Cink Takes 12-Year Vintage Victory and Pieterse Lights Up Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland with Solo Supremacy

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Series would witness something of the changing of the guard in the Cross-country formats for 2025. Reigning UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Champions Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) would instead focus on the road – both skipping the first two and final two rounds of the year – while one of the G.O.A.Ts Pauline Ferrand-Prevot didn’t set foot on the trails once all season as she targeted (and won) the Tour de France Femmes. Elsewhere, consistent performers of previous seasons – Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) had age and a comeback from injury to contend with.This void at the top of the table opened up the chance for other riders to stake their claim. And it was an opportunity that both Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) seized with both hands.The pair were ever present at all 10 rounds of the series. But their debut title wins were down to more than simply showing up – both Blevins and Maxwell displaying the consistency needed be crowned overall champions. From an unprecedented three XCO-XCC doubles to an almost-perfect podium season, here’s how Blevins and Maxwell did it.BLEVINS BLOWS COMPETITORS AWAY BEFORE OVERCOMING MID-SEASON SLUMP IN STYLEPrior to the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Christopher Blevins had only won two XCO races on the biggest stage – a sprint finish in Mairiporã (Brazil) in April 2024 and in Snowshoe (USA) back in September 2021. While the 27-year-old would have to settle for second best to teammate Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) at the opening round in Araxá, Minais Gerais (Brazil), when the field returned six days later, the American made sure he didn’t miss again.His victory in South America was his third of the opening two rounds – Blevins also picking up the opening two UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup wins – and started a run of first-places that would last until round four in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzbugerland (Austria). A 17th place on the slopes in the Austrian alps wasn’t enough to dent his overall lead, while by the series’ midpoint in Val di Sole - Trentino (Italy), his advantage was more than 300 points.Blevins’ form appeared to desert him in Pal Arinsal’s (Andorra) high altitude arena – a 29th place his worst result of the year – and things didn’t seem to improve with 12th and 27th in Les Gets, Haute Savoie (France) and Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide (Switzerland), respectively. But when the chance to mathematically secure the overall arose at home in Lake Placid Olympic Region (USA), the American rose to the occasion – clinching a third UCI XCO World Cup and XCO-XCC double of the season, and with it the title.Blevins could relax as the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series crossed the border into Canada for the final round, where teammate Martin Viduarre Kossmann (Specialized Factory Racing) secured second in the overall, and Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) third.MAXWELL CLINCHES NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST UCI WORLD CUP OVERALL CROWNSamara Maxwell had an impressive debut elite season in 2024, finishing within the top 20 at every UCI XCO World Cup she entered, but the 23-year-old took things up a gear for 2025 and signaled her intent from the off.At the opening round in Araxá, the New Zealander edged Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) and teammate Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) to record her debut UCI XCO World Cup win and the top spot in the overall, and it was a position she held on to all the way to the season’s end.Although she would only claim one more victory – in Pal Arinsal – the young rider’s consistency made her a runaway force that was impossible to contain. After her win in the season opener, Maxwell would become a feature of each round’s podium until race weekend 8 in Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide at the end of September – when she finished sixth (her lowest position of the entire year).Other riders looked like they might be able to threaten Maxwell’s dominance. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin Deceuninck) put together a hat-trick of wins in Nové Mesto na Moravě (Czechia), Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland and Val di Sole, but the 2024 UCI XCO World Champion lost her way in the second-half of the season. Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) went one better, winning the final four UCI XCO World Cups of the series and the UCI XCO World Championship, but the Swede had ultimately left it too late to topple Maxwell. The Decathlon Ford Racing Team rider had to wait until the Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) season finale to confirm her crown, but signed off her season with a fourth second-place to take her and her country’s first-ever UCI World Cup overall series. Elsewhere, Rissveds would have to settle for second, with 2024 UCI XCO World Cup overall winner Alessandra Keller third.CORVI AND TREUDLER CROWNED U23 WINNERSIn the U23 field, another two riders dominated proceedings with podium-perfect seasons between them.In the women’s Under 23, Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) completed her second U23 season in style, picking up podiums at every round she entered and three wins in Val di Sole, Pal Arinsal and Les Gets. The Italian could afford to skip two rounds and still win at a canter to Vida Lopez De San Roman (Trinity Racing).In the men’s U23, it was the Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) show. The Swiss 22-year-old dominated the field, winning eight out of 10 rounds with the only blemishes on his near-perfect record third-place in Nové Mesto na Moravě and second in Val di Sole. His 601-point victory in the overall over Rens Teunissen Van Manen (KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team) is one of the most one-sided performances ever, and it will be interesting to see how he fairs when stepping up to the elites in 2026.

Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) produced the most dominant display in women’s Elite Cross-country Olympic (XCO) history in Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada), presented by Events.com, while Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) took the first Men Elite UCI XCO World Cup win of his career. Samara Maxwell also made history of her own and became the first women’s Elite rider from New Zealand to win the UCI XCO World Cup overall title. The Decathlon Ford Racing Team rider sealed her crown with an emotional runner-up spot, while Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) overcame a battle of her own for third. The men’s elite race was a much closer affair, with British national champion Aldridge making a decisive last lap attack to narrowly beat Martin Vidaurre (Specialized Factory Racing) into second, while Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) finished third.  Isabella Holmgren returned to mountain biking for her home UCI World Cup and completed a weekend double in the women’s U23 category, while Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) was rewarded for her consistency with the overall title. Despite already wrapping up the Men Under 23 UCI World XCO Cup and Cross-country Short Track (XCC) overall titles, Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) rounded off his season with another perfect weekend. RISSVEDS FINDS RHYTHM TO LEAVE OPPONENTS IN WAKE Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) rounded off a perfect end to her season by winning by a record race margin in Mont-Sainte-Anne. Despite missing out on vital overall points early in the season, the Swedish rider has turned her season around in style with eight wins from her last 10 world class starts, including winning the UCI XCO World Championship title.  Following a consistent season Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) came into the final UCI World Cup race of the season knowing that a top eight finish would make history for her country. However, Rissveds still had a chance of stealing the overall honours if her young rival made any mistakes. While there was hesitation on the opening climb from the favourites, Linda Indergand (Liv Factory Racing) marked her retirement by powered through on the opening climb to briefly lead. However, by the top of the opening hill Rissveds regained the lead and pulled out a slender advantage over Maxwell and Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli), as Indergand paid for her effort. Within five minutes of racing Rissveds had already pulled out a 10-second advantage over a resurgent Maxwell as she wound her way up the Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) slope. In the battle behind, Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) had a good start and was leading the chase for the podium positions behind Maxwell. Following the starting loop, Rissveds had pulled out an impressive 31-second advantage, but Maxwell was being chased by an eight-woman chasing group. Following the first complete lap Rissveds’ lead had doubled to over a minute, while the chasing group were 10 seconds behind Maxwell. The group battling for third contained Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing), Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team), Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon), Candice Lill and Richards, as Berta started to lose ground. By the midway point Rissveds had an emphatic margin of 1:51 over a comfortable Maxwell, while Blunk was dropped from the chasing quartet 50 seconds further back. Frei forced the pace on the fourth time up the climb and the subsequent descent to pull away with Richards in the battle for third. Maxwell was given a fright herself after almost crashing after catching a rut, banging her leg but remaining on her bike. Blunk also had trouble in the downhill rock garden and crashed resulting in losing time to the podium battle.  Taking the last lap bell Rissveds had a commanding lead of 2:48 over a consistent Maxwell. Frei and Richards were locked in a battle for third 4:02 behind the leader as they traded blows on the final climb, while Keller remained chasing a handful of seconds further back. Rissveds closed the book on an emphatic end to the season with a record winning margin of 3:30, over an emotional Maxwell who secured the overall series title with second. Meanwhile, Richards overcame a last lap mishap in the wooded area and passed Frei to clinch third. Talking about winning by the biggest margin in XCO history. Rissveds said: “This is the first time I’m speechless. “I was really tired towards the end of the race. I really felt it in my legs. I was just focusing on flow today, I really enjoyed the course, it’s a really cool course. “It’s proper mountain biking and they kept the heart of the course, I really tried to just enjoy it. I had no plan, I just wanted to ride with good flow and my own race. It worked out, it’s really nice. “It has been a big learning season. I feel everything happened this year, I became very dominant towards the end of the season, I won the World Championships and there’s still so much to learn. I’m still hungry and excited for the future.” Meanwhile, 23-year-old Maxwell won the overall series for the first time in her young career, beating Rissveds into second and Keller third.  Maxwell said: “I was thinking about how much stress we go through as athletes. “We had 11 races this year, including the World Championships, and I was on the podium for 10 of them.  “This season has been incredible, there has been so much belief in the team for me.  “To stay consistent was trusting in my own system, my own process, coach, my team and recovery. Just listening to the people around me who supported me were the main thing.” ALDRIDGE POWERS AWAY FROM RIVALS FOR MAIDEN XCO VICTORY Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) bided his time to launch two blistering attacks and took his first Men Elite UCI XCO World Cup victory. The 24-year-old, who finished third in Pal Arinsal – Andorra and second in Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide, recovered from a poor start and then attacked from a leading quartet for glory. Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) was a noticeable absentee from the final XCO round after deciding to focus on recovery following a crash in the previous round at Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York, the previous weekend.  Aldridge had work to do away from the line after missing his pedal at the start and being shuffled back down the pack. Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (Specialized Factory Racing) capitalised from the mistake and led the early pace, along with Simon Andreassen (Orbea Fox Factory Racing). The Mont-Sainte-Anne course provided early drama as XCC winner from Friday Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) crashed on a bridge before moments later XCO and XCC series winner Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) also slid out on a loose corner. The battle between Specialized Factory Racing and Cannondale Factory Racing was developing again on the opening lap as both teams placed riders highly in the leading group. A blistering place set by Specialized Factory Racing resulted in a seven-man group going clear consisting of Blevins, Vidaurre, Aldridge, Martin, Andreassen, Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) and Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing). Vidaurre showed his fearless descending which forced himself clear after 30 minutes of racing with Aldridge and Azzaro. Boichis saw the danger unfolding and attacked the chasing group to draw back up to the leaders. Young British rider Aldridge was bidding for his first XCO and on the penultimate lap attacked to put his rivals under pressure on the climb. The Cannondale Factory Racing rider continued to power up the punchy switch-back climb to pull out five seconds on his opponents. Vidaurre and Azzaro provided a response to the pressure and pulled back the young British rider before taking the last lap bell, while Boichis dropped out of podium contention. Aldridge repeated his move from the previous lap and took the lead from Vidaurre at the top of the lengthy climb and forced the pace into the wooded section. The young British rider again pulled out a six-second gap on the steep switch-backs as Vidaurre desperately chased and Azzaro was distanced in third 10 seconds behind. Aldridge was able to look back at the bottom of the descent and see the margin he had pulled out on his chasing Specialized Factory Racing opponent. The British national champion continued to push the pace home on the final section to win by 11 seconds from Vidaurre and Azzaro completed the podium.  Following his victory Aldridge said: “What a way to finish the year, I’m over the moon with that. “I’ve been working towards an XCO win my whole career. This year I’ve been close a couple of times, so to finish it off like this is unreal. “The last two laps were full gas, I was cramping up, everybody was cramping up. It was just a battle of attrition. “Towards the top of the climb I could see I was getting a bit of a gap, so on the last lap I was just going full gas to get to the finish. I made it.   Blevins had already sealed the overall XCO series coming into the final round, while Vidaurre was second and Martin finished third. Blevins said: “It has been a beautiful year. “I’ve got to let myself catch up with myself a little bit. Right now I feel extremely grateful, proud of myself, proud of the team, it’s been quite a ride. “The process is working, I worked on my own subtle mental game and with the team everything is clicking. “I stuck with the process, believe in it and had some breakthrough moments. Not much has changed, but in a way everything changes.”   HOLMGREN HAS DOMINANT WEEKEND, WHILE CORVI SEALS TITLE Isabella Holmgren produced a perfect weekend with two solo victories as she returned to women’s U23 mountain bike action in style. The Canadian rider has missed half of the UCI World Cup rounds this season due to her multi-discipline calendar, road racing with Lidl-Trek. However, after winning the opening two rounds, Holmgren bookended the season with a weekend double in Mont-Sainte-Anne. Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) was looking to seal the overall series title and pulled out a slender lead after the opening loop, with Holmgren 12 seconds behind in fourth. American Vida Lopez De San Roman (Trinity Racing) won the previous XCO round in Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York, and was joined by Holmgren, Corvi and Olivia Onesti (BH Coloma Team) in the leading group after the first full lap. However, on the second lap Holmgren stamped her authority on the race and pulled a 16-second advantage over Lopez De San Roman and Covi. The gap continued to grow to 51 seconds coming into the final lap as the chasing pair battled for second. Holmgren had time to be cautious on the final lap, while Lopez De San Roman was strongest and gapped Corvi for second. After completing a weekend double on home tuft Holmgren said: “I really didn’t want to crash on the same rock as last year. “I made it through, pretty focused the whole race and then in the last lap I really made sure I stayed on the bike.  “I definitely want to continue racing road and mountain bike, I found a really good balance with the team and I’m happy continuing both. Meanwhile, a third placed finish for Corvi was enough for the Italian to clinch the overall title, ahead of Lopez De San Roman in second and Ella Macphee (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) in third. After taking the overall victory Corvi said: “It’s just amazing. I wanted to enjoy the race as much as possible. This jersey means a lot after quite a complicated season, I missed two races with injury.  “I’m speechless with the results and let’s enjoy it as much as possible.” TREUDLER COMPLETES PERFECT WEEKEND WITH SUPERIOR WIN Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) completed a dominant men’s U23 campaign with an eighth XCO UCI World Cup win from 10 rounds this season. The Swiss youngster had no pressure coming into Mont-Sainte-Anne having already wrapped up both XCO and XCC overall titles.   After being made to work for his slender victory in Friday’s XCC the Cube Factory Racing rider had a more comfortable outing in the XCO. Treudler was joined on the starting loop by countryman Maxime Lhomme and the pair had an advantage of 11 seconds. Not content with his margin Treudler went alone on the first full lap and would not been seen by his rivals again. By the third lap the UCI World Cup series winner had an unassailable margin of 43 seconds as the podium battle behind started to take shape. Heby Gustav Pedersen (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) finished second in the XCC but suffered a slower start and had to battle through from seventh on the starting loop. Pedersen moved up to second on the third lap and his pace resulted in the chasing group slimming down.  Frenchman Naël Rouffiac (Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret) was another rider who paced his effort well on the testing Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) course. Rouffiac battled back from 20th on the starting loop and was lapping quickest during mid-race to join the podium fight on the penultimate lap. However, Pedersen had energy in reserve and responded with the quickest lap of the race. Treudler saw his winning margin shrink to 29 seconds due to the battle behind, while Pederson finished just three seconds ahead of Rouffiac in third. Treudler dominated the overall series finishing ahead of Rens Teunissen Van Manen (KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team) in second and Pedersen in third. Following his victory Treudler said: “It means so much, it has been such a great season. “I’m just super happy to finish it off in this way, it has just been a fantastic season. I really liked the track this year. “The climbs suited me really well and I could push really hard today. It was just a really good day again and so happy about my win. “I’ll try to be as good as possible, I’m following my way and will just try and be the best version on myself. The success will be a result of that.”   The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series has now concluded for 2025, with the opening round of 2026 happening on May 1-3 with the Race of South Korea.  

While three out of six titles were decided last time out in Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York (USA), there are still three series on the line in the Cross-country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Downhill. It couldn’t be in a more fitting location either – Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) hosting its record 30th UCI World Cup.  We look at everything you need to know about the Mont-Sainte-Anne round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, presented by Events.com, including when the Cross-Country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Downhill events are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to watch.   WHEN?  The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Mont-Sainte-Anne starts with the Women Under 23 UCI XCC World Cup at 09:45 (UTC-4) on Friday, October 10 and concludes with the Men Elite UCI XCO World Cup at 15:30 (UTC-4) on Sunday, October 12. Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC-4 (BST+5/CEST +6): Friday, October 10 12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Women Elite 13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Men Elite 14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior 14:20 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior 15:05 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Women Elite 15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Men Elite 9:45 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women U23 10:35 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men U23 16:20 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite 17:00 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite Saturday, October 11 11:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior 13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite 14:10 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite Sunday, October 12 09:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women U23 11:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men U23 13:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite 15:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite WHERE CAN I WATCH? There will be several ways to watch the action unfold at Canada’s only Cross-country and Downhill UCI World Cups of the 2025 season. The UCI Downhill World Cup Qualification day can be followed on live timing and across social media. For the tenth and final UCI Cross-country Olympic, UCI Cross-country Short Track and UCI Downhill World Cups 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 discovery+ (in front of paywall), HBO Max* (in front of the sports add-on) and MTBWS TV (included in subscription), while the Elite finals will be shown on one of the below channels or streaming services: North America Canada – Flosports, RDS USA – HBO Max South & Central America All Central and South American territories – MTBWS TV Asia Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand – Eurosport China - Zhibo.TV (Only Elite Downhill races live) All other Asian territories – MTBWS TV Oceania Australia – Stan Sport New Zealand – MTBWS TV Africa Angola, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cape Verde, Cote d'lvoire, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial, Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Niger, Reunion, Rwanda, South Africa, Eswatini, São Tome and Principe, St Helena and Ascension, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Socotra, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia - Supersport All African territories – MTBWS TV Europe Andorra – HBO Max, Eurosport Austria – discovery+, Eurosport Belgium – HBO Max, Eurosport Bosnia & Herzegovina – Max, Eurosport Bulgaria – HBO Max, Eurosport Croatia – HBO Max, Eurosport Czechia – HBO Max, Eurosport, CT Sport+ (only Elite XCO and XCC races live) Denmark – HBO Max, Eurosport Faroe Islands – HBO Max, Eurosport France – HBO Max, Eurosport, L’Equipe (Only Elite DHI and XCO races live) Germany – discovery+, Eurosport Hungary – HBO Max, Eurosport Ireland – TNT Sports Italy – discovery+, Eurosport Moldova – HBO Max, Eurosport Montenegro – HBO Max, Eurosport Netherlands – HBO Max, Eurosport North Macedonia – HBO Max, Eurosport Norway – HBO Max, Eurosport Poland – HBO Max, Eurosport Portugal – HBO Max, Eurosport Romania – HBO Max, Eurosport Serbia – HBO Max, Eurosport Slovakia – HBO Max, Eurosport Slovenia – HBO Max, Eurosport Spain – HBO Max, Eurosport Sweden – HBO Max, Eurosport Switzerland – MTBWS TV , SRF/RSI (Only Elite XCC and XCO races live) Türkiye – HBO Max, Eurosport United Kingdom – discovery+, TNT Sports All other European territories – MTBWS TV RIDERS TO WATCH In Downhill, just 72 points separate Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) in the overall, and whoever comes out on top has a good chance of securing the title. It’s advantage Super Bruni in terms of points and experience, but the Canadian closed the gap on the Frenchman with a higher finish in Lake Placid Olympic Region (fourth vs sixth), has home advantage, and has a 100% record at Mont-Sainte-Anne as an elite rider – winning his last race at the venue at the end of 2023. Even if Goldstone wins on Sunday, Bruni can still be a heartbreaker and deny the 21-year-old a debut title by finishing on the podium to claim his fifth overall title. The showdown also has the chance to be the closest overall title battle in history, which is currently 2010 when Gee Atheron beat Greg Minnaar by just seven points. In terms of recent form, Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - DH) will be targeting a follow up to his first-ever UCI World Cup win last Saturday, Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) recovered from a two-second deficit at intermediate split two to finish runner-up just 0.7 seconds back on Meier-Smith, Henri Kiefer (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) has recorded back-to-back podiums at the last two rounds, and Bike Kingdom-Lenzerheide (Switzerland) winner Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) appeared to be onto a flyer on Whiteface Mountain before a mistake in the second sector cost him a shot at back-to-back wins. Shaw, Pierron and Loris Vergier (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) are all in the running for third in the series, too. The women’s overall might have been decided in Lake Placid Olympic Region, but there’s still plenty at stake. Valentina Höll (YT Mob) recorded the first perfect weekend of 2025 in the women’s field to clinch her fourth series. The Austrian will be looking to add UCI World Cup win number 13 to her collection in Mont-Sainte-Anne and sign off a turbulent year in style. Her closest rival in the rankings, Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race Division), will be looking to bounce back in front of a home crowd after a poor showing south of the US-Canada border, while Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea/FMD Racing) can leapfrog the 20-year-old in the standings if results go her way.  Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) is another rider to look out for. The Frenchwoman was best of the rest in Lake Placid Olympic Region and has been unfortunate with some big crashes in qualifying and finals this year, but the 35-year-old clearly has good race pace as she searches for her first win of the year. Either side of the Downhill action is the Friday’s XCC and Sunday’s XCO, with both of the women’s series still to be decided. Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) is in control of the short track series, but both Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) and Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) can overhaul the Brit if results go their way. All three have been in scintillating form of late, so expect them to go tyre-to-tyre until the finish line in Mont-Sainte-Anne.  Rissveds will also be a favourite in Sunday’s Women Elite UCI XCO World Cup – the Swede winning four of her last five Olympic-distance races, including the UCI XCO World Championship and last Sunday’s final in New York state. But the 31-year-old has most probably left it too late to catch Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Factory Racing) in the overall series – the New Zealander’s 183-point advantage almost unassailable unless disaster strikes. Maxwell herself is also a favourite to record her third UCI XCO World Cup win of 2025, while Richards and Keller are likely to contend for the podium places. Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing), meanwhile, wrapped up both the men’s XCO and XCC overall titles last weekend with two sprint victories over teammate Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing). The American can afford to take it easy north of the border, but few would bet against him attempting a fourth XCO-XCC double of the series. Boichis will also be in the frame in Mont-Sainte-Anne, while Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) and Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (Specialized Factory Racing) are currently sitting in second place in the XCC and XCO standings, respectively. Looking to spoil Specialized’s party, though, is Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) who able to contest for the first runner-up in both series. The Frenchman hasn’t hit the same heights as in Pal Arinsal (Andorra) and Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) after being forced to miss the UCI MTB World Championships with Covid, but an eighth-place finish on Sunday shows he’s heading in the right direction.  Racing gets underway on Friday, October 10 in Mont-Sainte-Anne. Full schedule and event details are available HERE.