NJEMCEVIC AND PÁEZ STORM TO XCM VICTORY IN MEGÈVE, HAUTE-SAVOIE

The UCI has confirmed the locations for the four mountain bike formats at the second-ever unified UCI Cycling World Championships, with Cross-country and Downhill returning to the UCI World Cup staple of Les Gets and Enduro and Cross-country Marathon tackling the trails of the Grand Massif. Les Gets, Portes du Soleil has been picked for Cross-country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Downhill. The bike park is a firm favourite amongst mountain bike fans and hosted its first UCI Downhill World Cup in 1996. It has previous experience hosting UCI World Championships too – first the UCI Downhill World Championships in 2004, and most recently XCO, XCC and Downhill in 2022. Enduro and Cross-country Marathon (XCM), meanwhile, will see athletes compete on the Grand Massif’s expansive 400km network of trails. With the French Alps as a backdrop, both races are sure to be a spectacle for riders and fans alike. The mountain bike formats are just four of the 20 UCI World Championships that will be held across 12 sites in the Haute-Savoie department during the second-ever UCI Cycling World Championship. An expansion on the first event in Glasgow 2023, it will see 10,000 Elite and Amateur athletes compete for rainbow bands in disciplines as varied as road, track, BMX, indoor cycling and eSports between August 24 - September 5, 2027. Some two million fans are expected to travel to the Haute-Savoie department for the 13 days of competition, with the whole of the area part of the festivities, while its breathtaking landscapes and iconic landmarks like Mont-Blanc will be celebrated during the contests. Speaking at a press conference in Sallanches, France, UCI President David Lappartient said: “These combined UCI Cycling World Championships were part of my vision when I was elected UCI President in 2017. This vision became a reality in 2023 in Glasgow and across Scotland, and we are now building on what we created in Scotland, in an even wider range of cycling specialties. I am delighted that this edition will take place in Haute-Savoie, a recognised host region for UCI events in several disciplines. Cycling in all its splendour will be celebrated in the French department.” In 2025, the Haute-Savoie department will host all formats of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series over two consecutive weekends. Morillon will make its debut as a UCI Enduro World Cup venue from August 22–24, followed by UCI World Cup events in Les Gets—including XCC, XCO and Downhill —from August 28–31.

Vera Looser and 2023 series winner Lejla Njemčević took the women’s UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup title to the last 5km of a nail-biting series, while Fabian Rabensteiner led the defense of his XCM crown with a round one win and didn’t look back.  Cross-country Marathon is a different beast from its Olympic and Short-track cousins. Distances clock 100km, the terrain can be more rugged and wild than the groomed terrain found in the shorter formats, and riders must be self-sufficient for long stretches with significant distances between tech and feed zones.  Staying consistent across a season requires experience, skill, near-endless reserves of energy, and a bit of luck – a mid-race mechanical likely to end a rider’s shot at victory. And with three XCM races in the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, there was not a lot of room for error.  Two riders with all the necessary attributes in the 2024 series were Vera Looser and Fabian Rabensteiner. While Looser only made her UCI XCM World Cup debut in 2023, the Namibian has been a tour de force and is yet to finish outside the top three. Rabensteiner meanwhile entered the season as the defending champion and once again managed to be the most consistent rider from all three rounds.  LOOSER OVERTHROWS NJEMČEVIĆ IN TIGHT TITLE BATTLE  With a total of 750 points up for grabs over the whole season, riders needed to maximise any chance they could to score big. Looser did just that in the opening round in Nové Město na Moravě, breaking clear on the second lap of the Czech course to beat the reigning series winner Lejla Njemčević. The Namibian scored an early advantage to lead the standings by 50 points – a gap that would ultimately prove crucial.  In Megève, Haute-Savoie (France), the Bosnian got her revenge – putting more than 13 minutes into second-placed Rae Hannah Otto, with Looser a further three minutes behind in third. The overall was tightly poised – Njemčević overtaking Looser to lead by 40 points with one round remaining. It would be a straight shoot-out in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid, USA: if either won, they’d be guaranteed the title; if Looser beat Njemčević but someone else finished first, the marginal difference in points would decide it.  In the end, the series went down to the last of three 33km loops at the New York State venue – the pair inseparable for the first three-plus hours. Njemčević was the first to falter, dropping from the lead group including Looser and Rosa Van Doorn (Buff Megamo Team). But Looser’s title wasn’t guaranteed yet; if the Namibian had finished second, she would have been tied on points with Njemčević. With more than the race on the line, the 31-year-old found an extra burst of speed to outsprint Van Doorn, claiming her second UCI World Cup win of the season and her first overall title.  RABENSTEINER RALLIES TO BACK-TO-BACK SERIES WINS  Like Looser, Fabian Rabensteiner got his title tilt off to the best possible start in Nové Město na Moravě, rallying from 11th at the end of the first lap to build a seven-second lead by the race’s conclusion – Alex Miller and Samuele Porro completing the podium.  In Megève, Haute-Savoie, the Italian was unable to hold the pace of the veteran Colombian Héctor Leonardo Páez Leon, finishing more than seven minutes behind in fifth place. With Miller not racing in France, Rabensteiner’s lead in the standings was safe, but Páez Leon had emerged as his closest challenger – only 60 points separating them with one round remaining.  While not as close as the women’s series, the Italian needed to finish ahead of Páez Leon to ensure a second title. And this wasn’t guaranteed until the final few metres. Entering the arena, a group of nine featuring Rabensteiner and Páez Leon were still battling it out for the podium spots. Simon Schneller (Team Bulls) had the edge after almost four hours of racing, while Rabensteiner clinched third. With Páez Leon settling for ninth, the Italian’s title was confirmed.

After almost four and five hours respectively, both the men’s and women’s UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup races came down to sprint finishes in the third and final UCI World Cup of the season with Vera Looser and Simon Schneller (Team Bulls) coming out on top. Looser’s win saw her crowned the series champion, while Fabian Rabensteiner retained the men’s overall.  After a marathon 100km of racing, the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup title came down to sprint finishes in the men’s and women’s competitions on a fast-paced course in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid (New York, USA).  The women’s race was won by Vera Looser, who had enough left in the tank to edge Rose Van Doorn (Buff Megamo Team) for her second UCI XCM World Cup win of the season. Simon Schneller (Team Bells) meanwhile came out on top in a nine-rider contest for the men’s race.  The results saw the XCM overall series titles decided too – Looser leapfrogging Lejla Njemcevic to win by 50 points, while Rabensteiner’s third place saw him extend his lead over Héctor Leonardo Páez to retain his title by 120 points.  LOOSER SPRINTS HER WAY TO THE WIN  The women were the first to set off and were faced with three laps of the punchy 33.3km course. After a fast and frantic start, a nine-strong lead group had formed by the end of the first lap.  As they crossed the start-finish line for a second time, the pack had been whittled down to five – the quintet composed of Njemcevic, Looser, Van Doorn, Janina Wüst (Buff Megamo Team) and Margot Moschetti.  It was the Frenchwoman who was first to crack on the third and final lap, and the remaining four stayed together deep into the race. And then there was three, with Wüst dropped inside the final 10km.  But fans didn’t get a sprint showdown for the series title as the race entered its final kilometers – Njemcevic unable to hold Van Doorn and Looser’s wheels as the riders passed the 97km checkpoint.  In the end, it was the Namibian who came out on top, throwing her handlebars just at the right time to narrowly beat Van Doorn. Njemcevic meanwhile finished third, 31-seconds down.  The result was Looser’s second consecutive UCI XCM World Cup win, following her victory in Nové Město na Moravě (Czechia) in May, and secured her first XCM overall series title.  Speaking after the race, Vera Looser said: “I quite like riding in a pack, especially in such a long race because there’s always something happening and you can dice yourself, you can hang on, you can attack or different things. I prefer that to just riding on my own. Today was a long race but it was a tactical race. There’s a lot of punchy climbs and technical sections but they’re never long or difficult enough to drop somebody, so I knew it would probably come to a smaller group at the end and it might come down to a sprint. I was totally fine with that because my sprint is quite good. At the end of the day, it’s who wants it the most – especially with such a tight final. It’s amazing to win this race overall. The UCI World Cup defines the best rider of the season over all courses, over different races, over different tactics. I think I pulled that off pretty well.” SCHNELLER EDGES NINE-MAN THRILLER, RABENSTEINER RETAINS TITLE The men’s race was just as engaging, as the 40 starting riders had only been reduced to a group of 17 after a relentless first lap. The group was still together another 33km later, and it was only in the dying stages of the race that riders started to feel the pace.  Entering the final 10km, it was a 10-strong group that included title favourites Rabensteiner and Paez Leon, and whoever came out on top between the pair was most likely to take the overall title.  Gearing up for the final sprint though, it was Schneller who had the edge in the nine-man pack – the 27-year-old German doing enough to outgun Martin Stošek (Canyon Sidi MTB Team) to win his first UCI XCM World Cup.  Rabensteiner was a close third, guaranteeing him the title, while his rival Páez Leon finished at the back of the pack in ninth. Speaking after the race, Fabian Rabensteiner said: “I’m super happy with this title. Back-to-back is not easy. I performed well this year. I started well in Nové Město and had a good race in Megève. [This] course wasn’t so much for me, but I felt super strong and could bring home this trophy.”