Łukasik and Conolly Dominate to Win Debut Overall Enduro Titles

Trentino, a staple region on the WHOOP UCI MTB World Series calendar, has been awarded hosting rights for the 2031 Cycling Super World Championships.Announced in Kigali, Rwanda following a vote during the UCI’s annual congress, the event will follow a series of world-class events to grace the region over the next six years that also includes the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games and the 2028 Winter Youth Olympics.The 2031 edition of the UCI Super World Championships will span two weeks and unite all major cycling disciplines in one location, including road, track, mountain bike, gravel, BMX, trials, enduro, granfondo, indoor cycling, cycling e-sports, pump track, and bike polo. More than 10,000 athletes are expected to participate across 20 disciplines, with over 200 rainbow jerseys on the line in elite, youth, para-cycling, and masters categories.“This result rewards Trentino’s proven ability to host world-class events,” said Maurizio Fugatti, President of the Autonomous Province of Trento. “We are extremely proud that the UCI has entrusted us with organizing the 2031 Super World Championships.”Andrea Abodi, Italian Minister for Sport and Youth“The awarding of this ‘World of Worlds’ to Italy for 2031 – said Minister Andrea Abodi – is another wonderful international recognition of our ability to present a bid rich in content and opportunities, capable of combining an excellent project with the credibility of a team of institutions that have worked together over time for a common goal. Trentino, together with Veneto for the velodrome being built in Spresiano, confirms itself as a land of sport, the land of cycling par excellence, with all the requirements needed to guarantee a fantastic world-class event, both technically and in terms of the emotions this land can offer. These will be six years of joint work with the Autonomous Province of Trento, Trentino Marketing, all the municipalities involved, and the Italian Cycling Federation, aiming to add many other cultural and social contents to the sporting dimension, making the world cycling festival unforgettable. The Government will work to ensure a positive legacy in three areas: promoting cycling in schools, developing infrastructure for the various cycling disciplines, and improving safety for those who ride bikes for sport or leisure. I wish good work to everyone from now on for this exciting new chapter in Italian sport, congratulating President Fugatti and his team for achieving this prestigious goal and thanking UCI President David Lappartient for the trust he has placed in us.”Luciano Buonfiglio, CONI President“With pride and satisfaction, I welcome the awarding of the 2031 UCI World Championships to Trentino. Today a unique territory has been rewarded, and once again Italy’s ability to organize major sporting events has been recognized. This is the result of fantastic teamwork between institutions, the Federation, and local organizations. This ‘Super Worlds,’ which brings together all disciplines, will provide an extraordinary showcase for our country and its sporting and cultural heritage, fueling the passion for two-wheeled sports that has always inspired Italians.”Cordiano Dagnoni, President of the Italian Cycling Federation“We are particularly pleased with the awarding of the 2031 UCI Super World Championships to Trentino, which rewards the ability of a region that has demonstrated in recent years that it can welcome and organize every cycling discipline in the best possible way, consistently achieving excellent participation levels. At this point, we just need the new velodrome, which the Federation is working on together with the UCI: it will be a facility worthy of a world-class event. As a country and as the Italian Cycling Federation, we are particularly proud because this confirms our reliability as organizers and our high-quality standards, now universally recognized.”

The 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships are well underway in Valais, Switzerland, and it was the Gravity formats that were getting in on the action first. For the second-ever UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Enduro, Aletsch Arena/Bellwald was chosen as the venue, with racing split over two days – three stages on day one, and three stages on day two. The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Downhill, meanwhile, returned to the canton’s iconic Champéry track – scene of the Downhill 2011 UCI World Championship and Danny Hart’s (Great Britain) wet and wild ride. RUDE AND LUKASIK GO TO THE WIRE Richard Rude Jr (USA) might be a legend of Enduro riding, but his impressive collection of honours lacked a rainbow jersey after he missed out on the debut UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Enduro to Alex Rudeau (France) last year.  While the American might have switched his focus this to Downhill season, the 30-year-old wasn’t going to let the opportunity to right the wrongs of last year pass him by, and lined up in Aletsch Arena/Bellwald, Valais with a point to prove. There was one man who would attempt to stand in his way, though –Yeti/Fox Factory Racing Team teammate Sławomir Łukasik (Poland). The Pole had already clinched this year’s overall series, which included his first three UCI Enduro World Cup wins, and had his own goal to become the first ride to win the overall UCI World Cup and UCI World Championship in the same year. Initially, the advantage went to Lukasik, who led after the first day’s three stages, even with a 25th place finish in stage three. Rude was his consistent self, though, remaining within the top four on the first three stages to sit second. After stage four, Łukasik extended his advantage, but Rude had other ideas. The American smoked the field, using all of his race-winning experience to claw back five seconds on Łukasik on stage five, before edging him in the final stage to win by 2.5 seconds. Image: SWpix Stage one winner Elliot Jamieson (Canada) would round out the podium, recording his best Elite Enduro result to date. 2025 UCI Enduro World Cup winner Melvin Almueis (France) also took the men’s Junior UCI World Championship title. HOSKIN OVERCOMES CONOLLY IN FINAL STAGE SHOWDOWN The battle was almost as tight in the women’s field, albeit with four riders within 10 seconds of the winning time. Elly Hoskins (Canada) set the early pace, winning stage one and stage three. But it was Ella Conolly (Great Britain), who led at the halfway point – the UCI Enduro World Cup overall winner fastest on stage two and still showing strong form despite skipping the final UCI Enduro World Cup round of the season in Morillon, Haute-Savoie (France). Image: SWpix Stage four saw last year’s overall winner, Harriet Harnden (Great Britain), come to the fore, but it was too little too late for the Brit, who like Rude, has also been focusing on Downhill this year. Stage five witnessed a big swing in the lead, Hoskin taking 20 seconds from Conolly. And it would ultimately set up the win for the Canadian, who took another nine seconds from the Brit on the final stage to win by 4.53 seconds. Mélanie Pugin (France) would take the final podium spot, pipping Harnden in the final stage. Nežka Libnik (Slovenia) claimed the women’s Junior top spot. GOLDSTONE BLITZES THE FIELD Jackson Goldstone (Canada) is making up for lost time. After sitting out last season with injury, the 21-year-old has been the in-form rider of 2025, equaling Aaron Gwin’s record by winning four consecutive UCI Downhill World Cups, and finds himself at the top of the UCI Downhill World Cup rankings. A firm favourite ahead of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, it was interesting to see how the Canadian reacted after a disappointing result last time out in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) the week before. It didn’t seem to phase him, and he piloted his Santa Cruz V10 down the bone dry course in his signature smooth style. He led from the first intermediate split and didn’t look back, piecing together an insanely fast run that no one could get close to. Henri Kiefer (Germany) was the surprise package and had a long wait in the hot seat until Goldstone finally shaved almost two seconds off of his 2:56.099 time. Ronan Dunne (Ireland) meanwhile continued his strong form, adding a bronze medal to his second UCI Downhill World Cup win in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie. Frenchman and five-time World Champion Loïc Bruni was the last rider down the hill but crashed out before posting a time, handing the rainbow jersey to the Canadian and adding another dramatic chapter to their season-long battle in the UCI Downhill World Cup. Frances’s Max Alran took the Men Junior UCI World Championship title. HÖLL EDGES NICOLE TO WIN HER FOURTH CONSECUTIVE TITLE Valentina Höll (Austria) hasn’t won a bike race since the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Andorra last August. The 23-year-old has been close to the top spot since, and even leads the UCI Downhill World Cup rankings thanks to her consistency, but a win has seemingly alluded her at every turn. When it comes to the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, though, she can raise her game to another level – as shown in her three consecutive rainbow jerseys coming into Champéry. Image: SWpix After the first split, it was looking like it might be the end of her winning streak – Tahnée Seagrave (Great Britain) recording the fastest first section. But Höll was just getting into her groove, and set about dominating the rest of the mountain. By split two, she was in the green, and she gradually started to increase her lead thanks to her consistent and calculated way of riding. The last rider other than Höll to wear the rainbow jersey – Myriam Nicole (France) – was the only athlete within a second of the Austrian’s time, stopping the clock 0.667 seconds down. Marine Cabirou (France) made it a French 2-3. In the junior category, Rosa Zierl (Austria) took the win.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports confirm the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar for the 2026 season. The fourth year of the revamped format for mountain bike’s different UCI World Cups - launched in 2023 to unite almost all of mountain bike’s major formats under a single brand for the first time - will visit three continents and nine countries across 14 events between May and October and will feature the best athletes in the sport’s Endurance (Cross-country Olympic, XCO and Cross-country Short Track, XCC) and Gravity (Downhill, DHI and Enduro, EDR) formats.The series kicks off with a landmark weekend of Cross-country and Downhill racing at the Race of South Korea in MONA YongPyong – the first-ever Asian UCI XCO and XCC World Cup rounds and first UCI Downhill World Cup round on the continent in 25 years. After this, the action moves to Europe for the summer, with Nové Město Na Moravě (Czechia) welcoming the Endurance formats and Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France) welcoming the Gravity formats – the UCI Enduro World Cup starting outside of Italy for the first time since 2023.The following weekend sees the first of two XCO/XCC/DHI/EDR quadruple-headers at long-term partner venue Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland (Austria), before riders get a week’s break leading into the start of five back-to-back WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series race weekends.Lenzerheide (Switzerland) and Pal Arinsal (Andorra) welcome both the Cross-country and Downhill contingent, while Val di Fassa - Trentino (Italy) and the 2025 UCI Enduro World Championships venue Aletsch Arena-Bellwald, Valais (Switzerland) are the proving grounds for Enduro. In the middle of the five-week run is La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta (Italy), which hosts the second quadruple header of the series. Cross-country has also been added to the schedule following a successful debut for the venue in 2025 which saw the steepest Downhill track in the series’ history as well as the world’s first Enduro night stage.After a summer break, the European leg of the season concludes with back-to-back race weekends in Haute-Savoie (France) – one Cross-country and Downhill, the other the Enduro finale – before the Series jets off to North America for three rounds and two new venues. The first will see Cross-country contested on the trails of Soldier Hollow, Midway, Utah (USA) – a venue hosted by the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, home to the USA Olympic biathlon team training centre and a regular on the IBU Biathlon World Cup circuit. With the region preparing to co-host the Olympic Winter Games in 2034, Soldier Hollow brings Olympic pedigree and world-class credentials to the closing stages of the season.Downhill will then take to its spiritual home in Whistler Mountain Bike Park, British Columbia (Canada), delivering on decades of anticipation with a stage set for unforgettable racing. The iconic venue, which hosted the Olympic Winter Games 15 years ago, will welcome the world’s best downhill riders for a UCI World Cup for the first time. The final weekend will see both the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups decided in Lake Placid Olympic Sites, New York (USA).Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series was always going to be about bedding in the major reforms that we introduced at the start of this year, and the competitiveness and excitement of each format shows that the changes are working. For 2026, we’re doubling down on our successes and pushing the sport even further into new territories. “The 2026 calendar will witness 14 gripping events that take in the world’s best destinations, including four proven Olympic venues, with half returning under multi-year agreements reflecting our sustained investment in the sport’s growth. Every venue we've introduced since 2023 has quickly become a favourite among athletes, highlighting WBD’s commitment to pushing the limits of performance while prioritising safety and expanding a world-class, global calendar. We’re continuing to expand the reach of the sport by bringing Cross-country Olympic racing to Asia for the first time, growing our footprint in the USA, and will fulfil a long-term wish from fans, teams and athletes alike by adding Whistler – one of the world’s most iconic mountain bike destinations - to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar from next year.” UCI President David Lappartient said: “Bringing together three different UCI World Cups, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series will see many stories unfold in 2026 as the weekends of competition progress. The succession of races throughout the season means athletes must strive for consistency, and logically there will be ups and downs along the way. The experience of seasoned riders and the sheer audacity of younger athletes always makes for thrilling competition across the different rounds."In 2026, the UCI World Cups for cross-country Olympic, cross-country short track, downhill and enduro will span 14 weekends in the space of six months with exciting new hosts joining some of the series’ favourite venues. I am particularly pleased that the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series will expand into Asia in 2026, adding a new dimension to the series and providing a prestigious opening to the season.”WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES 2026 CALENDAR:Round 1 / May 1-3: Race of South Korea, South Korea (UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups)Round 2 / May 22-24: Nové Město Na Moravě, Czechia (UCI Cross-country World Cup)Round 3 / May 28-31: Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, France (UCI Downhill and UCI Enduro World Cups)Round 4 / June 11-14: Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland, Austria (UCI Cross-country, UCI Downhill and UCI Enduro World Cups)Round 5 / June 19-21: Lenzerheide, Switzerland (UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups)Round 6 / June 26-28: Val di Fassa - Trentino, Italy (UCI Enduro World Cup)Round 7 / July 3-5: La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta, Italy (UCI Cross-country, UCI Downhill and UCI Enduro World Cups)Round 8 / July 8-12: Pal Arinsal, Andorra (UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups)Round 9 / July 17-19: Aletsch Arena - Bellwald, Valais, Switzerland (UCI Enduro World Cup)Round 10 / August 14-16: Haute-Savoie, France (UCI Cross-country and UCI Downhill World Cups)Round 11 / August 21-23: Haute-Savoie, France (UCI Enduro World Cup)Round 12 / September 19-20: Soldier Hollow, Midway, Utah, USA (UCI Cross-country World Cup)Round 13 / September 25-27: Whistler Mountain Bike Park, British Columbia, Canada (UCI Downhill World Cup)Round 14 / October 2-4: Lake Placid Olympic Sites, New York, USA (UCI Cross-country and UCI Downhill World Cups)