This storied venue makes its ninth appearance on the UCI International Mountain Bike Calendar, with riders lining up to take on the famously-steep Pyrenean trails, that sit at a lung-busting altitude of more than 2,000 metres, for both the UCI Cross-country and UCI Downhill World Cups. Fresh from the UCI Cycling World Championships (held in Glasgow and across Scotland from 3 to 13 August), athletes now shift their focus to the sharp end of the UCI World Cup calendar. The first elite athletes to get between the tapes will be the cross-country riders, who will kick off their week with the cross-country short track (XCC) on Friday evening, before lining up again on Sunday for the cross-country Olympic (XCO). In the women’s race few would bet against Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) after her dominant performance in Glentress, Scotland, saw her crowned UCI World Champion for both the XCC and XCO. However, it’s Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who leads the current UCI XCO World Cup standings so expect a strong showing from her, as she fights to maintain that lead. In the men’s competition, Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) remains the man to beat in the XCO, as he leads the standings by more than 100 points, ahead of France’s Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) in second and Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) in third. In the XCC standings it’s Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) who’s way out front and he’ll be working hard to stay at the top of the leaderboard as we head into the last half of the race season. In the UCI Downhill World Cup all eyes will be on the newly-crowned UCI World Champions, Charlie Hatton (Continental Atherton) and Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team). Höll currently trails series leader Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) in the overall standings, but less than 50 points separate the pair and a win from either this Saturday would secure them the series lead. The stakes couldn’t be higher in the men’s race, where just 12 points lie between series leader Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and fellow Canadian Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity). And just over 30 points back lies Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity). However, Hatton will be heading into the weekend feeling confident after his decisive UCI World Champs victory in Fort William and is more than capable of a podium finish in Pal Arinsal. To follow all the racing live from Andorra be sure to tune into GCN+ . More information about the races taking place in Pal Arinsal is available here.
It’s less than two months to go until the biggest mountain bike festival of the year gets underway - and you can be there. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival, Haute-Savoie - Châtel, Les Gets, Morzine-Avoriaz kicks off next month and is like nothing that’s gone before. Featuring no less than 20 individual UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, this brand new festival is the biggest celebration of mountain biking the world has ever seen. Each of the major mountain bike formats will be represented across the ten days; Cross-country Olympic, Short Track, Marathon, Downhill, Enduro and E-Enduro. The biggest names in the sport will be taking to the iconic trails of this most famous of race venues - but they’re not the only ones. Amateur racers are invited to get between the tapes at the Marathon of Morzine and the Enduro of Chatel , allowing them to race the same trails as the biggest names in the sport and compare their times against the World’s best riders. Racers in the Marathon of Morzine will take on an epic 100km course that encompasses the very best terrain that the region has to offer. Featuring some very challenging climbs, the views at the top and the thrilling singletrack descents will make the event worthwhile. Enduro riders can test their skills on an incredible multi-stage course at the Enduro of Châtel. This famous venue will not only host an amateur race, but also make its UCI Enduro World Cup debut. Amateur racers get to take on the same course as the pros, then watch them hit the same lines the next day. And for those not brave enough to take to the start line, there’s a whole programme of festival events to enjoy instead. Each of the venues (Châtel, Les Gets and Morzine-Avoriaz), will have a dedicated Red Bull fan zone to make sure you can follow all the race action as it happens. There’s also film nights, ride-outs and parties throughout the ten days across all three festival sites. For more information on how to enter the Marathon of Morzine and the Enduro of Chatel click here.
UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Cup Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) 860 points (+80) The king of horsepower, Luca Schwarzbauer continues to threaten to turn the world back on its axis with his corss-country short track (XCC) performances. Not only does he have almost irresistible reserves of firepower however, in 2023 he’s becoming a pass master in where and how to best deploy them. There have been some clever performances in his wake but ultimately no-one has found an answer to getting past the big German. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) 720 points (+14) Consistency has long been multiple UCI World Champ Pauline Ferrand-Prevot’s watchword and this season, despite stating that she’d prefer to be winning UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup races, she’s been a podium constant on Friday evenings. UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup Nino Schurter (Scott SRAM MTB Racing Team) 848 points (+122) Rumour has it that teams of scholars of linguistics are combing the farthest flung corners of the earth in an attempt to unearth as-yet unheard superlatives for what Nino Schurter is accomplishing in 2023. Joking aside, when he goes, he goes and no-one has any answers for it. Lenzerheide (where he took the overall wins record) and Val di Sole (where he vanished at the front of the race) were both vintage displays and well worthy of the points lead. Behind him his rivals continue to scrap and take points off of each other. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin Deceuninck) 1096 points (+296) The Flying Dutchwoman is rapidly becoming the stand out, brightest star of 2023. She’s a threat in the UCI XCC World Cup but it’s in the UCI XCO World Cup where she really comes to life. Three out of four rounds have gone her way - it looks highly likely that more will follow. UCI Mountain Bike E-Enduro World Cup Fabien Barel 546 points (+13) One of the most established figureheads of international mountain bike racing refuses to hang up his painstakingly well-positioned cleats. Barel is pioneering onwards on a new battlefield - E-EDR. He remains cagey about how many more rounds he will compete in but rest assured if he has a leader's jersey to defend then he will take to the start stage. Flo Espineira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) 708 points (+49) Popular Chilean Flo Espineira is one of those journeyman racers who seems to have landed in a format that suits her down to the ground. Laura Charles (Miranda Factory Team) remains a thorn in her side but as long as Flo keeps smiling, she’ll keep the lead. UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup Richie Rude (Yeti / Fox Factory Racing Team) 1862 points (+173) They say that the third time's a charm but could this be the season that America’s Richie Rude finally clinches his third overall title for Yeti / Fox Factory Racing Team? The UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup is proving to be a tightly-contested theatre of conflict as ever. Only two riders (Sam Hill and Cecile Ravanel) have managed to snare three titles in staged racing over the years. Rude is on two and, for now, looks confident of making it three. Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) 2210 points (+144) Much more so than the elite men’s ranks, elite women’s side of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup is more used to seeing single dominating figures loom large at the top of the overall points tables. But over the last couple of years, that has shifted. New faces have emerged and rivalries have dug in. Isabeau Courdurier, already an overall winner, is under pressure from Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) but is still holding on to the jersey. UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup Camille Balance (Commencal AM Dorval) 1020 points (+38) In the elite women’s ranks of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup the momentum feels like it is firmly with one Valentina Höll (XXXX). The reigning UCI World Champion won at home in Leogang and backed it up with a win in Val di Sole Trentino. But, crucially, it’s not yet been enough to remove the leaders jersey from the shoulders of the reigning overall title holder Camille Balanche. The Swiss star will be hoping that the summer break takes some of the momentum out of Höll’s current stellar form. Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) 786 points (+12) The early season headlines and plaudits (rightly) went to Jackson Goldstone’s rival Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) when he won his first ever elite level UCI World Cup win at the first time of asking at round one in Lenzerheide. But Goldstone kept working and kept building his speed. It nearly came together in Leogang before his irresistible performance in Val di Sole brought him not only that debut top flight win but also the overall title leaders jersey. It’s tight at the top but, for the moment, an 18 year-old Canadian leads the way.
After a fast and furious start to the season the UCI Mountain Bike World Series visited one of the great cathedrals of mountain bike racing; Val di Sole Trentino in Italy. There was drama up and down the order as racers from both the Endurance and Gravity worlds competed in the mountain bike Cross-country Short Track (XCC), Downhill (DHI) and Cross-country Olympic World Cup competitions.Miss any of the actions? Check out the full highlights, here: The UCI Mountain Bike World Series is now on its mid-season break. You can find full series rankings, here.We are just a few short weeks away from getting racing back underway again in Pal Arinsal, Andorra. Find out all you need to know about that race, here.
Good, wasn’t it?! Val di Sole Trentino in Italy has hosted rounds of the UCI World Cup since 2008 and between the carpet of rock and root that are the cross-country courses and the brutally steep, once dirt-free plummet of its downhill track it usually delivers races worth talking about. As the dust (what’s left of it) continues to settle in Trentino, we dissect some of the big learnings from the 2023 instalment:Mountain biking can be cruel Poor old Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team). The young Frenchman ploughed a heroic, mostly solo furough throughout the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup race for the U23 men. Time after time we saw him grit his teeth and grind forward visibly faster and harder than anyone around him. Until disaster struck. A double puncture halfway around the last lap left the Frenchman squirming and crawling towards the line. Martin had come unstuck possibly as a result of pushing too hard, too deep into the race. Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off Road) was the biggest beneficiary and took his second win of the weekend having tasted victory in the XCC. The Black Snake still has fangs after all The biggest criticism of the 2022 edition of the Val di Sole Trentino round of the UCI Downhill World Cup was that the (in)famous Black Snake track was on borrowed time. The majority of the dirt which once lay between its hatchet head rocks and staircase-like roots was all but gone. The organisers made themselves very busy in the off season packing the Black Snake with tens of tons of dirt before the annual snowfall landed and acted as a natural compactor. The first track walk of the week bred a strange kind of malaise amongst the elite riders; the Snake was smoother, a few more corners had been marked, it was all OK. Cue baking heat, torrential rain and a busy practice schedule and the Black Snake was (almost) back to its savage best. Rain affected the elite men’s race but importantly the dirt and the organisers efforts clung on, just. Jackson Goldstone. That is all. What is there to say about a season that has seen not one, but two 18 year-olds take debut UCI Mountain Bike DH World Cup wins? Well, how about that one of them now leads the elite men’s overall title race?! Jackson Goldstone of the Santa Cruz Syndicate came close to winning in Leogang but for a last minute drift out of the woods to have handed victory to Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton). It never seemed to be in any doubt that he would imminently right that wrong but few would have predicted that we would have had such a short period of time to wait. Goldstone’s race winning run in Val di Sole Trentino was a mesmerising freefall of controlled aggression melded with unerring precision in a melting pot of raw talent. It will live long in the memory amongst the upper echelon of top tier performances that the Trentino hillside seems to habitually produce. The fact that the young Canadian now has the overall title leaders jersey in his luggage is simply the icing on the cake. Nino Schurter might well be the best he’s ever been The most successful XC rider of all time, Switzerland’s Nino Schurter, said at the start of the year that his advancing years mean only that he has to now accept that he cannot win every single race. Chillingly for his rivals however he added that when he felt good however, he would go for it. In the scope of his supremely successful career his record-breaking win in Lenzerheide could almost have been predictable - a fairytale result at the end of a clinically brutal drubbing of the world’s best. His win in Val di Sole, his 35th, was cut from an identical cloth. Schurter attacked every root and rock in front of him and his rivals were left reeling. Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing), over ten years his junior, tried but ultimately couldn’t stick the pace and faded back to fifth. Nino Schurter heads to the UCI World Championships in Glasgow and the second half of the UCI World Cup season as the man to beat. The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are boiling up a treat For the first time in history the 2023 UCI World Championships, across all disciplines and formats, are taking place in one venue. Glasgow and across Scotland will welcome the world’s best cyclists to do battle for the coveted UCI World Champion’s rainbow stripes. For mountain bike racing fans, battle will be joined in the iconic venues of Fort William and Glentress - two of the most important locations for Scottish mountain biking. For the downhillers, the World Championships will return to a hillside that they haven’t visited since 2007 and for the cross-country racers a brand-new track/leveling playing field to compete on. Oh, and Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin Deceuninck) will be competing too… just to add a bit of intrigue. Experience the thrill of watching legends of mountain biking take on the mighty Glentress Forest this summer! These fast-selling tickets are the only way to guarantee your spot for the action in the Tweed Valley. Get your tickets here!
Once upon a not so long time ago, it was extremely hard for younger racers to impress the amassed ranks of battle-hardened UCI World Cup regulars. There would be the odd stand-out result or race run but aside from that properly making an impact on the big stage was a tricky proposition. This season however it feels like a veritable glut of youngsters are making names for themselves in just about every format. You could write a university thesis on the reasons behind this sudden spike in prodigious young talents but for now let's just concentrate on who is riding beyond their years in 2023.Puck Pieterse (Alpecin Deceuninck) The Flying Dutchwoman may just be 21 years of age but in her quietly spoken way she is going about having perhaps the greatest debut season that the UCI XC World Cup has ever seen. Already established as a cyclocross heroine Puck won on her ‘cross bike in Val di Sole when the place was still covered in snow at the UCI World Cup there at the end of last season and did just the same on her mountain bike. She narrowly missed out on a win in the Cross-country Short Track (XCC) on Friday evening to Laura Stigger (Specialized Racing) but what followed on Sunday afternoon was unstoppable. Just as in Leogang, Pieterse rode away from the field and never looked back. She has a Schurter-like ability to distance herself from the chasing herd by attacking seemingly every inch of the track as she goes. The fact that the rest of the world’s best clump together and attempt to group think a solution seems to give her the vital lap or so she needs to disappear up the road. Puck has won three out of four UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cups this season. More would look to be on the cards. Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Factory Racing) Canada’s Gracey Hemstreet is blazing a trail like no other female downhiller at the minute. Still only 18 years of age, the Squamish, BC local has already been knocking at the door. A brace of seventh and one sixth bely an all-action style on the bike which does look like it will equal top step finishes. She set the fastest time at the DH Pre-season Testing event in Lourdes earlier in the year and looks like she has plenty more in the tank. Hemstreet was third in the semi finals in Val di Sole Trentino with a scintillating run that saw her skim her way across the roots and rocks of the brutal Italian track. She finished her finals run in seventh with a crash even setting fastest split times after the impact. The speed is definitely there. Her big rival from last season’s Junior competition, Phoebe Gale (FMD Racing) has already cracked the podium; it should be worth noting as the two continue to make good on their searingly fast early pedigree. Jackson Golstone/Jordan Williams (Santa Cruz Syndicate/Specialized Gravity) It would be impossible to talk about the young riders who are making a name for themselves in 2023 without talking about Jackson Goldstone and Jordan Williams. The UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup is notoriously tough on first-year elite riders. Stellar junior careers can be savagely nullified in the face of the blisteringly fast senior ranks. Bodies can need more muscle as the compression dials are closed a further couple of clicks and race day trajectories are re-calibrated. But there was always a sense that the hard battling Goldstone and Williams might just be different. They finished last season with the UCI World Cup overall title and UCI World Champs title respectively but the shockwaves of Williams’ win at round one in Lenzerheide were still being felt when his rival Goldstone clinched his first in Val di Sole Trentino. Both had posted potentially race winning times in their final junior season but nevertheless the establishment were rocked and for the most part elated. Jackson Goldstone hit the halfway point of the season with the UCI World Cup overall points leader's jersey on his young shoulders. Remy Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off Road) At just 18 years of age Australia’s Remy Meier-Smith has endured a tough cradling in terms of his junior-level classmates. Between them Jordan Williams and Jackson Goldstone represent two of the biggest, most spotlight-grabbing, headline-writing talents of theirs or just about any other generation. But in the younger Meier-Smith brother there is perhaps a slower burn. In the face of the big name humbling Black Snake track in Val di Sole Trentino, the young Australian danced his way to sixth in qualifying. He overclubbed the following semi final session bringing his retro painted Giant Glory home in 24th but crucially refocussed to light the timing screens up in his race run to finish 10th. There was a big bobble at the base of one of the tracks steepest sections but, that aside, Meier-Smith was on pace amongst the fastest of company and most daunting of terrain. Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis) At 23 years of age, we are starting to see the best of Canada’s Rhys Verner. His move to Forbidden Synthesis from Kona as blossomed into a huge leap forward not only in terms of his own performances but of the whole squad. So much so that they’ve even been scrapping it out with some of the biggest race teams in the teams championship. Verner’s debut win in the Finale Outdoor Region helped massively with that. Enduro is a war of attrition and he rode superbly through a torturous installment of the Italian staple event. He will head to the next UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup in Loudenvielle, France second in the overall behind Richie Rude (Yeti Fox Racing Team). The UCI Mountain Bike World Series now takes a break but will be back in action on August 24-27 in Pal Arinsal, Andorra for more cross-country and downhill action.
Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceunink) proved unstoppable in the women’s race in Val Di Sole Trentino while Swiss maestro Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing) bagged another win to add to his record-breaking total. Pieterse made it three UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic victories out of four in the 2023 series. The 21-year-old led for almost the whole of the five-lap race eventually carving out a lead of around a minute going into the final lap. Italy’s Martina Berta (Santa Crux RockShox Pro Team) rode an impressively-consistent race to come in second. Australia’s Rebecca Henderson (Primaflor Mondraker Genuins Racing Team) was third. Pieterse leads the overall going into the fifth round in August. Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) is second and Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) is third. In the men’s elite race it was a stunning 35th Cross-country Olympic World Cup victory for Switzerland’s Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing). The 37-year-old won his second round of 2023 after pulling away from the field on the fourth of six laps. Schurter’s countryman Matthias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) battled through the field to take second place, nearly half a minute back. Newly-crowned European Champion Vlad Dascalu (Trek Factory Racing XC) was third. Schurter leads the standings after four rounds, France’s Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) is second and South African Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) is third. In the U23 competition it was a convincing win for Denmark’s Sofie Heby Pedersen (Wilier Pirelli Factory Team XCO) by 38 seconds from New Zealand’s Samara Maxwell. Friday’s Short Track winner Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) was third. Pedersen leads Switzerland’s Blöchlinger in the overall and Ginia Caluori (Thömus Maxon) is third. In the U23 men’s race, a double flat on the last lap saw race leader France’s Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) ship an almost 30-second lead to gift the win to Friday’s Short Track victor Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC). Frenchman Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) was second and the USA’s Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) was third despite himself suffering an early puncture. Martin crossed the line in 11th. Boichis leads the overall from Dario Lillo (Scott Davos MTB Project) and Woods is in third. Full results from today’s race are available here. Missed any of the action? Full replays from today’s race are available on GCN+. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series now takes a break but will be back in action on August 24-27 in Pal Arinsal, Andorra for more cross-country and downhill action.
Jackson Goldstone attacked the Val di Sole Trentino course to claim his first-ever UCI Downhill World Cup win! Check out the GoPro POV from his race run! The racing continues on Sunday when the fourth round of the UCI Cross-country World Cup gets underway. Full results from today’s race are available here. Missed any of the action? Full replays from today’s race are available on GCN+. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series now takes a break but will be back in action on August 24-27 in Pal Arinsal, Andorra for more cross-country and downhill action.
There can be few race tracks more intimidating than the infamous ‘Black Snake’ of Val di Sole Trentino, and once again it showed its teeth at the third round of the UCI Downhill World Cup today (Saturday). The Elite Women enjoyed the best of the conditions, with the valley of the sun living up to its name for their final runs. Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) gave a masterclass to the rest of the field on how to tame this famously savage track. After putting down the fastest time in the semi-final, she backed it up with a convincing win of nearly three seconds in the final. Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) couldn’t match her pace and was forced to settle for second, with Jess Blewitt (GT-Continental Factory Racing) posting her best race result to date to finish third. With five races left this season, Balanche still leads the overall standings ahead of Höll in second and Rachel Atherton (Continental Atherton) in third. Mid-afternoon rain showers certainly added spice to the Elite Men’s race with early starter Bernard Kerr (Pivot Factory Racing) enjoying a lengthy spell in the hot seat after a significant downpour left the middle section of the track extra slick and technical. But, after the sun came out again, times tumbled and it was Canada’s Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) who was able to make most sense of the rapidly-changing conditions to take his debut elite-level win. His compatriot Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) came close but couldn’t quite match the 19-year-old’s pace. France’s Thibaut Daprela (Commencal/Muc-Off By Riding Addiction) rounded out the top three with a trademark rollercoaster of a ride. Goldstone now leads the overall with Iles in second and Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) in third. The Junior racers got their chance to shine on Friday, when it was New Zealand’s Sacha Earnest (KIWIDH) who took the women’s win by an incredible 12 seconds. Things were much tighter in the men’s competition, where Canada’s Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) won by less than a second. The racing continues on Sunday when the fourth round of the UCI Cross-country World Cup gets underway. Full results from today’s race are available here. Missed any of the action? Full replays from today’s race are available on GCN+. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series now takes a break but will be back in action on August 24-27 in Pal Arinsal, Andorra for more cross-country and downhill action.
The rain started to come down just as the Elite Women took to the start line of the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup (XCC) in Val di Sole Trentino. Just a few hours earlier the riders had practised in deep dust, but the changing conditions didn’t slow down Laura Stiggers (Specialized Factory Racing) who came out on top after an intense sprint finish to the line with Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Pieterse’s efforts were rewarded with second place, whilst Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) took third which was enough to see her lead the series. In the men’s race Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) took the early lead, but it was not enough to best Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CCLCTV) who stormed to victory by an impressive two seconds. Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) took the second spot on the podium, with Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing Team) rounding out the top three. Schwarzbauer maintains his series lead. The U23 categories raced their XCC on Thursday evening, with Ronja Blochinger (Liv Factory Racing) once more proving her dominance in the women’s field with an incredible winning margin of six seconds. Meanwhile in the men’s competition Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) won his race by a second. The action continues on Saturday when the UCI Downhill World Cup semi-finals and finals take place on the famous Black Snake of Val di Sole Trentino. And on Sunday the cross-country athletes are back between the tapes for the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup. For the full schedule and more information on this week’s races click here. You can watch this weekend’s action live globally on GCN+, and across Europe on Eurosport.com and discovery+. For more information on Where to Watch: Val Di Sole Trentino, click here.
The dust has barely settled from last week’s UCI Enduro World Cup in Val di Fassa, but the Trentino region will once more play host to thrilling racing, this time courtesy of the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cups. This week the action has moved to Val di Sole, one of Italy’s most iconic race venues, with a rich history of UCI World Cup racing. Famous for the savagery of its downhill track and the technicality of its cross-country course, the valley will once more be alive with the sound of thousands of fans as they flock to see the world’s fastest racers in action. The action gets underway on Thursday when the U23 line up for the UCI Short Track World Cup (XCC) before the Elite get their chance on Friday evening. On Saturday it’s all about downhill, when both the Junior and Elite will once more test their limits in the UCI Downhill World Cup. In the women’s competition it’s still Switzerland’s Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) who leads the overall standings, but she faces stiff competition to stay there as Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) will be feeling confident after her win on home soil in Leogang-Salzburgerland, Austria, just two weeks ago. Series leader and reigning UCI World Champion Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) remains the rider to beat in the men’s competition, although doing their best to disrupt his dominance will be none other than his teammate Finn Iles, who lies just behind him in second place. Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) and Round 2 winner Andreas Kolb will also be looking to climb the points table and can never be discounted from a podium finish. On Sunday the action continues with the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup (XCO). First out on course will be the U23, followed by the Elite racers in the afternoon. In the women’s race Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) still leads the standings, but not far behind lies Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) and Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) in second and third place respectively. And looking to turn on the speed for her home crowd will be Italy’s Martina Berta (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team). The points couldn’t be tighter in the men’s standings, so expect a fierce battle on Sunday as racers compete for the overall lead ahead of the upcoming summer break. Jordan Sarrou (Team BMC) is the current men’s leader, however, just 15 points separate him and second placed Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing), who clocked up his 34th UCI World Cup win in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, three weeks ago. And only 17 points behind him is third placed Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV). Italian rider Daniele Braidot (CS Carabinieri-Cicli Olympia Vittoria) will also be hoping for a strong ride on home soil. For the full schedule and more information on this week’s races click here. This weekend’s action will be available to view on Eurosport.com, discovery+ and globally on GCN+.
Leogang victor and home-nation hero Andreas Kolb reckons the technical, burly nature of the fearsome Val Di Sole track makes this weekend’s race a totally different animal. But the Continental Atherton rider says where you couldn’t really afford mistakes on the Austrian track, everyone expects to make them in Val Di Sole. Kolb was a hugely popular winner in Leogang as he and fellow Austrian Valentina Höll both took the top step making it a double celebration for the home fans at the second round of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup. Höll and Kolb made it a historic day for Austrian downhill fans The 27-year-old is sitting in fourth in the 2023 rankings after his debut victory two weeks ago where, after crossing the line to a rapturous reception, he had a nervous wait as the top qualifiers came down. “I thought it would be enough for the podium,” he said. “I was pretty sure because I was, like, two seconds up but I did two mistakes at the top section, which were pretty costly, onto the motorway where you need to carry speed. And I thought, this will cost me the win. “I was like, one of them boys is going to destroy my dream now. “I actually had to rewatch Bruni’s and Finn's runs because I didn't really remember it. I was just in the hot seat, like, cramping, thinking, is it today?” Kolb had organised a bus for all his friends and family from Schladming to travel over to Leogang and said the celebrations had continued once he got home. The party went on long past the weekend for Kolb's fans He explained that the technical nature of Val Di Sole’s Black Snake track meant that, unlike Leogang, a few errors wouldn’t ruin a run. “You're not allowed to make any mistakes in Leogang, you need to hit the lines perfectly all the way down and carry speed everywhere,” he said. “And this one is more like you need to use your brain a bit more, I guess. Go a bit slower there. Set up high there. Just like have a good flow and not over ride the track too much. If you over ride this one, you end up crashing or just having loose moments for sure.” Kolb approves of the changes to the Val Di Sole track The threat of rain has been foremost in many riders’ minds with a less than perfect forecast predicting rain on Friday and Saturday. Kolb believes the track will hold up to rain better than in previous years after a lot of new material was added. He says he had a very wet qualifier in 2019 where he rode on the seat with both feet clipped out for 20 seconds. “I think I still qualified 21st or something because this was not really bad actually,” he said. “So I think it just shows how hard it is to ride here.. It's just so many roots, so many slippery rocks. But I think they did a good job this year. It will be better if rain comes down now. Extra dirt on the track has taken out many of the holes but it will certainly develop before the elite finals on Saturday Kolb said he was looking forward to the race but wasn't feeling any pressure to repeat his Leogang result. "I'm not sure if I can do it two in a row," he said. "This will be a bit too confident maybe, but yeah, I'm pretty sure I can do another one in the future."
Hop on board with GoPro and Jackson Goldstone as he guides you down the infamous "Black Snake" in Val di Sole Trentino, Italy! The course here is one of the tougher challenges riders will face all season offering a real test of riders' strength and technical ability. It looks like are in for a race week of mixed conditions as thunderstorms threaten the first two days. A hot and dry Friday leads into Saturday's potentially wet and thunderous day of racing. For the full schedule and more information on this week’s races click here. You can watch this weekend’s action live globally on GCN+, and across Europe on Eurosport.com and discovery+. For more information on Where to Watch: Val Di Sole Trentino, click here.
Downhill legend Greg Minnaar has won a World Championship at Val Di Sole but he’s also been choppered off the track with a broken back and had to run down the hill with a folded frame.This weekend will be the 41-year-old’s 12th race on the revered Italian track.And the Santa Cruz Syndicate rider says that it makes the tracks at the first two rounds in Switzerland and Austria look tame.“You know, Lenzerheide and Leogang are fast, they are steep, they've got some tech sections but when you come to Val di Sole it makes those two tracks look like a highway,” he said. Minnaar navigating the thick, dry dust in practice “And that's just the beast that this track is. It's incredibly tough. It's holes that just grow through the weekend. "They start off knee deep and end up waist deep. It's incredible. What amazes me the most is how these bikes actually skid over the top of most of these holes but you only see that when you're on trackside.”In 2021, the South African won his fourth World Championship title on the Black Snake track edging out France’s Benoit Coulanges with a stunning ride that confounded those who had written off his chances. As well as four World Champs, Minnaar has won the overall World Cup three times And in 2017, after breaking his bike in half during his final practice run in a title-deciding season finale with the USA’s Aaron Gwin, Minnaar had been forced to sprint off the hill to get another bike to make it in time for qualifying.In a testament to teamwork, another bike was built and Minnaar had the strength of mind to qualify in second behind Gwin just an hour after the crash which made the points race for the overall even closer.In the end an exploded rear wheel in the final for Minnaar and a near-perfect run from Gwin would see the American crowned as the 2017 series champion.Minnaar recalls that practice crash very clearly.“I've compressed through a section, caught the front end really hard and it’s flipped me over to the side and one of the course marking poles caught my bike sideways and the bike just wrapped around it,” he said.“But you know, in the heat of the time we've got our last training session going into qualifying and so I'm just trying to get this bike from mid-mountain down to the bottom to rebuild a new bike to get back up for qualifying.“I've had some great results here, I’ve gone off in a helicopter so this venue has been like a mixed bag for me.”
Welcome to Val di Sole Trentino, the last UCI Mountain Bike World Series event before the summer break from racing. Here’s where you can tune in to catch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups this weekend, including Cross-country Olympic, Cross-country short track and downhill. Watch live on GCN+ globally, on the Eurosport App and discovery+ across Europe, plus select races on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel. You can follow all of the live timing for each race here. Friday 30 June Live on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:12.40 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Junior FinalsLive on GCN+ globally, Eurosport 1, Eurosport app and discovery+ across Europe:17:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Short Track World Cup - Elite Saturday 01 July Live on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:10:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Elite Semi-Final Live on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+:12:45 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup - Elite Finals Miss the live action? Catch it on Eurosport 2 on Sunday 18 June. Sunday 02 July Live on UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel:08:25 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup - U23Live on GCN+ globally, and across Europe on the Eurosport app and discovery+:12:30 CEST UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Olympic World Cup - Elite Or, catch it later on Eurosport 1 at 18:50 CEST
Val di Fassa Trentino always delivers - and this time it served up the toughest race of the season to date. The Italian venue's first outing as a UCI Enduro World Cup laid down an absolute beast of a course for the enduro and e-enduro riders - resulting in a new face on the men's podium and the closest ever race finish in the women's competition.
Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Matt Walker (Pivot Factory Racing) held nothing back to win round five of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Val Di Fassa Trentino. The hugely-physical five-stage race in the Italian Dolomites was a test of technique and fitness but also sheer strength and proved properly challenging as bright sunshine brought premium track conditions but also temperatures approaching 30C. Courdurier won the first, third and fifth stages In the pro women’s race, Courdurier was dominant from the gun, taking the first stage of the day, and winning two more on her way to victory. The series leader has won three times in Val Di Fassa before but her compatriot Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) pushed her all the way, leading into the final stage by less than a second. In the end Courdurier won that stage and the race pushing Charre into second. WeRide Fulgur Factory Team’s Melanie Pugin was third, making it an all French podium. In the men’s race, Matt Walker’s win was a hugely popular one and his first at this level, despite coming close with a top three last season. The Kiwi won the day’s last two stages and gained strength as others faded. France’s Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) was second on the day after taking two stages, Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) ended up third after losing some 30 seconds with a puncture on stage four. Rude though will carry the series leader’s jersey into round six. Rudeau's technical skills suited the Val Di Fassa tracks well In the U21 women’s race, it was another win for Canada’s Emmy Lan (Forbidden Synthesis Team), her fourth of the season. France’s Lily Planquart won three of the day's five stages but would be hit with a five-minute penalty for starting a stage late. Italy’s Sophie Riva (Sunn French Co by Alpe D’Huez) was second and Elly Hoskin of Canada was third. France’s Lisandru Bertini (Lapierre Zipp Collective) dominated the U21 men’s race, winning four of the five stages. Alexis Icardo (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) won the remaining one and was second on the day. Canada’s Johnathan Helly was third. In the third round of the UCI E-enduro World Cup, it was wins for France’s Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Miranda Factory Team’s Laura Charles. Marry won two of the day’s eight stages while a puncture saw series leader and downhill legend Fabien Barel lose some six minutes to leave him in last place. GasGas SRAM Racing’s Alex Marin was second and France’s Hugo Pigeon (Scott SR Suntour Enduro Team) was third. France's Kevin Marry was consistent when it mattered Charles won two stages but her consistency saw her beat series leader Florencia Espineira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) by some five seconds. Germany’s Ines Thoma won the day’s final stage and ended up third. Team of the day were Lapierre Zipp Collective. Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team lead the series. Full race results are here Individual rankings and team rankings are on the event page here To follow all the action from the UCI Enduro World Cup, tune in to the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel for the official race highlights, bike checks and exclusive athlete interviews. Recaps and highlights from the racing are also available on Eurosport and globally on GCN+. The world’s best enduro and e-enduro racers have a break now but are back in action for round six of the series in France’s Loudenvielle Peyragudes from September 1 - 3. Don’t miss next week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Series action from Val Di Sole Trentino where the stars of downhill and cross-country will be in action. Here’s where to watch everything that goes down there in round three of the downhill and round four of the cross-country.
We caught up with mountain bike legend, Mick Hannah and Yeti engineers ahead of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Val di Fassa Trentino to geek out over Mick's Yeti 160-E that he has been developing with the team for the past few years. Sick Mick has had a great start to the E-Enduro season and currently sits second in the overall standings, but with endless data acquisition and industry-pushing technology, could we see him rise to the top step onboard one of the fastest bikes on the circuit?
