCI Downhill World Cup series. Alran qualified fastest and was the last rider to take to the start line, riding into provisional first despite being fifth at the first time split and snatching the win from Tyler Waite (Yeti Fox Factory Race Team) by 1.64 seconds.  The race was dogged by crash after crash on the mountain as the riders threw themselves down the course. Bode Burke (Outlaw United), third in last week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, was among those to hit the deck and did not finish, but hardly any riders managed a clean run on the fast and furious track.  Luke Wayman (Gravity Cartel - Rogue Racing) made it into third place despite crashing right on the line. The young Aussie flew through the course, second at the first two splits and first at the final two and looked certain to post the winning time before he spectacularly flew off his bike at the final turn. He hit the deck hard but was carrying so much speed that he and his bike made it over the line to record the fastest time of 3:36.098, and he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and made his way to the hot seat, where he stayed until first Waite and then Alran beat his time. UCI Mountain Bike Downhill Junior World champion Asa Vermette had shaved three seconds off Wayman’s time at the second split but was another to crash as the conditions worsened, with mist rolling in and making the visibility near-zero at the top. The Frameworks Racing rider flew over his handlebars after getting caught in between the left and right side of a rut, making a huge impact and putting an end to his hopes of victory to back up his rainbow jersey-winning ride last week in Andorra. He eventually finished 20th and now sits 33 points behind Alran in the overall standings with one race to go, with Wayman 54 points off the lead in third.  Alran was nearly speechless as he posted victory in front of a thrilled home crowd, saying after his win: “It was so good, I really enjoyed the track. Pretty hard but so fun to ride. I gave it all I had. It’s just incredible – thanks everyone, my parents are here, really, really happy to win here, incredible place.” The final round of the UCI Downhill World Cup heads to Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada in October (4-6), where the Junior titles will be decided.

The penultimate UCI Downhill World Cup of the season has been hampered by bad weather as heavy rain and impassable mud have caused carnage on the hills of Loudenvielle - Peyragudes.  Conditions were so bad that Saturday’s Elite semi-finals were cancelled after overnight rain, with qualifying rescheduled for later in the day – the top 30 men and 10 women making the cut alongside protected riders. Even then, it wasn’t without further drama – the women’s qualifying hampered by red flags, while those who were dropping in later in the men’s field could benefit from a quickly drying track.  SEAGRAVE SHOWS THE SERIES ISN’T OVER YET  In the women’s field, Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) handled the difficult conditions best in the French Pyrenees. The Brit – who is currently second in the overall series – held on to lay down a 4:13.889 marker, showing that she is back to her race pace after a couple of disappointing seasons and looking to add to her win from Val di Sole, Trentino.  Elise Empey (Synergy 37) backed up her top 10 finish at last weekend’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships with second in qualifying, while Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) was third. Reigning UCI Downhill World Champion and current series leader Vali Höll (YT Mob) was 8.657 seconds off the pace in seventh, but the Austrian should never be written off come finals. BRUNI BOUNCES BACK AFTER UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS CRASH In the men’s field, series leader Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) took advantage of a late drop-in time and drying track to throw down the only 3:35 of the weekend so far. The Frenchman was looking for an immediate response after crashing out in Andorra last weekend and will be hoping that a strong result tomorrow can see him build an almost unassailable lead in the overall. The one man trying to stop him though is Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction). The Frenchman was the only rider to get within three seconds of Bruni but knows he can go faster and overcome his nemesis if he irons out some mistakes on the mountain. Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing), Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) and Matteo Iniguez (Commencal Icstudio) completed the qualifying podium, while other riders to make it through to tomorrow’s finals include two legends of the sport – Aaron Gwin (Gwin Racing) and Greg Minnaar (Norco Factory Racing). Racing gets underway tomorrow (Sunday, September 8) in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes from 11:30 CEST with the women’s junior finals. Find out how to watch here, and set a reminder to join Ric McLaughlin for the pre-show live from France from 12:45 CEST.

After Friday’s Enduro epic, today (Saturday) saw the turn of the E-enduro athletes for the final time in the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.  Challenging conditions meant that parts of the course were closer to mud baths than perfectly groomed trails, but with all eight stages given the green light, the field was faced with 47km of demanding riding and almost 2,900m of descent.  While the women’s overall title had already been decided – Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) claiming her hattrick of titles last time out in Aletsch Arena - Bellwald, Switzerland in July – the men’s was closely contested between Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team); the Australian going into the final race holding a 119-point lead.  STAGE 1: URGE After a mechanical lift ride to the Peyragudes station, riders had a short downhill liaison before tackling the first stage of the day – a 1.52km trail with 360m descent. Helen Weber (Rotwild Schwalbe Gravity Team) got off to a strong start, while Estelle Charles (Specialized Enduro Team) wasn’t letting the fatigue of competing 24 hours earlier affect her – the Frenchwoman hot on Weber’s tyre tracks with Raphaele Richter (Simplon Trailblazers) in third. Espiñeira Herreros was sixth on the stage, with one eye potentially already on next week’s first-ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships. In the men’s field, Mathieu Ruffray (Commencal Enduro Project) gave the French fans who had braved the elements something to cheer by going fastest. Edgar Carballo González (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) was within 0.3 of a second of the Frenchman, with privateer Max Beaupre in third. In the battle for the title, Gilchrist already had a firm advantage in 13th – Borges falling to 31st on the stage, almost 24 seconds back. STAGE 2: LAPADE After a long liaison, it was time for the first power stage of the day. Espiñera Herreros’ closest rival in the title race, Laura Charles, laid down the watts, with George Swift (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Tracy Moseley in second and third respectively on the stage. Richter would find herself leading the overall, while Swift and Moseley’s performances were enough to bump them up onto the podium steps, American Beaupre appeared to be on a charge, putting almost four seconds into Andrea Garibbo (Haibike) – his nearest competitor on the stage. It was enough to take the lead too, knocking Ruffray into second, with Garibbo up to third. STAGE 3: COURTALETS A tiring climbing liaison to the highest point of the day’s racing was rewarded with two back-to-back stages with minimal time for recovery. The first – Courtalets – was the longer of the pair and was a mirror of the first stage from yesterday’s UCI Enduro World Cup. Richter showed that she had come to compete, blitzing the stage in 8:30. Estelle Charles was less than a second behind, with Moseley third almost 15 seconds back. The German was pulling away from the rest of the field in the overall, and was the early favourite to take the win. In the men’s, Hugo Pigeon (Scott SR Suntour Enduro Team) absolutely flew down the course, putting more than seven seconds into Ruffray and firing himself up to third in the overall. In title watch, Gilchrist still had a 10-second lead over Borges, but the Portuguese rider had started to chip away at his deficit from the first stage. STAGE 4: KERN Moments on from catching their breath after Courtalets, it was time for Kern – a 2.25km rollercoaster with 520m descent. Richter won her second consecutive stage, the German thriving in difficult conditions. Mistakes from Estelle Charles saw Richter’s lead grow to 23 seconds, while the UCI E-enduro World Cup overall winner Espiñeira Herreros was more than a minute down in sixth. While Richter was solidifying her lead, Ruffray was doing the same with his, winning a second stage of the day to take first place. Pigeon and Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective) made it a France 1-2-3. STAGE 5: ZEBRE Entering the second loop of the day, the field was tasked with a pedal up to the start of stage five, which had the same trailhead and finish line as stage one but was marginally longer. Estelle Charles started the French fightback, reducing Richter’s lead in the overall to four seconds, while it was the first time Espiñeira Herreros had been in the top three of a stage all day, bumping the Chilean up to fourth. In the men’s field, Pigeon won his second stage but couldn’t shake Ruffray, who retained the overall lead. Mistakes from Borges saw him throw away any advantages he’d gained on Gilchrist, with the Australian leading by almost 13 seconds with only three stages left. STAGE 6: CAMPING The second power stage of the day was a 250m uphill sprint, with only marginal gains expected on course. Richter didn’t get that brief, finding 1.278 seconds on her nearest competitor on the stage Laura Charles and even more on Estelle Charles to push the German’s lead in the overall back over 11 seconds. Garibbo went one better than in the earlier power stage in the men’s, piloting his Haibike to the stage win. It did little to change the overall standings though, with Ruffray still leading from Pigeon and Marry. STAGE 7: NABIAS The penultimate stage of the day was also the longest, packing in 700m of descent into 3.7km. Opportunities for issues were plentiful, while fatigue would be a factor in riders staying upright. In the women’s field, Espiñeira Herreros showed why she is a three-time series winner, and was only one of three riders to edge under the 10-minute barrier. The other two were Estelle Charles and Richter; the latter going into the final stage with an 8.175-second advantage. Pigeon, meanwhile, made it three stage wins on the day, putting more than 10 seconds into Ruffray to edge into the overall lead with just one stage to go. Further down the timing sheet, a mistake-strewn stage from Gilchrist saw Borges leapfrog his title rival for the first time in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes. Just like in the women’s Enduro the day before, the overall series would go down to the final stage, although the Portuguese rider would ultimately need the Australian to DNF to have the best chance of seizing the series.  STAGE 8: TOURTERES The final stage of the UCI E-enduro World Cup in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes was similar to stage four, albeit with a different top section. Could those who performed well on the terrain earlier in the day make it two from two? In the women’s race, the answer was no. Despite winning two stages and leading the overall from stage two, it was one trail too far for Richter, who crashed out on the mountain and couldn’t finish the stage. Instead, it was Espiñeira Herreros who claimed the stage, bumping her up to second behind Estelle Charles, who won her second UCI E-enduro World Cup of the 2024 series from two attempts. Speaking after the race, Estelle Charles said: “It was quite sketchy. It was a bit harder than yesterday, but it was a real race. It was really hard to stay on the bike – there was a lot of crashing. I’m really pleased with the way I’m riding. It was a bit of a shame for Raphaela [Richter]. I’m happy, but a bit confused with the win.” 2024 UCI E-enduro World Cup overall series winner Florencia Espiñeira Herreros said: “It was tricky conditions, a pretty tough race. It was fun. I’m happy for it to be over. I’m feeling very good. The overall was secured but I still pushed hard to win the day. I couldn’t, I came second. I think pushed too much maybe for the first stages for the conditions, but that’s racing, so I’m happy with the season. [UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships] is the main goal and hopefully I can take the win. It’s not going to be easy. Pigeon clearly thrives in the hills of Val Louron, the Frenchman taking his fourth stage of the day and the overall win. Ruffray held onto second, three seconds back, while third went to Marry. The real interest though was the battle between Gilchrist and Borges. Despite a difficult day at the office, it was the Australian who ultimately came out on top on the day and in the overall series. Both will look to put Loudenvielle - Peyragudes behind them though as they turn their attention to next week’s UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships. Speaking after the race, Hugo Pigeon said: “It was super hard. I did my best. It was so tight with Mathieu [Ruffray], so I’m very happy about my weekend. Fifth yesterday, first today, it’s amazing. It was a bit faster than yesterday, a bit better, and it was cool. I enjoyed it a lot. It’s good to end my season like this and now I am just focused on the world champs.” 2024 UCI E-enduro World Cup overall series winner Ryan Gilchrist said: “It’s been a very special season. Finishing it off with the lead is the icing on the cake. It’s been a very special year, a very special programme that the Yeti Shimano EP Racing Team has been very heavily invested from the beginning. It’s been a four-year programme and finally amounting to a win is absolutely massive, especially considering how Shimano has performed historically – to be able to be on top finally is really special for the company. It’s taking a little bit to sink in. I think it’s just so much hard work has all accumulated to one day of racing. I think that’s my mindset whenever I have races like this – I’ve already done the hard work and now it’s time to execute. We executed today and we put the bike on the top step – I’m very proud. The conditions were treacherous. It was a pretty nasty race to finish on. I was very happy that I was going into it with a lead. It would have been very stressful to have to make back the points to achieve the overall. I’ve had some pretty rough times in Loudenvielle in the past, but I think I’ve crushed those demons a little bit. I think I’ve been riding really well even though the mud is super thick. I did what I had to today. The overall was the goal and we got it. World Championships next week – I’m very excited.” Tomorrow sees the final of the penultimate UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, with current series leaders Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Vali Höll (YT Mob) looking to cement their place ahead of the season finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada at the start of October.

The finale of the UCI Enduro World Cup was billed as a battle royale with both the men’s and women’s titles yet to be decided. But no one was prepared for what went down in the first race day at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, presented by Facom. The trails of the Louron bike park are regarded as the jewel of the French Pyrenees, but challenging conditions and a constantly changing terrain made for one of the most difficult Enduro races in memory.  Before the racing had even got underway, the weather was causing carnage with high winds on the high mountain leading Stage 3 to get cancelled. And once the first riders started to drop in, it was clear that the outcomes would be even harder to predict. STAGE 1: COURTALETS  The women’s overall series was finely balanced as it entered the final UCI Enduro World Cup round of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) were separated by just 63 points, while Ella Conolly and Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) could still mathematically seize the title. It was Harnden who got the early upper hand over her rival, winning the wet and sloppy 2.715km opening stage. But Courdurier wasn’t far behind the Brit – finishing third behind Ella Conolly on the stage, with a 17-second gap possible to reel in when the conditions are this difficult.  For the men, only Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) could feasibly stop Richie Rude (Yeti/Factory Race Team) from claiming back-to-back UCI Enduro World Cup overall titles and his fourth of a storied career. But the American appeared to have brought his A-game to proceedings in the French Pyrenees, showing the consistency that he has displayed all season to dispatch the first stage in 7:01.468 – a time only bettered by Greg Callaghan and Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project). STAGE 2: NABIAS  While there was a slight reprieve from the weather on course, the mud on track had turned to peanut butter by the time riders were embarking on the longest stage of the day. It would wreak absolute havoc on the women’s field – Mélanie Pugin the only rider to complete it in sub-10 minutes. But it could also prove decisive in the battle for the overall title. Harnden crossed the line more than 56 seconds down on the new race leader Pugin, but it was Courdurier who was affected most. The three-time overall series winner suffered a multitude of mechanicals and offs including a snapped front fender and finished almost two-and-a-half minutes down on the stage, dropping her down to 11th in the overall. The Frenchwoman was left with a mountain to climb to overturn her time deficit on her closest rival and was visibly upset as she started the liaison to stage four.  Nabias had a similar impact on the men’s field, with riders trying to stay on two wheels as they slipped and slid their way down the mountain. But Rude looked in imperious form, keeping things upright to finish second on the stage, 10 seconds behind winner Martin Maes – the Belgian clearly at home in the sloppy conditions. Lukasik and Murray, who were tied in sixth in the overall with exactly the same time, would now ultimately need Rude to DNF to take the title. STAGE 4: ZEBRE A mechanical uplift and flowy descent ferried the field to the start of the shortest stage of the day and the penultimate stage of the 2024 UCI Enduro World Cup season. For Courdurier, it was simple. To be in with any chance of retaining her overall title, she would need to accrue as many points as she could on the remaining two stages and hope Harnden made a mistake. The 30-year-old appeared to have put stage two’s disappointment behind her, cruising to the stage win in 3:09.044. While Harnden couldn’t match her for pace, the British rider could afford to play it safe, and her seven-second deficit still left her with an advantage of more than one and a half minutes entering the last stage. Pugin meanwhile remained in the lead on the day, with compatriot Charre eight seconds back in second. In the men’s, Maes was building an unassailable lead, winning a second stage of the day to lead Greg Callaghan in the overall by nine seconds. Rude was showing why he has been at the top of the sport for almost a decade though, finishing third on the stage to remain third in the overall while Murray and Lukasik floundered. STAGE 5: TOURTERES After a long uphill liaison, the heavens opened just as the women’s field started their attack on the final stage of the day.  It would feel like the longest 2.35km of Harnden’s life, who led the series by 14 points coming into the stage. With her time advantage, she would simply need to finish less than one-and-a-half minutes in arrears to Courdurier to give herself the best shot at winning her first overall series title. Courdurier dropped in ahead of the Brit and was leading the stage at the bottom with Harnden still on course. But as soon as the Trek Factory Racing rider crossed the line  almost 20-seconds up on Courdurier, the destination of the overall series had been settled – the pair ultimately separated by only 21 points. On the day, it was Charre who would come out on top for her second UCI Enduro World Cup win of the season, while the Frenchwoman leapfrogged Ella Conolly into third in the overall. Speaking after the race, Morgane Charre said: “I really like these conditions – it’s really fun. I got better and better with the rain – I’m so stoked to get the win. It was eight seconds to Melanie [Pugin] before the last [stage], but I love this stage and I usually do quite well.” 2024 UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner Harriet Harnden said: “I feel like I’ve finally cracked it. Beating Isabeau [Courdurier] is insane. She’s unstoppable, so it’s really special. I just wanted to ride like myself, just be me – if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. It turned out pretty good. I can’t believe it still. It feels super special. I don’t know what 2025 is going to hold yet, but I hope it will be something close to this. It doesn’t happen often and I’m just going to enjoy the moment.” While the women’s overall was all to play for until the very last stage, the men’s was more of a foregone conclusion. Rudeau would take the win on the stage, with Maes’ second place enough to consolidate first on the day – the Belgian’s first win since 2021. But Mr Consistency himself, Richie Rude, finished third on the stage and second overall to claim his fourth overall series title. Speaking after the race, Martin Maes said: “I had a funny feeling when I woke up this morning that I could do it. It’s the end of an era for Orbea and myself. Today went perfect – I didn’t taste the ground once and I just rode the best I could. I think the conditions were incredibly hard – some very deep ruts and super wet ground. It was a tough race, but I think flat pedals helped me today.” Richie Rude (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) said: “Slawomir [Lukasik] and Charlie [Murray] were there all season. It was a good battle. It feels amazing. I’ve had a really good season this year – it’s been one of my best so far. I wasn’t off the podium all year, which is pretty crazy. I’m so stoked and it feels great to back up last season and charge this whole season. Starting the season strong reassures you that whatever you did in the off-season is paying off. Winning in Finale, being strong in Poland and doing well in Leogang, carrying that momentum. Some days where I didn’t feel as strong, I was still there fighting for it. I think those moments are the ones that assured me that I was still on pace. The Switzerland race, I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I wanted to do well there and have that little bit of leeway here. That was a tough course – so many rocks, so many things could have gone wrong. I stayed consistent and didn’t have any problems.” CHRISTIE PIPS FISHER TO TITLE BY TWO POINTS WHILE KUCHYNKOVA SHOWS CONSISTENCY AS SHE’S CROWNED UNDER-21 CHAMPION Emily Carrick-Anderson (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) showed that the future’s bright for British Enduro by claiming the win in only her second U21 UCI Enduro World Cup all season.  Simona Kuchynkova would finish second – the Slovakian claiming the overall title in the process. In the Men’s Under-21 event, Czechia’s Jakub Pivnicka backed up a podium finish last time out with a fairly consistent performance to take the win over Joe Millington (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) by 1.4 seconds. There was drama in the overall though as series leader Bailey Christie (Theory Racing) almost threw it away by finishing 25th in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes – Jt Fisher (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) three points and four seconds on the day away from taking the title.  Tomorrow sees the turn of E-enduro and Downhill athletes as the Gravity action continues at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, presented by Facom. Who will come out on top between Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team)? And who will qualify fastest for Sunday’s Downhill finals?

After a two-month break, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is back this weekend with a Gravity feast as the UCI Downhill World Cup and UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Cups take to the trails of Loudenvielle - Peyragudes, France.  We look at everything you need to know about the Loudenvielle - Peyragudes round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, including when the Enduro, E-enduro and Downhill events are scheduled to take place, who is racing, and how to watch. WHEN? The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes, France starts with the UCI Enduro (EDR) World Cup at 9:30 (UTC+2) tomorrow, Friday September 6 and concludes with the Men’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup at 14:00 (UTC+2) on Sunday, September 8. Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EST+6/BST+1/CEST): Friday, September 609:30 – UCI Enduro World Cup Saturday, September 09:30 – UCI E-Enduro World Cup 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Elite 12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Elite 14:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior 14:35 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior 15:45 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Women Elite 16:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Men Elite Sunday, September 8 11:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior 13:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite 14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite WHERE CAN I WATCH? There will be several ways to watch the action unfold at France’s final UCI World Cup of the 2024 Series. For Friday and Saturday’s Enduro and E-enduro racing, there will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel on Sunday 8th of September and broadcast on Eurosport 1 at 6:30 PM CET on Thursday 12th of September.  For the penultimate UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, you can watch the finals live anywhere in the world. Both the men’s and women's UCI Downhill World Cup Junior races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals will be shown on one of the below channels or streaming services.  In the UK and Ireland, they will also be broadcast on TNT Sports 3 for the first time. Pre-show starts at 12:45 CET, so set a reminder to join Ric McLaughlin live from France: North America Canada – Flosports USA  – Max South & Central America Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela – Staylive Puerto Rico – Max Asia Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan – Staylive China – Zhibo.tv Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand  – Eurosport Oceania Australia – Stan New Zealand – Staylive Africa: Staylive Europe Austria – discovery+ Belgium – HBO Max, Eurosport 1 Czech Republic – Max, Eurosport 1 Denmark – Max France – Eurosport 1, L’Équipe TV Germany – discovery+, Eurosport 1 Greece - Eurosport Hungary – Max, Eurosport 1 Ireland – discovery+, Eurosport 1 and TNT Sports 3 Italy – discovery+, Eurosport 1 Netherlands – HBO Max, Eurosport 1 Norway – Max, Eurosport 2 Poland – Max, Eurosport 1 Portugal – Max, Eurosport 1 Romania – Max, Eurosport 1 Slovenia – Max, Eurosport 1 Spain – Max, Eurosport 1 Sweden – Max, Eurosport 1 Switzerland – Eurosport 1, Staylive United Kingdom – discovery+, Eurosport 1 and TNT Sports 3 Rest of world – Staylive RIDERS TO WATCH The Louron Bike and Trail Park is a relatively new addition to the competition calendar for Gravity riders – the Loudenvielle - Peyragudes venue making its UCI World Cup debut in 2023, although it had hosted Enduro World Series races since 2021. The venue has already shown it can deliver on the biggest stage, and if last year’s racing is anything to go by, we’re in for another epic weekend of racing. In the Men’s EDR competition, all eyes will be on Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team). The American only has to finish 18th in the final round of the series to secure the overall title, and the only two riders who can mathematically overhaul him are team-mate Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team). Both effectively need Rude to DNF to be in with a chance, but stranger things have happened. Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) meanwhile will be battling it out for the women’s Enduro overall victory; given how close they’ve pushed each other all year, expect fireworks in the French Pyrenees. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman has added incentive though – Loudenvielle - Peyragudes is her last UCI World Cup before she takes a break from racing, and potentially the last shot she has of surpassing Cecile Ravanel’s record of three overall EDR titles.  In the E-enduro, there’s also a tussle for the top spot between Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) and Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon Collective Factory Enduro Team). While he’s not in the running for the overall title, watch out for Damien Oton (Oolab Team) – the Frenchman finished second on home soil in Combloux, Haute-Savoie (France) and could look to go one better this time out.  For the women’s E-enduro, Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) won in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes last year, so expect the 2024 overall series winner to be in contention. Those looking to spoil the Chilean’s victory parade include Tracy Moseley and Estelle Charles (Specialized Enduro Team).  In Downhill, Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) took the win at the debut UCI Downhill World Cup in difficult conditions on the Louron Bike and Trail Park course last year. Both lead the respective championships and are likely to be in the mix this time round, but there’s still time for twists and turns before the season concludes in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada in October. Höll appears to be back to her best after securing a third consecutive UCI World Championship last weekend in Andorra, but Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD), Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) and Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) are ready to pounce if the 22-year-old Austrian has a finals run slip. Bruni meanwhile will be looking to bounce back after crashing in his UCI World Championships race run. The Frenchman will be under pressure from his closest rival for the overall series, Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction), while Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) will be hoping to show off the rainbow stripes in style in his first outing as UCI World Champion.  Racing gets underway tomorrow (Friday, September 6) in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes. Full schedule and event details are available HERE.

Last week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championship in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, kicked off the second half of the season with a bang after an Olympics-filled summer break. But there’s still plenty to be decided this year as the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series crosses the Pyrenees and rolls into France’s Loudenvielle - Peyragudes. The Louron Valley spot made its UCI World Cup debut in 2023 and has hosted the Enduro World Series since 2021. It’s easy to see why it’s become a staple of the season too. Located within the French Pyrenees’ top riding spot, Loudenvielle - Peyragudes is a year-round riding heaven, offering more than 500km of trails and a fast and furious pro-line downhill track that descends 540m in 2.4km. This year, the venue will play an even more decisive role in the Gravity calendar than before because it hosts the penultimate round of the UCI Downhill World Cup and the finale of the Enduro and E-enduro competitions. And with three out of four Enduro and E-enduro titles yet to be decided, expect a nail-biting finish in the south of France.  PEARL OF THE FRENCH PYRENEES Loudenvielle - Peyragudes is the premier location for mountain biking in the whole of the French Pyrenees. Located near the border with Spain and a stone’s throw from Andorra, its tight and treelined trails have become a favourite among the world’s gravity riders. The ‘DH World Cup’ trail was created especially for the 2023 UCI Downhill World Cup by the local Louron Bike and Trail Park team and French downhill icon Romain Paulhan. Melding man-made features with the hillside’s natural contours, the result is one of the most exciting courses on the whole UCI Downhill World Cup circuit. The venue’s Enduro and E-enduro stages meanwhile take in the best trails of the Louron Valley. The UCI Enduro World Cup will see athletes take on five stages during a 39.6km course featuring 2,640m of descent during the race stages, while the UCI E-enduro World Cup has eight stages across a 47km course with two power stages and 2,860m of descent during the remaining race stages. BRUNI AND HÖLL IN CONTROL Reigning overall UCI Downhill World Cup winners Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Valentina Höll (YT Mob) are the riders leading the charge, but their 2024 titles aren’t secured yet with two rounds to go.  Bruni’s closest challenger is fellow Frenchman Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction), who looks back to his best after fifth at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, and wins in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) and Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy). But five-time UCI World Champion Bruni will have a point to prove having finished down in 78th in last weekend’s rainbow jersey race – a crash ending his chances of a sixth title.  Valentina Höll had no such issues in Andorra. The 22-year-old Austrian won her third consecutive UCI world title, putting disappointing results at Les Gets, Haute-Savoie and Val di Sole, Trentino – she came fifth both times – behind her to beat a resurgent Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) by more than half-a-second. Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) is the only rider with a realistic chance of preventing Höll from taking another overall title, so neutrals will be hoping the Brit can finish above the Austrian this weekend and take the contest to a Mont-Sainte-Anne decider at the start of October, in Canada. Both Bruni and Höll will have fond memories of Loudenvielle - Peyragudes though, where they came away victorious last year. RUDE’S TO LOSE, WHILE COURDURIER VS HARNDEN WILL GO TO THE WIRE There are still 500 points up for grabs in the men’s and women’s UCI Enduro World Cup overall titles, meaning both are mathematically still to be decided. But it would require an almighty upset to not go to the current series leader in the men’s competition. Indeed, it’s Richie Rude’s (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) to lose, with the American holding a 342-point lead over his closest competitor and team-mate Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team). The 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall winner only needs to finish 18th to build an unassailable lead and retain his title, and few would bet against him achieving it as third place is the 29-year-old’s worst finish all season. The women’s Enduro competition meanwhile is all to play for. Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) are separated by just 63 points, so expect the overall title to be decided by whoever comes out on top in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes. And given how close their riding has been all year, it could even come down to the final stage. GILCHRIST VS. BORGES FOR E-ENDURO CROWN, WHILE HERREROS CAN SAVOUR HER VICTORY LAP Fabian Barel’s retirement ahead of the 2024 season might have left E-enduro fans wondering who would step up to fill the legendary Frenchman’s void, but Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) have injected some much-needed competition into proceedings. The 22-year-old Australian has the edge on his Portuguese rival for a first overall series title, but the latter has arguably had better consistency by finishing inside the top eight all season. Ultimately, Borges will need to get the better of Gilchrist and do something he hasn’t managed yet this year – take the win – to give himself the best shot. The women’s UCI E-enduro World Cup was tied up weeks ago at the Aletsch Arena - Bellwald, Valais, as Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) claimed her second consecutive UCI E-enduro World Cup overall title. But don’t expect the Chilean to take her foot off the gas in France, as she aims to take her fifth win of the season. It’s not a foregone conclusion for her though, with Tracy Moseley and the only woman to beat her all season, Estelle Charles (Specialized Enduro Team), down to start. Racing gets underway in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes on Friday with the UCI Enduro World Cup – full schedule and events details are available here.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has called time on her glittering cross-country mountain bike career, which has seen the 32-year-old achieve everything there is in the sport. The five-time world champion went out in style, seizing her first Olympic gold medal before an adoring home crowd at Paris 2024. A month later, in Pal Arinsal (Andorra), she secured a 2nd place finish, narrowly beaten by Great Britain’s new Cross-country Short Track (XCC) UCI World Champion, Evie Richards, and placed 14th at the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) World Championships, where the young Dutch all-rounder, Puck Pieterse, took the crown. It’s not the last we’ll see of Ferrand-Prévot though, who is joining road cycling’s Women’s WorldTour for the 2025 season.  Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has announced her retirement from cross-country mountain biking.  In a post on Instagram, the reigning Olympic and five-time UCI XCO World Champion said that while it was “strange” to be announcing her retirement, she was “feeling happy” and “in peace” with her decision. The 32-year-old isn’t stepping away from cycling completely though. A multi-discipline star like Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Tom Pidcock and rival Puck Pietrse (Fenix–Deceuninck), Ferrand-Prévot started her career by juggling cyclo-cross, mountain biking and road cycling. She is now turning her attention to the road – a decade on from winning the UCI Road Cycling World Championships – and will join the Women’s WorldTour road cycling team Team Visma | Lease a Bike for the 2025 season. But it marks the end of a illustrious off-road career that spanned over a decade, where she has won everything there was to. From an explosive start in the juniors to a golden final summer, here are the highlights of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s mountain biking career. PROVING HER POTENTIAL After cutting her teeth in cyclo-cross, the Frenchwoman made her UCI Cross-country Mountain Bike (XCO) World Cup debut in Houffalize, Belgium in May 2009. She finished on the podium in fourth and became the Junior European Champion only two months later. The following season, she backed up this potential with her first Junior UCI World Cup win in Offenburg, Germany, and her first rainbow stripes in the discipline in the Junior competition at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada. The step up to the Under-23 class didn’t phase Ferrand-Prévot either, who took four wins and the overall in the 2011 season before progressing to the elite class in 2012. BREAKING THROUGH While she took a couple of years to find her feet in the elite class, Ferrand-Prévot burst onto the world stage with back-to-back wins to kick off the 2014 season in Nové Město na Moravě (Czechia) and Albstadt (Germany). Her multi-discipline race schedule meant that she would only compete at one more UCI World Cup – third place in Meribel (France) – but she still managed to finish 10th in the overall, and it was clear that France had a new mountain biking star to get behind.  REACHING FOR RAINBOWS The reigning road and cyclo-cross UCI World Champion, she didn’t start her 2015 cross-country mountain bike season until August. But she had one race firmly in her sights – the UCI XCO World Championships in Vallnord, Andorra. Winning would make her the first person to hold world titles in the three different disciplines and a great of the sport at just 23. After a fast start, Ferrand-Prévot found herself in the lead on the second lap, where she did what she does best – pulling away from the chasing pack to build an unassailable lead and win by almost a minute. ALL-ROUND DOMINANCE While she managed to amass five elite UCI XCO World Championships and a bronze medal in 10 starts, her performances in 2022 highlighted what a dominant force she can be – regardless of race distance. Racing in front of a partisan crowd in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France), Ferrand-Prévot kicked off her UCI World Championships week with a win in the short track – the discipline awarded its own rainbow jersey since the 2021 season. Two days later, she sailed home first to take her fourth UCI XCO World Championship. But she wasn’t finished yet. Three weeks on from Les Gets, she beat Annie Last (Great Britain) in a sprint finish to take the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championship in Haderslev, Denmark, becoming the first rider to simultaneously hold the XCC, XCO and XCM rainbow jerseys. PERFECT FINALE IN PARIS The Olympics had always alluded Ferrand-Prévot, and the Frenchwoman had unfinished business after disappointing results at her three previous attempts – 25th London 2012, DNF Rio 2016, and 10th Tokyo 2020. For the 2024 season, she focused her sole attention on Paris 2024, avoiding the travel-heavy early rounds of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Brazil and only competing at Nové Město na Moravě (Czechia) and Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy) – both of which she won to claim the 7th and 8th UCI XCO World Cups of her career.  Lining up on the startline at the Elancourt Olympic venue, she was fresh and focused and wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way. In the lead group from the first lap, she pulled away on the second and no one could respond. By the end, she had built a lead of almost three minutes, and the destination of the gold medal was a foregone conclusion. FAIRWELL FERRAND-PRÉVOT Her final mountain bike races saw her take to the course where she had won her first UCI Mountain Bike World Championship in 2015, Andorra’s Pal Arinsal Bike Park. But it wasn’t to be a rainbow-stripped conclusion to her off road career. In the XCC, she attacked and led on the final climb but couldn’t shake off Great Britain’s Evie Richards, who narrowly beat the Frenchwoman in a head-to-head sprint for the line. She appeared to have shaken off this disappointment in the early stages of the following day’s XCO, edging up to third after a slow start. She couldn’t hold the wheels of the early pace setter and eventual winner Puck Pieterse though and started dropping backwards through the pack. Rolling across the finish line in 14th, she posted on Instagram after the race that she had “nothing in the tank” before adding that it was a “good moment to [quit] this discipline.”

The final day of the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships saw Women and Men Elite and Under 23 cross-country Olympic (XCO) finals. Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) and Alan Hatherly (South Africa) won their first Elite titles. Isabella Holmgren (Canada) and Luca Martin (France) won the Under 23 titles - Holmgren doubling up after winning the cross-country short track (XCC) title.  With warnings of an approaching storm, the decision was made to run the two men’s finals early and race the Women Elite and Women Under 23 simultaneously, most reduced by 1 lap. All were completed in good weather and safe conditions. WOMEN ELITE: PIETERSE POWERS TO THE WIN Of the 60 riders, it was a strong start for Puck Pieterse, Alessandra Keller (Switzerland), Candice Lill (South Africa) and the USA’s Savilia Blunk and Hayley Batten, along with 2023 UCI World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (France). Evie Richards (Great Britain), winner of the XCC UCI world title, crashed on the first passage through the rock section. Ferrand-Prévot dropped back as Blunk also faded. Pieterse fended off a challenge from Lill on lap 3, as the two went 30-seconds clear. Ultimately the 22-year-old Dutch woman went alone out front.  On the penultimate lap, Lill slid coming into the tech zone and a chasing Anne Terpstra closed in and passed her for a provisional Dutch 1-2. Loana Lecomte (France) was in fourth, followed by Martina Berta (Italy), and Richards. Lill and Terpstra traded places on the final lap as Berta moved away from Lecomte and survived a scare in the final rock garden, reeling in Lill to take third. Ferrand-Prévot came in 14th, signing off from mountain biking to head for road racing. “I cannot comprehend it yet!” said Pieterse. “I rode my own pace from the start. I thought I need to go all-in if I want to win this. And I kept pushing and apparently it was enough. I have my first Elite UCI World title and I’m just so happy.” Puck Pieterse (Netherlands), 1.09:41 Anne Terpstra (Netherlands), +0:59 Martina Berta (Italy), +1:19. MEN ELITE: HATHERLY HAS THE POWER The early pace came from newly crowned XCC UCI World Champion Victor Koretzky (France) and bronze medalist Alan Hatherly (South Africa), along with Frenchman Jordan Sarrou, Mathias Flückiger (Switzerland) and Luca Schwarzbauer (Germany). Even at six laps it was a race of attrition, with gaps stretching out throughout the field and stars such as Nino Schurter (Switzerland), Christopher Blevins (USA) and Sam Gaze (New Zealand) outside of the top ten.  Onto the penultimate lap, Hatherly and Koretzky – Olympic silver medalist – were seven seconds ahead of two Britons: Olympic Champion Tom Pidcock and Charlie Aldridge. Mathis Azzaro (France) and Luca Braidot (Italy) were the only other riders within 30 seconds of the leaders. The Frenchman attacked on the last long climb, and the South African matched him, then went past and never looked back. Hatherly – after bronze in the XCC, and winning the most recent UCI World Cup round at Les Gets, Haute-Savoie, France as part of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series– was on fire. He adds the 2024 XCO rainbow jersey to his 2018 Under-23 XCO and 2019 E-MTB cross-country (E-MTB) titles. Alan Hatherly (RSA), 1.09:51 Victor Koretzky (FRA), +0:22 Tom Pidcock (GBR), +0:39 “I’m really emotional to be honest. I knew I had good legs but to be able to win like that is a dream come true,” said Hatherly. “Those bands are going to stay on my arm forever and I’m looking forward to wearing them for the rest of the season and next season for sure.” WOMEN UNDER 23: HOLMGREN’S DOUBLE With the Women Under 23 and Elite races held simultaneously, the 48 U23s got the chance to mix it with the established stars. Strong starts from Isabella Holmgren (Canada) and Olivia Onesti (France) saw them swapping the lead over the first two laps, with USA’s Madigan Munro in contention up to half distance and Italy’s Valentina Corvi in third until being passed by another Canadian, Emilly Johnston on lap 3 of 5. But it was Isabella Holmgren – winner of the Under 23 XCC title earlier this week, with her twin Ava joining her on the podium – who was in a class of her own, and secured the double.  On the final lap, the 19-year-old passed Elite stars such as Evie Richards, and Loana Lecomte before crossing the line more than a minute ahead of anyone else in her category. Isabella Holmgren (CAN), 1.11.12 Olivia Onesti (FRA), +1:17 Emilly Johnston (CAN), +2:31 MEN UNDER 23: MARTIN SHINES BRIGHTEST The Men Under 23 had an early start in the morning Andorran sunshine, and it was bright starts for Dario Lillo (Switzerland), Luca Martin (France), America’s Bjorn Riley and Denmark’s Tobias Lillelund (the latter two were second and third respectively in Friday’s Under 23 XCC). From lap two of five, Riley started to fade, and Lillo and Martin were swapping the lead as Lillelund held third position and Luke Wiedmann (Switzerland) pushed into fourth ahead of Riley. But it was the 22-year-old Frenchman who was strongest, pulling out an advantage over Lillo in the second half of the race and the only man to finish under 1 hour. Luca Martin (FRA), 59:48 Dario Lillo (SUI), +0:21 Tobias Lillelund (DEN), +0:52. Full results

Day four of competition at the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships featured the Women Elite and Men Elite downhill finals. On the fast, dusty track at Pal Arinsal, Andorra, Valentina Höll (Austria) won her third successive title, and Loris Vergier (France) was the fastest of the men’s field. WOMEN ELITE: HÖLL’S HAT TRICK! As leader of the 2024 UCI Downhill Women Elite Ranking, reigning UCI World Champion, and hot favourite Valentina Höll was scheduled to set off last in the Pal Arinsal final, following Nina Hoffmann (Germany) and Marine Cabirou (France). With almost half of the 40 starters remaining, Myriam Nicole (FRA) went more than 3 seconds quicker than her own fastest qualifying time! Only two riders could compete with the 2019 and 2021 UCI World Champion’s pace. Tahnée Seagrave (2nd overall in the 2024 UCI World Cup of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series) came close: less than 0.7 sec off the French star’s time, she moved into provisional silver medal position with three riders to go. Neither Hoffman nor Cabirou could find the pace, just leaving Höll to chase the first hat-trick for more than 20 years (following Anne-Caroline Chausson, France, UCI World Champion from 1996 to 2003). Riding aggressively, with high pace but on the edge of traction, the Austrian had a 0.01-sec advantage at the final split, then found more time at the bottom.  Valentina Höll (Austria), 3:00.212 Myriam Nicole (France) +0.520 Tahnée Seagrave (Great Britain) +1.212. “I had such a hard time after the long break to get back up to speed, I really doubted myself. I was scared I didn’t know how to race a bike anymore. But to do it three times in a row it’s insane!” said Höll. “Myriam [Nicole] is one of the best in the world, I really don’t feel like I am up at their level, but somehow I am… women’s racing at the moment is amazing.” MEN ELITE: VERGIER’S LUCK TURNS As the Men Elite final heated up, double UCI World Champion (2011, 2016) Danny Hart (Great Britain) hit a 2:38.944 to take the hot seat. Amaury Pierron (France) slotted in behind.  Forty-three-year-old Greg Minnaar’s 28th performance at a UCI World Championships ended with a standing ovation and 23rd position for the South African, four-time UCI World Champion (2003, 2012, 2013, 2021).  When 2023 UCI World Champion Charlie Hatton (GBR) rolled in provisional 14th, the crowd knew the rainbow jersey would change hands. There were ten of the 83 riders left to run, with Dakotah Norton (USA), Andreas Kolb (Austria) and five-time UCI World Champion Loïc Bruni (France) the last three to set off. Before the final trio, Benoît Coulanges (FRA) went fastest by 0.135 secs and Finn Iles (Canada) took provisional second +0.021, before Andorra resident Loris Vergier (France) crossed the line 0.148 sec quicker than his countryman. Norton was half a second up when he crashed; Kolb was off the pace, leaving just ‘Super’ Bruni to go for a 6th Elite UCI World title and a French 1-2-3… Bruni was 1.8-sec up when he crashed, leaving his close friend Vergier to take the rainbow bands.  Loris Vergier (France), 2:38.661 Benoît Coulanges (France) +0.148 Finn Iles (Canada) +0.169.  “It’s like I’ve been unlucky in the past years, and I got lucky this time. It was unreal. It was a bad season and I’ve turned it round today,” said Loris Vergier. “Thanks to Loïc [Bruni] for crashing, otherwise it would have been so hard. But I’m UCI World Champion, and waaa! It’s insane.” 

The third day of competition at the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, saw Elite cross-country short track (XCC) titles go to Evie Richards (Great Britain) and Victor Koretzky (France). The first ever Under-23 XCC UCI World titles went to Isabella Holmgren (Canada) and Riley Amos (USA). Viktoria Chladoňova (Slovakia) and Albert Philipsen (Denmark) are the 2024 Junior World Champions for cross-country Olympic (XCO). WOMEN ELITE XCC: RICHARDS TIMES IT TO PERFECTION Forty-five riders started, including favourites Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (UCI World Champion and Olympic Champion), 2022 silver medalist Alessandra Keller (Switzerland) and 2023 silver medalist Puck Pieterse (Netherlands). Ferrand-Prévot set the early pace, matched by 2016 XCO Olympic Champion and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Rissveds (Sweden). At half distance, last year’s XCC bronze medalist Evie Richards (Great Britain) passed Pieterse for third and caught Rissveds. As the Swede slipped, the Briton caught the Frenchwoman and the two went clear.  Ferrand-Prévot attacked on the main climb, but Richards stayed close. The British rider timed her sprint perfectly to take the win in 19:46 and add the XCC rainbow jersey to her 2021 XCO rainbow stripes. Ferrand-Prévot (FRA) finished 1 second behind, and Rissveds took bronze (+0.18).  “I really can’t believe it, I wanted to win so badly.” said Richards. “Honestly when she [Pauline Ferrand-Prévot] stayed on my wheel i thought ‘I don’t know if I can stand it’. So I waited for the sprint and I didn’t know if that would be long enough. I’ve been here at altitude for near three weeks doing 20-second sprints!” MEN ELITE XCC: VICTORY FOR VICTOR Paris 2024 Olympic XCO silver medalist Victor Koretzky and fellow Frenchman Jordan Sarrou set the early pace amongst the 45 starters with Denmark’s Simon Andreassen and Alan Hatherly (RSA), overall leader of the 2024 UCI XCO World Cup in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. 2021 XCC UCI World Champion Chris Blevins (USA) – anchor leg of the successful team relay squad earlier this week – was in the mix, joined at halfway by 2022 and 2023 XCC UCI World Champion Sam Gaze (NZL). The two Frenchmen stayed out front and Koretzky started attacking on the penultimate lap. Blevins stayed close to them until he was passed by Great Britain’s Charlie Aldridge (2023 XCO U23 UCI World Champion) just before the bell. Sarrou faded but Koretzky had the pace to stay three seconds in front of his chasers to take victory. A three-way sprint for the other medals saw Aldridge take silver, Hatherly bronze and Blevins fourth. Sarrou finished in fifth place, 11 seconds further back. “I’m super happy about this win,” said Koretzky. “I’ve had lots of wins in UCI World Cups, but never the UCI Worlds, I’m so happy to win this jersey finally ! I think my last short track races were super good, I was in the top 5 all season.” WOMEN U23 XCC: HOLMGREN TWINS ON THE PODIUM! Some 31 riders from 13 nations took to the start in a bid to become the first ever Women U23 XCC UCI World Champion. It was one of the pre-race favourites, Canadian Isabella Holmgren, who built a lead over the chasers that included her compatriot Emilly Johnston, and USA’s Madigan Munro. Britain’s Ella Maclean-Howell joined them after half distance and went clear in 2nd on lap 5, while Holmgren’s twin sister Ava hit the group on the penultimate lap. But Isabella never looked like relinquishing the gold medal position, leaving the fight behind her. Isabella Holmgren (Canada) won in 20:31; Maclean-Howell (+22-sec) second; Ava Holmgren (Canada) third (+26-sec). MEN U23 XCC: RILEY AMOS LEADS USA 1-2 Chasing the first Men U23 XCC rainbow jersey were 48 starters, including favourites Riley Amos and Bjorn Riley (both USA). RSA’s Luke Moir set the early pace with Dario Lillo (Switzerland), Tobias Lillelund (Denmark), Cole Punchard (Canada) and the two Americans looking dangerous as a lead group formed. With Brayden Johnson (USA) and Owen Clark (Canada) in the mix, the race developed a distinctively North American feel. Lillo suffered a mechanical, leaving the Dane to lead through the final lap. But right at the end, the two Americans took charge, with Amos winning the sprint against his countryman Riley, leaving Lillelund to take the bronze and the Swiss rider to fight bravely for fourth.  WOMEN JUNIOR XCO: SLOVAKIA’S CHLADOŇOVA WINS IN STYLE Of the 57 riders who took to the start line, it was the 17-year-old Slovakian Viktoria Chladoňova who soon stretched out a lead over Slovenian Maruša Tereza Šerkezi. She had Canada’s Rafaelle Carrier for company before the Canadian made 2nd her own as Chladoňova managed the gap out front.  Chladoňova won in 1:01:24; second Carrier (+0:36) and third, Šerkezi (+1:31). MEN JUNIOR XCO: DENMARK’S PHILIPSEN RETAINS HIS TITLE From a field of 84, 17-year-old defending UCI World Champion Albert Philipsen went out fastest, followed by his fellow Dane Nikolaj Hougs, who led a group including two Spaniards – Alejandro García Vázquez and Hugo Franco Gallego - and two Nicholases: Konecny of the USA and Kalanquin of France. Philipsen steadily stretched his lead to almost 2 minutes, leaving the others to fight for the other podium spots. Philipsen won 1:01:59; second Gallego (+1:55); third Hougs (+1:56). 

Day two of the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, saw Erice Van Leuven (New Zealand) successfully defend her Women Junior downhill rainbow jersey. Asa Vermette (USA) is the new Men Junior downhill UCI World Champion.  VAN LEUVEN RETAINS HER RAINBOW STRIPES Taking to the start hut in Pal Arinsal (Andorra) were 20 Junior Women representing 14 nations. Riding with the Number 11 plate, 2nd fastest qualifier Ella Svegby (Sweden) knocked 14 seconds off the previous fastest run. Heather Wilson (Great-Britain), winner of three UCI World Cup rounds in 2024, struggled and finished 19th. It was only the Kiwis who could compete with Svegby’s time: Eliana Hulsebosch was the first rider to get within 10 seconds of the Swede. Sacha Earnest finished within 6 seconds of Svegby to finish third, as she did in Fort William, Scotland (Great Britain) in 2023. Then it was all down to fastest qualifier Van Leuven who pulled out a sensational run to light every sector green and win for the second successive year. Erice Van Leuven (NZL) in 2:59.891  Ella Svegby (SWE) +6.357 Sacha Earnest (NZL) +12.180 VERMETTE SHOWS PURE CLASS Fifty-nine riders representing 19 nations started the Men Junior final. When third-fastest qualifier Bode Burke (USA) set a time of 2:41.699 - more than 3 seconds faster than every previous rider - there were six more riders still to go. New Zealand’s Tyler Waite came close to the American’s time, but it was only the last two riders, fastest qualifier, France’s Max Alran (with two UCI World Cup wins this year) and USA’s Asa Vermette (three UCI World Cup wins so far in 2024) who could go quicker than Burke.  Asa Vermette (USA) in 2:39.185  Max Alran (FRA) +1.516 Bode Burke (USA) +2.514 On Friday, men and women UCI World Champions will be crowned for Junior cross-country Olympic (XCO) as well as Elite and Under 23 cross-country short track (XCC).

The first day of the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, saw rainbow jerseys awarded to Sofia Wiedenroth (Germany) and Jérôme Gilloux (France) in E-mountain bike cross-country (E-MTB), before the USA took their first win in the cross-country team relay (XCR). WOMEN’S E-MTB XC: WIEDENROTH DOMINANT FROM THE START  Germany’s Sofia Wiedenroth set the early pace with Austria’s Anna Spielmann and defending UCI World Champion Nathalie Schneitter (SUI), while one of the other pre-race favourites, Justine Tonso (FRA), was near the back after the first lap. Spielmann’s race was over on lap 2 as she appeared to suffer with injury. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old German steadily increased her lead, with the 38-year-old Swiss rider remaining in touch. Chile’s Florencia Espiñeira Herreros, the overall E-enduro leader of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series with one UCI E-enduro World Cup round remaining, secured third place, while Italy’s Alia Marcellini finished in fourth. Wiedenroth claimed the rainbow in confident, commanding style, with a time of 1:00:09, just over a minute ahead of Schneitter and a little over two minutes from Flo Espiñeira. The highly experienced Kathrin Stirnemann (Switzerland) was fifth.  MEN’S E-MTB XC: GILLOUX BACK IN THE RAINBOW The favourites, 2021 and 2022 UCI World Champion Jérôme Gilloux and defending UCI World Champion Joris Ryf (Switzerland) slugged it out from the start, with Hugo Pigeon (France) in third, and cross-country Olympic (XCO) specialist Martín Vidaurre Kossmann (Chile) and Mirko Tabacchi (Italy) in close attendance. While Gilloux – who suffered a late mechanical in last year’s final, finishing third – was eking out a small advantage, the riders behind him were swapping places, as Vidaurre passed Pigeon and Ryf, the Swiss rider then slipping back further – with the top four circulating within 20 seconds at the halfway point.   After winning the first two rounds of the 2024 UCI E-MTB World Cup, Gilloux maintained his perfect record to take back the crown as UCI World Champion. His winning time of 1:01:32 was 29 sec clear of Vidaurre, the Under-23 XCO UCI World Champion in 2021, with the silver medal. Pigeon got bronze (+45-sec), with Ryf and Tabacchi rounding out the top five. TEAM RELAY: BLEVINS LEADS USA HOME TO PIP FRANCE Fifteen national teams came to the start line at Pal Arinsal, each with six riders tackling one lap. With men and women Elite, Under 23 and Juniors riding in the order prescribed by their team management, the lead – and most other positions – would swap many times.  A strong start from Luca Braidot (Men Elite) saw Italy and five-time former UCI World Champions France (Luca Martin – Men U23, then Nicolas Kalanquin - Men Junior) swap the lead over the first two laps. Denmark was close, along with the USA with Nicholas Konecny (Men Junior) preparing to hand over to Haley Batten (Women Elite).  Meanwhile, reigning UCI World Champions Switzerland were sneaking up from 9th to 6th by the end of lap two as Austria honed in on Denmark for provisional fifth. Lap three was a battle of Women Elite riders up front with Italy’s Martina Berta leading until France’s Loana Lecomte overpowered her, while Ramona Forchini took the Swiss outfit into 4th, with eyes on their last leg, Thomas Litscher (Men Elite). Batten’s work prepared Vida Lopez (Women Junior) to move into 2nd place for the USA, 30-sec behind France’s Olivia Onesti (Women U23), with Italy third.  When Lopez faded, Italy’s Giada Martinoli (Women Junior) passed her before handing to Valentina Corvi (Women U23) for the penultimate circuit. Madigan Munro (Women U23) regained 2nd place for the USA and chased the leader, ready to tag Christopher Blevins (Men Elite) for the final blast. Meanwhile Isabella Holmgren (Women U23) took Canada up to 4th, before handing over to her older brother Gunnar (Men Elite).  On the final lap, Blevins found his way ahead of Frenchman Mathis Azzaro, while Holmgren did his best to chase down Italian Mattia Stenico (Men Junior). USA won in a time of 1:19:38 just 3-sec ahead of France, with Italy third (+1.31), Canada fourth and Switzerland fifth. NOT FORGETTING DOWNHILL In the Junior downhill (DHI) qualifying ahead of Thursday’s finals, Erice van Leuven (NZL) was the fastest woman in 2:59:533, almost 10 sec ahead of Ella Svegby (SWE) and Heather Wilson (GBR). In the Men Junior qualifying, the USA’s Asa Vermette pipped Max Alran (FRA), with Bode Burke (USA) in third.