MERCI PAULINE: FRENCH ICON FERRAND-PRÉVOT HANGS UP HER MOUNTAIN BIKE HELMET FOR THE LAST TIME

WBD Sports and the UCI are pleased to announce the 40 teams to have earned WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status for the 2026 season.The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series status guarantees their participation in every round of the series within their respective formats, placing them at the forefront of the sport’s elite competition.For the first time, the top 10 teams in the UCI Ranking (across Endurance and Gravity) have secured a two-year licence, underscoring their position among the sport’s elite.SECOND SEASON UNDER THE NEW QUALIFICATION FRAMEWORK After three years under WBD Sports’ guidance, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is set to embark on its second season since redefining the teams’ qualification criteria for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.The overhaul, introduced ahead of the 2025 season, established WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams (previously known as UCI MTB Elite Teams) for the first time. This protected status guarantees participation in every round of their respective formats.The goal was to help teams build greater value, offering more benefits to athletes and the sport, creating a clear group for fans to rally behind, delivering more thrilling races, and establishing a clear pathway to the pinnacle of mountain bike. Early results speak for themselves – the 2025 series ranked among the most competitive in recent memory.For the 2026 season, a total of 83 teams from 20 nations registered as UCI MTB Teams across all formats. Of those, 40 teams across both Endurance and Gravity have secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status:REFINED SELECTION CRITERIAEach format’s 20 selected teams feature the top 15 from the UCI Team Rankings plus five full-season wildcard spots awarded through a scoring matrix.A team’s UCI points are calculated by combining the points of the team’s four highest-ranked riders, regardless of category (Men Elite, Men Junior/U23; Women Elite, Women Junior/U23). These points are earned at Finals across all UCI-registered events (not just WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series rounds). The ranking cut-off was 28 October 2025.Ahead of the 2026 series, the selection criteria for WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status were refined. The key change: unlike in 2025, riders no longer carry their points when transferring teams during the off-season. This means a team secures its World Series Team status based on its 2025 performance—even if the riders who delivered that success have since moved on.Also for the first time, the top 10 ranked teams in both the Endurance and Gravity formats have secured a two-year licence, while teams ranked 11-15 receive a one-year licence:ENDURANCE2-year licenceSpecialized Factory RacingDecathlon Ford Racing TeamCanyon XC RacingCannondale Factory RacingThömus MaxonWilier-Vittoria Factory TeamOrbea Fox Factory TeamCube Factory RacingScott-SRAM MTB Racing TeamBIXS Race Team1-year licenceTrek - Unbroken XCOrigine Racing DivisionKMC Nukeproof MTB Racing TeamGiant Factory Off-Road Team - XCLapierre PXR RacingWildcards (1-year licence)BH Coloma TeamLiv Factory RacingMondraker Factory Racing XCBMC Factory RacingAlpecin-Premier TechGRAVITY2-year licenceCanyon DH RacingSanta Cruz SyndicateCommencal/Muc-Off by Riding AddictionOrbea FMD RacingMondraker Factory Racing DHYeti / Fox Factory Race TeamCube Factory RacingSpecialized GravityTrek - Unbroken DHCommencal Schwalbe by Les Orres1-year licenceNorco X adidas Race DivisionMS-RacingNukeproof Axess RacingUnno Factory Racing DHGiant Factory Off-Road Team – DHWildcards (1-year licence)Santa Cruz Burgtec by GoodmanScott Downhill FactoryFrameworks Racing / TRPAON RacingContinental AthertonHOW ELSE CAN TEAMS TAKE PART IN THE WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES?For teams that haven't secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status, up to eight Wildcard spots per format are available at each UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. These Wildcard teams are announced ahead of each WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round and are selected based on factors such as UCI Continental Series results, UCI team rankings and individual athlete profiles.HOW ABOUT PRIVATEERS AND INDIVIDUALS?Individual riders are still eligible to enter a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round based on the following criteria:Champions: Any current Olympic Champion, UCI World Champion, UCI Continental Champion or National Champion.Cross-country: any Elite athlete ranked in the top 100 or any U23 athlete ranked in the top 200 based on the last UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) Individual Ranking dated before the event entry closing date of the round.Downhill: any Elite athlete ranked in the top 50 or any Junior athlete ranked in the top 100 based on the last UCI Downhill Individual Ranking dated before the event entry closing date of the round.There are also additional spots up for grabs for the top Elite, Under 23 and Junior riders in any round or in the final standings of the UCI Continental Series, provided the rider is not registered with a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team. More information is available in the UCI Regulations (art. 4.10.001 and 4.11.001).The 2026 season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series kicks off on May 1 with the Race of South Korea – marking the return of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to the Asian continent for the first time in 25 years.

The 22‑year‑old has spent much of the past year racing and training in Europe, a period marked by intense physical effort, travel, and time spent far from home. Following the close of the season, Maxwell has made the decision to step away temporarily from elite competition to prioritise her long‑term well‑being.In 2026, Maxwell will focus on rest, recovery, and personal reconnection, stepping back not only from racing but also from media duties, social media, and public appearances. The break will allow her to reset physically, recharge mentally, and spend valuable time with family and the communities that shaped her.Sammie Maxwell said: “This is the perfect time for me to take a break, breathe, and reconnect with my roots. I want to spend time with my family, recharge, and prepare for the challenges ahead,”Despite pausing her racing schedule next year, Maxwell’s focus continues to be a return to competition with renewed energy as she works toward her ultimate goal - representing New Zealand at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.We wish Sammie a restorative year ahead and look forward to welcoming her back to the start line when the time is right!

A record‑setting year both on and off the trails, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports used the global platform of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series to drive meaningful impact across the sport and its communities through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program and beyond.COMMITMENT TO CLIMATE ACTIONMountain bike and nature go hand-in-hand, and the importance of protecting the natural environment is critical for the future of the sport. To signify this and its continued commitment to sustainability, WBD Sports signed the UCI Climate Action Charter at the start of the 2025 season.Aligning with the Charter reinforces WBD Sports’ dedication to reducing its environmental footprint while championing the bicycle as a powerful symbol and instrument of climate action and ensures that initiatives such as science-based reduction targets and the biodiversity protection remain top priorities.As the global promoter of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, WBD Sports plays a key role in encouraging and supporting its partners at each event to develop and implement initiatives aligned with this policy, ensuring that events and their stakeholders are working toward the same goals. This collaboration effort is essential for the successful implementation of most initiatives under the program.This was seen first-hand on the ground in Araxá, Minas Gerais (Brazil), where professional riders and WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series representatives joined a local tree-planting initiative at the venue. It follows a similar program from 2024 where 1,000 trees were planted at the Brazilian location – the number determined through a technical assessment of the event’s emissions, from air travel to local event logistics.These actions, along with its continued focus on sustainable event management, saw WBD Sports renew its ISO 20121 certificate – a prestigious validation of the structured framework that is applied to integrate sustainability into event management practices. In addition to promoting social inclusion and ensuring economic viability for all stakeholders, the framework involves setting long-term goals, implementing sustainable measures, evaluating performance, and continually improving internal and external processes and policies — all with the aim of reducing the environmental and social impact of the large-scale international events that WBD Sports promote.SHAPING THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE OF THE SPORTWBD Sports’ CSR roadmap also places a strong focus on fostering inclusivity and equality within the sport, while inspiring the next generation of riders.Building on the networking breakfast held in Les Gets in 2024, which brought together women from across the mountain bike community, the brand-new Women in Mountain Bike program marked its first milestone in 2025 with the appointment of a WBD Ambassador.The Ambassador’s role is to connect athletes, staff, industry members and media voices to share ideas, identify challenges and collaborate on solutions to ensure the sport is equally accessible for women.The initiative aims to help build an inclusive and equitable environment and increase female representation across all areas of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, which will hopefully have a trickle-down effect to the wider mountain bike community.The 2025 season also provided once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for young people, hosting special kids press conferences in partnership with Local Organising Committees at Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria), Lenzerheide (Switzerland) and Pal Arinsal (Andorra) where children from local schools and bike clubs had the opportunity to interview their heroes.Riders involved in the unique experience included WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series stars Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe By Les Orres), Andreas Kolb (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Mona Mitterwallner (Mondraker Factory Racing XC), Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), Loris Vergier (Commencal Muc-Off By Riding Addiction), Loana Lecomte (BMC Factory Racing), Camille Balanche, Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing), Thomas Litscher and Fiona Schibler (Bike Team Solothurn).This enriching experience connected the present and the future of the sport, inspiring enthusiasm among the next generation and encouraging their active participation in sporting events.Chris Ball, VP Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Our impact on the territories we visit around the world is aimed to continue long after the races are won. From individual actions in one location to wide-reaching strategies that guide how we operate globally, these initiatives are an integral part of our operations and hold significant importance for all stakeholders involved in delivering our events. This is not just words on paper; every decision we make takes into account how it aligns with our CSR roadmap”.Looking ahead to the 2026 season, WBD Sports remains committed to delivering events that are as thrilling on the trails as they are responsible, innovative and pioneering off them. The initiatives and actions launched this season will continue to grow and evolve, ensuring that the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series not only raises the bar in sporting performance but also leads the way in social and environmental impact.