Six times UCI Downhill World Champion, six times World Cup overall champion, holder of 39 World Cup wins and the first downhill racer to ever deliver a “Perfect Season” Rachel Atherton has done it all. The 35 year old has effectively been away from racing ever since she snapped her achilles during practice at Les Gets back in 2019. Recovery from injury was followed by the birth of her daughter Arna in August 2021, for more than three years Rachel didn’t set foot on a racetrack… But in July 2022 Rachel made a last minute decision to ride at one race only, at Lenzerheide. She said at the time: I wanted to benchmark myself and to show that you can have a baby and still do sport. I wanted to see if I would still feel that passion, whether it was even enjoyable anymore, if it was even possible. Sixth place that day saw Rachel just one spot off the podium. It proved to her that she is still very much a racer! Rachel admits that it was hard not to be annoyed at missing a medal, but acknowledges that it would have been too easy. You shouldn't be able to rock up to a World Cup and get straight back on the podium with no preparation. Rachel admits that for the longest time she couldn’t even contemplate training again, she says: I’ve always been open about the fact that being a mum hasn’t been easy for me, I’ve really struggled, despite great support from my mum and my partner Olly. The lack of sleep was so hard, the lack of focus and routine wasn’t good for me either – especially as I never committed to a decision of either retiring or carrying on racing! It was a bit of a limbo time. Arna sleeping through the night (a quite recent milestone) has meant that I’m in a better mental state, I feel like it’s allowed me to make good decisions. I’m loving the routine of training again and it’s really helped my mental health regularly training, exercising again, and it helps with sleep too! I’ve remembered that I love racing! But I’m glad I’ve taken my time returning to sport and I’m glad I gave myself nearly two years to just be with Arna 24/7 and to just be a mother and be there for her, I’ve always wanted to try and put Arna “first” by breastfeeding on demand and that’s been so amazing but also limiting. She’s still going to travel with me because I feel more relaxed when I get to hang out with her in between the stresses of competition. I think leaving her behind would be worse as I’d miss her so much, my mum is coming as nanny and that’s awesome! So I’ll be travelling to the first World Cup of 2023 with the ultimate goal of getting selected for the World Championships in August on our home turf of Fort William. But what’s most important is to be part of the team again, to enjoy the process. I’m excited to just compete and see what happens. You can watch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike World Series from Lenzerheide, Switzerland globally on GCN+, as well as Eurosport and discovery+ 08 -11 June. Don’t miss out!
FMD Racing’s Tahnée Seagrave is looking fast in her new video as she attacks a run of Lousa in Portugal’s infamous DHI track. Seagrave, the 2013 UCI Junior DH World Champion, has had an injury-blighted couple of seasons with first a harrowing leg break suffered in 2020 followed by a concussion injury suffered after the opening round of the 2022 season. Now though, the 27 year-old looks to be bouncing back and finding the speed that she needs to reassert herself right at the sharp end of the elite women’s UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup. You can watch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike World Series from Lenzerheide, Switzerland globally on GCN+, as well as Eurosport and discovery+ 08 -11 June. Don’t miss out!
Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) has always been a Frenchman in a hurry. He missed a large slice of the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup season due to injury but triumphantly returned to take the UCI World Championships title, his sixth set of rainbow stripes in Les Gets. Bruni has been racing in the elite category since 2013, this year marks his tenth year in the top tier. A lot has changed in the last decade and Loïc has been out front for most of it. We sat down with the UCI World Champion to talk about the new season: You can watch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike World Series from Lenzerheide, Switzerland globally on GCN+, as well as Eurosport and discovery+ 08 -11 June. Don’t miss out!
When the courses for the first ever UCI Mountain Bike E-Enduro World Cup and the third round of the Enduro World Cup were announced there was a collective sucking of air through teeth. It was chunky, but it was brilliant. A stage racers dream it featured 58/56km respectively of Finale Outdoor Region savagery in the hills above Pietra Ligure. The racing was extremely tight with Laura Charles, Fabien Barel, Morgane Charre and Jesse Melamed all taking wins. And here’s what we learnt in the process: Cometh the hour, cometh Fabien Barel… It was as if someone had casually mentioned in a cafe on the piazza that there was a page of mountain bike racing history left blank and that someone had better write their name large across it. Fabien Barel (Canyon CLLCTV), the two-time UCI DHI World Champ, the winner of the first ever Enduro World Series race in Punta Ala back in 2013, duly obliged. A seasoned specialist on the jagged limestone that lines the Ligurian coast, Fabian won the e-bike test event in Finale Ligure back in 2018 and duly went on to win the first ever UCI Mountain Bike E-EDR World Cup. The man is like a fine wine… Morgane Charre is in it to win it in 2023 Pivot Factory Racing’s Morgane Charre quietly set about doing what is known in the trade as a ‘Sam Hill’ - amass a big lead early doors, then coolly manage it for the rest of the race to seal the victory. Charre is no stranger to winning in Finale Outdoor Region having claimed two Trophy of Nations gold medals and an Enduro World Series win in recent years but the performance in 2023 will go down as her most dominant to date. Shots were fired in the overall title race. Canada Day was real Part one of Canada Day was Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV) looking every inch the overall title holder. The champ rode himself into the race superbly and seemed cool, calm and brutally fast all weekend long. By contrast the rider who went into the weekend in the points leaders jersey, Richie Rude (Yeti Fox Factory Race Team) faltered. A crash early on and then losing an overall spot to the immensely impressive Tommaso Francardo represented real momentum loss to Melamed. Part two was the continuing rise of Forbidden Synthesis’ Rhys Verner. The 26 year-old Squamish native is increasingly looking like a race winner in waiting. The team are still riding high in the Team’s championship second only to Yeti Fox Factory Race Team, one of the most experienced outfits in the business Finale Outdoor Region can put on a Cross-country Marathon show The second ever UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Marathon World Cup featured a 100km-long roller coaster ride through some of Europe’s most spellbinding trails and as a result delivered some enthralling back-and-forth races. The whole area grows year on year and refuses to rest on its laurels due to a passion and drive that stems from a thriving community of mountain bikers, trail builders and local businesses who fundamentally get it. Don’t forget to tune in to the next round of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup from Leogang, Austria this week 15-18 June.
The second round of the UCI Marathon World Cup saw new winners crowned amongst the iconic surroundings of Finale Outdoor Region. Competitors set out from the ancient village of Finalborgo to take on a huge 100km course that featured nearly 4000 metres of climbing. Taking in every type of terrain imaginable, the race played out beneath a blazing Italian sun that pushed riders to the limit. The men were the first to cross the line, with Colombia’s Diego Alfonso Arias Cuervo securing the win with an impressive 1:12m lead ahead of Martin Stosek (Canyon Northwave MTB Team) in second and Italy’s Fabian Rabensteiner (Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team MX) in third. Speaking after the race, Cuervo said: The race was really hard. I had a tough time because there were a lot of climbs and they were really rough. Around the 60km mark I started upping the pace, I was tied with the second placed rider but during that climb I was able to pick up some space and distance between us and that’s when I managed to make a bigger gap and win the race. It’s the second most important win of my career after the 2021 World Championships in Elba. In the women’s competition it was Adelheid Morath from Germany who claimed victory, after a strong start to the race saw her lead quickly become unassailable. Round one winner Lejla Njemcevic was forced to settle for second, whilst Vera Looser rounded out the podium in third. Morath commented: I think it was the hardest race in my whole career, it was super tough. The course was like 3700m of climbing but in a very technical terrain, so steep and loose, but beautiful. The first part was rooty and a little bit wet and then the last part was so dry, steep and hot. It was brutal with the sun, so there was some suffering. I tried on the first climb to make a gap and I felt good, so about 10km in I got the gap and I kept it to the finish, it was incredible. It means a lot to me that now we have world cup racing in marathon, it’s a big step and also for women’s racing, so it really meant a lot to me, I'm very emotional. Today was a day that I will keep in my mind for a lifetime. Full results from today’s race as well as updated series rankings can be found here. The UCI Marathon World Cup returns on September 16 for round three at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series Festival Haute-Savoie, taking place in Chatel, Les Gets and Morzine.
It was a full throttle day of racing across the hillside above Pietra Ligure for the third round of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup and opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike E–Enduro World Cup. The Finale Outdoor Region has a history soaked litany of drama-filled enduro racing so it felt like a fitting place to host the first of the European legs of the Gravity season. You won’t have long to wait before we get to go racing once again at the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Marathon World Cup. Racing gets underway today with highlights to follow. You can follow along with all the action on GCN+ globally, Eurosport and discovery+ plus lots of free content on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.
Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) and Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) stamped their authority on the trails of Pietra Ligure to triumph at the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup in Finale Outdoor Region. The pair took two stage wins apiece and were simply too consistently fast for their rivals on six fast, chunky and technical tracks above the azure waters of the Ligurian Sea in Italy. After a huge 56km day, France’s Charre had a fairly comfortable win margin of nearly 14s over second-placed local hero Gloria Scarsi (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese). Last year’s champion Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) was third. Charre came out swinging and won the first two stages of the day - both around 10-minutes riding and the longest in the race by some margin. As a result she led all day despite a strong challenge from Scarsi, who took a later stage and was buoyed by a vocal and partisan local crowd to her best-ever result on the world stage. Scarsi, who lives in nearby Albenga, harnessed the power of the crowd In the men’s race - the third round of the 2023 season - it took Canadian Melamed a stage to get going but then he found his pace, took a stage win and held the lead for the rest of what was a massive day in the saddle with more than 2,000m of climbing and 3,100m of descending. Melamed’s biggest threat came from his countryman Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) who took the first stage of the day along with the fifth. That meant, at the close of play, he was only five seconds back after nearly 30 minutes against the clock. Frenchman Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) won a stage and had two seconds places to finish less than a second behind Verner in third. Melamed was clinical once he took the lead In the U21 race, it was a dominating win for Canadian Emmy Lan of the Forbidden Synthesis Team, France’s Lily Planquart was second and Lan’s compatriot Elly Hoskin was third. The U21 men was a win for Specialized Enduro Team’s Raphael Giambi, Scotland’s William Brodie was second and Giambi’s fellow Frenchman Alexis Icardo (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) ended up third. Team of the day were Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team but after three EDR rounds in 2023, Yeti/Fox Factory Racing lead the team standings. The e-enduro riders were also in action earlier in the day, as Finale Outdoor Region played host to the first round of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike E-EDR World Cup. The nine-stage race ended up with wins for a resurgent Laura Charles (Miranda Factory Team) and for mountain-bike legend, former UCI World Cup Downhill champion Fabien Barel. Charles hardly missed a beat all day and Barel was excellent on the gravity stages but also competitive on the two power stages, which gave him the edge. Laura Charles was hugely impressive winning six of nine stages In the women’s race, Flo Espineira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) was second and another mountain bike legend and former UCI Downhill World Champ, Britain's Tracy Moseley was third. In the men’s it was an all-French podium with Lapierre Zipp Collective’s Antoine Rogge in second and Florian Nicolai (WeRide Fulgur Factory Team) in third. Full EDR and E-EDR results are here The Team standings are here The action continues in Finale Outdoor Region tomorrow when the second round of the UCI Marathon World Cup gets underway. The top EDR and EDR-E riders will be back in action in two weeks time in the Austrian Alpine resort of Leogang from June 15 to 18.
There is no doubt that when it comes to mountain bike racing, E-Enduro is the format on the move. The youngest of the race formats is riding the back of the boom in the popularity of E-MTB’s and is the proving ground for the world’s biggest bike and component manufacturers as the arms race continues to heat up with almost daily tech advances coming on a daily basis. The race around the stages of the stunning Pietra Ligure in the Finale Outdoor Region is set to be one of the sport’s milestones as it will see it ascend to full UCI World Cup status - not bad for a format which began life as recently as 2020! What is an E-EDR course like? E-Enduro, as you may have guessed, strongly resembles Enduro (EDR) in terms of how the racing goes down. The course itself is (in the case of Finale Outdoor Region) 58km in length and sees a number of timed stages each of which each rider has a start time on. There are two battery changes scheduled in and those start times are devilishly tight - riders have no option but to attack the adjoining liaisons at full speed in order to make them. That’s what makes E-EDR such a challenge; yes you have battery assistance, but you need every watt of it to even get you into the running on the time sheets. What is a power stage? There is a key difference for E-EDR over regular EDR however; power stages. These are a unique concept when it comes to mountain bike racing and are timed technical climbs. Typically short in duration they test a riders ability to blend riding skill with their bikes drive unit output. It’s a fundamental part of what makes E-MTB’s so entertaining to ride and come race day a chance to make or break overall times. Who are the riders to watch? Just as the bike tech improves almost constantly, picking a winning rider can prove tricky in E-EDR. In the elite women’s field France’s Melanie Pugin (WeRide Fulgur Factory Team) won the first ever round back in 2020 but in more recent headlines it was Flo Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) who took the 2022 title and who now stands as perhaps the most accomplished all-rounder in the field. In the elite men’s class the French have really made their presence felt and have won just about every round in the previous two seasons. Yannick Pontal (BlackBox Test Pilot Program) is the reigning overall title holder and has proven himself to be hard to beat in just about every set of terrain. Pontal is on a new bike in the form of a Transition Relay for this season however, which will be pivotal. Orbea Fox Enduro Team’s Edgar Carballo has found a home in E-MTB racing and will be looking to challenge Pontal’s dominance this season. Living legend Fabien Barel, a maestro amidst the rocks of the Finale Outdoor Region, will be on the hunt too for Canyon CLLCTV and is many people’s dark horse to take the win. Where can I watch it? You can stay abreast of the full day’s racing from the first ever UCI Mountain Bike E-Enduro World Cup right here with all our live timing and race coverage on 03 June. The race day highlights will be available on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube page on the same evening.
Canadian Cross-country star, Emily Batty, has announced that she is retiring from international mountain bike racing. The 34 year-old from Oshawa first signed with Trek World Racing squad in 2010 before spending time on Subaru Trek and laterly Canyon. She appeared on 17 UCI World Cup podiums and won two UCI World Championships bronze medals during her career. © Red Bull Media House Batty’s time at the top spanned some of the sports largest shifts in both course and bike design amongst which she managed to remain one of its biggest stars. Along the way she was partnered with some of its biggest names including Jolanda Neff and Catharine Pendrel at international level. Batty took her social media channels to make the announcement: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emily Batty (@emilybatty1) Dear fans, supporters, and cherished friends, Today marks a new journey that fills me with nostalgia and anticipation. With mixed emotions, I announce my retirement from professional mountain biking. As I reflect upon my incredible career, I am grateful for the remarkable experiences, victories, and connections that have shaped me into the person I am today. First and foremost, I want to express my deepest appreciation to all of you—my dedicated fans and supporters. You have been the driving force behind my accomplishments, the wind beneath my wings. Your unwavering encouragement and belief in me have propelled me to reach the heights I had dreamt of. Whether cheering me on from the sidelines or engaging with me through the digital realm, your presence has made this journey genuinely remarkable. I will forever cherish the memories of standing on the World Cup podiums and representing Canada at two Olympic Games—a testament to the countless hours of training, sacrifice, and sheer determination. To finish twice third overall in the World Cup series and have graced the World Cup podium 17+ times is an achievement that will forever fill my heart with pride. The bronze medals at the World Championships in 2016 and 2018, the fourth-place finish at the Olympics in Rio, and the 9+ Canadian Nationals Championships victories have all become indelible milestones intricately woven into the fabric of my personal story. Throughout my journey as a professional athlete and someone who’s had the opportunity to experience the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows, I have come to appreciate that success extends beyond medals. The true essence of my experience lies in the invaluable lessons learned, the memorable encounters, and the moments of personal growth that arise when confronting challenges head-on. I frequently look back at my first Olympics and representing Canada in London 2012 despite breaking my collarbone three days before the event. It holds a special place in my heart. The rollercoaster experience of pushing through the pain, finishing on the lead lap, and defying the odds remains a testament to the resilience and unwavering spirit of the character as an athlete. Looking back on that incredible journey, I am filled with immense pride, knowing I gave it my all despite the challenges. As I reflect on all these moments, I am reminded that the core of life’s meaning and purpose lies not in pursuing medals and achievements but in the journey of self-improvement through unwavering dedication to our craft, experiences, and skill advancement. It is a testament to our character, reflecting who we are and what we strive for, and how this transformation unfolds beautifully, leading us to become enlightened and better versions of ourselves. Every triumph, setback, and connection made throughout this extraordinary journey has moulded me into the person standing before you today. As I embark on this new chapter, I carry the invaluable lessons, profound friendships, and unwavering support from those who have stood by my side. I am grateful for the chance to contribute to the sport’s evolution and pave the way for future generations of athletes fuelled by resilience and passion. Collaborating and being supported by extraordinary brands has been an honour beyond words. Their unwavering support and belief in my abilities have amplified my accomplishments and helped me make a lasting impact within the industry. I am genuinely grateful for the opportunities they provided, the partnerships we cultivated and continue to cultivate. But beyond the medals, the victories, and the brand affiliations, what has truly touched my soul is the people I have met on this extraordinary journey. Each encounter, whether in person or online, has enriched my life and shaped my perspective. The connections I forged with all of you, my fans and supporters, have been the lifeblood of my motivation. Your energy and passion have fuelled my own. Over time, we cultivated a tremendous digital fanbase of nearly 1 million followers worldwide and continue to do so. The unwavering support and growth I’ve experienced through these digital channels have been precious to me throughout my career, and I am eternally grateful. It has provided me with a platform and a voice to express my true self, showcase the brands I have proudly represented, and share the profound connections I’ve forged along this extraordinary journey. As I step away from professional mountain bike racing and embark on a new journey in the sport, I am faced with the excitement and uncertainty that lie ahead. Having dedicated myself to cycling from age 13, the next chapter of my career will undoubtedly be challenging. Yet, I embrace this challenge with open arms and an eager heart. The possibilities are vast, and I am filled with a sense of purpose to explore new avenues, contribute to the sport of cycling in different ways, and continue growing as an individual. While I may not have all the answers right now, I am brimming with ideas and opportunities that lie in wait. The passion, determination and experiences that fuelled my athletic career will undoubtedly propel me forward into this next phase of my life in cycling. I invite you all to join me on this new adventure as I navigate uncharted territories, discover new passions, and seek to impact the sport in new ways. Thank you, once again, for being a part of this extraordinary ride. Your unwavering support and belief in me have been the driving force behind my success. Don’t forget that you can catch all the action from Lenzerheide, Switzerland as the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup recommences for its second round on Discovery+, Eurosport and GCN+ 08-11 June.
Commencal MucOff by Riding Addiction’s Myriam Nicole is set to miss the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup curtain raiser in Lenzerheide, Switzerland this weekend. The former two-time UCI World Champion has been ruled out of the first couple of races of the year citing a battle with a concussion injury. The team have given their full support to one of the pre-season favourites and are working alongside her to get her back to racing as soon as possible. Nicole, who took the win in Lenzerheide last season, rounded out 2022 with a bronze medal at the UCI World Championships in Les Gets and entered this campaign as one of the favourites to take the overall title. Joining her on the sidelines will be the Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Jackson Goldstone and Trek Factory Racing’s Reece Wilson. Goldstone had been on a tear throughout the build up to this season and would enter it as the reigning UCI Junior World Champion having placed second to Britain’s Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) in the overall title chase. The Canadian suffered a burst appendix last month and is missing Lenzerheide to undergo surgery on it. Scotland’s Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing) is also due to miss the season-opener due to a broken leg. The 2019 UCI World Champion is already back on two feet and on the road to recovery where he will be hoping for a fully mended assault on the UCI World Championships in Fort William later in the year. You can watch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike World Series from Lenzerheide, Switzerland on GCN+, Eurosport, and discovery+ 08 -11 June. Don’t miss out!
When it comes to expert enthusiasm few can match our very own Josh Carlson. The Wollongong native is a guru of all things 'racetrack’ and, over the years, he has amassed more knowledge than most when it comes to the storied trails of the Finale Outdoor Region. How could we enhance Josh’s extensive knowledge bank for this week’s UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup course preview? Well, why not further enlisting the help of some reigning overall title holders?! Enter Lapierre Zipp Collective’s Isabeau Courdurier and Canyon CLLCTV’s Jesse Melamed: The UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Cup takes place this weekend in Pietra Ligure, part of the Finale Outdoor Region, Italy. You can follow along with all the action on GCN+ globally, Eurosport and discovery+ plus lots of free content on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.
Strong broadcast performance across Warner Bros. Discovery platforms Biometric data on broadcast for the first time in the sport Record number of teams, athletes and nationalities participated U23 Cross-country Olympic race streamed live for the first time Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic saw the first live broadcast from the UCI Mountain Bike World Series hit screens around the globe with the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup. The event, which took place from the 11 - 14 May, 2023, showcased a huge step change in the presentation and broadcast of the sport. Live coverage of the thrilling action outperformed the time slot average on linear channels in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and France while social engagement on Warner Bros. Discovery's platforms - via viewership through the live streams and reach on social media - performed well above expectations, underlining the company's commitment to super-serving the mountain bike community with live racing, news, views and interviews. The weekend saw a flurry of firsts for the sport including live biometric data from Whoop bands on the broadcast and on-bike live sensors that will pave the way for more data and insights from the track. And it wasn’t only innovations in tech that launched in Nové Město na Moravě. Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBD Sports) has brought in the new era with a slick on-site look and feel that includes state of the art LED technology on the start/finish straight, streamlined and reusable course marking that makes the sport easier to follow and safer for athletes, as well as on-event structures that puts the presentation of mountain bike in line with the sporting big guns. The future heroes of the sport were not forgotten in Nové Město na Moravě, when, for the first time in UCI Mountain Bike World Cup history, the entire U23 Cross-country Olympic race was streamed live on YouTube for fans to enjoy. In 2023, UCI Mountain Bike World Series has also seen a record number of athletes and teams registering for UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, including three UCI World Tour teams - Ineos Grenadier, Jumbo Visma and Alpecin-Deceuninck - laying the foundations for exciting discipline cross-overs in the cycling world. This record-breaking attendance of over 100 teams, 49 nationalities and over 1000 athletes, gives confidence in the growth of the sport and the willingness to support the revolution that is taking place in mountain biking in the WBD Sports era. Coverage of UCI Mountain Bike World Cups at UCI Mountain Bike World Series events will be available across key Warner Bros. Discovery channels including Eurosport, discovery+ and GCN+, as well as local broadcasters across five continents, making the sport the most accessible it’s ever been. Leader of Mountain Bike for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, Chris Ball, said: We’re incredibly proud to broadcast our first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the strong figures and brilliant engagement have already shown us that we’re on the right track and the future is bright. Nové Město na Moravě provided excellent racing and the new technology and additional resources we’ve brought to the broadcast highlighted this perfectly. It’s also fantastic to see U23 racing enjoy live coverage for the first time, as this will only help elevate the profile of the sport’s up and coming talent. The positive results from our first weekend demonstrates the huge appetite amongst existing fans and our work to bring new fans to the sport, whilst using coordinated links to our Giro d’Italia coverage on the same weekend proved hugely successful for attracting new viewers.
For the professional riders of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the formula is normally a pretty straightforward one; negotiate as good a deal as you can from a team that you think you want to be on with an equipment package that you think will allow you to be as competitive as possible. It’s often spoken of only in hushed tones but the top flight of mountain bike racing can regularly feature many a big name ‘stuck’ aboard a bike that, for whatever reason, they simply can’t get on with. But what if the rider got to choose their own race set up? Not just how much air is in the tyres or how many clicks their adjusters are wound in by, but everything! Regardless of brand or sponsor, the riders of the YT Mob (Jack Moir, Christian Textor and Kasper Woolley) are allowed to hand pick all the componentry on their YT frames down to the very smallest detail in what the German marque are referring to as Live Uncaged. The UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup resumes this weekend in Pietra Ligure, part of the Finale Outdoor Region, Italy. You can follow along with all the action on GCN+, Eurosport and discovery+ plus lots of free content on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.
The UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup is full of riders from all over the world the top tier of which continue to astound with their respective abilities to cut through alien stages, after only one practice run, within the same second of each other. Being able to score points, no matter the kind of terrain, no matter what the weather is doing, is crucial if you want to win championships. And if winning championships is your preferred metric then the best of the bunch has to be Lapierre Zipp Collective’s Isabeau Courdurier. To get as good as Isabeau you need some pretty special terrain to train on. We spent a day with her at home in France to check out her local trails and to talk 2023 and that brutally impressive 2022 title win: The 29 year-old from the south of France took the French national championships earlier this year and is currently sitting second in the overall standings after the opening rounds of the season. The UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup resumes this weekend in Pietra Ligure, part of the Finale Outdoor Region, Italy. You can follow along with all the action on GCN+ globally, Eurosport and discovery+ plus lots of free content on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.
Finale Outdoor Region welcomes two UCI Mountain Bike World Cups this weekend in Finale Outdoor Region, Italy, for the UCI Cross-country Marathon and Enduro World Cups. The area has long been synonymous with enduro mountain biking, having hosted the Enduro World Series every year since its inception in 2013, but this year it expands its offering to Marathon - opening up these iconic trails to this growing format. The UCI World Cup racing kicks off on Saturday, when the world’s best enduro riders will descend on Pietra Ligure to tackle its expansive trail network in the mountains high above the Ligurian Sea. With six big stages and over 3000 metres of descending on the menu, riders will have to push hard to keep both body and bike intact on these notoriously technical trails. In the women’s competition, all eyes will be on series leader Bex Baraona (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team). The British rider leads the standings by just 17 points ahead of France’s Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zip Collective), with Ella Conolly (Cannondale Enduro Team) rounding out the top three. However, local rider Gloria Scarsi (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) is a definite podium threat who’ll be looking to turn on the speed for her home crowd. In the men’s competition it’s Baraona’s Yeti/Fox Factory Race teammate Richie Rude who will start the race as the clear favourite. The American rider will be looking to add a fifth Finale podium finish to his roster, but trying hard to stop him will be Australia’s Daniel Booker (Nukeproof SRAM Factory Racing) and Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team -EDR) who lie in second and third place respectively. However, they’ll all face stiff competition in the form of Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) and Jack Moir (YT Mob). On Sunday it’s the turn of the Marathon racers, who will depart from the ancient walled village of Finalborgo into the mountains on a gruelling 100km course that will feature fire road, singletrack and an energy sapping 3760m of climbing. Leading out the women’s competition will be Lejla Njemčević of Bosnia Herzegovina, who took the win at round one in Nové Město na Moravě (Czech Republic) by an impressive margin of 02:46m. Her main competition will come in the form of Lithuania’s Katazina Sosna (Torpado Factory Team) and Switzerland’s Irina Luetzelschwab. In the men’s race, Italy can expect a strong showing from the top two ranked riders in the form of Fabian Rabensteiner (Wilier-Pirelli Factory Team MX) and Nicolas Samparisi (KTM Alchemist powered by Brenta Brakes). At round one in the Czech Republic, the fellow Italians were locked in a sprint finish after 120km of racing, with Rabensteiner just coming out on top. Elsewhere, Germany’s Simon Stiebjahn (Singer Racing Team) will also be looking to make his mark after a strong third place finish on his last outing. Amateurs will get their chance to race in both formats thanks to the Enduro of Finale Outdoor Region and the Marathon of Finale Outdoor Region.To follow all the action from the UCI Marathon World Cup and 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+.More information on this weekend’s races in the Finale Outdoor Region can be found here.
When it comes to UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup racing nowhere plucks the heart strings like Finale Outdoor Region. The trails that spiral their way from the cliffs high above the towns of Pietra Ligure and Finale Ligure to the Ligurian sea below have played host to some of mountain bike racings most captivating battles. The famous Italian round may have moved from its traditional position as the ceremonial season ender to the curtain raiser on the European races but its allure and promise of intrigue remain unabated. Thursday is practice day for the E-Enduro and Enduro racers as they battle to learn an action packed set of stages across just one run of each: Not only does the iconic Italian venue host the third round of the Enduro World Cup but it’s also set to be our first chance to see the racers of the E-Enduro World Cup. E-Enduro features the same set of stages but with the addition of technical climbing stages. To follow all the action from the UCI Marathon World Cup and 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+.More information on this weekend’s races in the Finale Outdoor Region can be found here.
How good is Specialized Racing’s Loïc Bruni at riding a downhill race bike? There are plenty of numbers which will give you a hint, such as his six UCI World Championships wins for example. Or his two UCI World Cup overall title wins. Or his 12 wins from 55 UCI World Cup podiums. But it’s when you see him ride a track like Fort William, one of the oldest and roughest of them all, from his point of view, that you get a clear picture of just how deep his talent runs. The new look UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup coverage for 2023 is set to offer fans, both old and new, more racing than ever before. We will be showing the new semi final format which will see racers battle it out to make the all-important finals whilst we will also be broadcasting the Junior races and streaming them live for the first time. Excited for the start of the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup season, this weekend? You should be. Don’t forget that you can catch all the action from Lenzerheide, Switzerland on GCN+, Eurosport and discovery+ plus loads of free content on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.
The UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup roared into life back in March with the opening couple of rounds taking place in Tasmania. Both Maydena Bike Park and Blue Derby brought with them two very different flavours and as a result showcased the kind of breadth of ability required to cut it at the top of the fastest growing Gravity format. Jesse Melamed won the Enduro World Series overall title last season then promptly went and made some more headlines with an off-season move to Canyon CLLCTV from Rocky Mountain RaceFace. We joined Jesse on the road to experience first hand what goes into competing at the highest level: It may not have been his dream start to the season but Melamed is right in the hunt for the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup crown. Can he solidify things with a good result at the next round in Italy at one of the sport’s most imposing battlegrounds; Finale Outdoor Region in Italy? Don’t forget that you can catch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Cup’s from the Finale Outdoor Region on Discovery+, Eurosport and GCN+ 02-04 June.
Winning any UCI Mountain Bike World Series round is tough but E-Enduro (E-EDR) is comfortably one of the toughest formats. The myth of ‘e-bikes make things easy’ is quickly dispelled as soon as you see a racer take off from the bottom of one stage on full power to make their start time at the top of the next one. Times are unbelievably tight and the racing extremely physical. And then there’s the arms race. The old adage that racing bettering the breed is no more evident anywhere than in E-EDR as the world’s biggest brands and manufacturers push the bleeding edge of what the latest tech can do. There is no test session or CAD program that can produce the stresses and strains that the world’s fastest racers can conjure up in the heat of battle. To mark the start of the new season, Yet Shimano EP Racing have released a four-part series chronicling their 2022 race season and their quest for that elusive top step. The even better news is that they’ve done the right thing and released all the episodes at once, you can watch them here. Excited to go racing in 2023? Good. The UCI Mountain Bike E-EDR World Cup kicks off this season in Pietra Ligure, part of the Finale Outdoor Region, Italy. You can follow along with all the action on GCN+, Eurosport and discovery+ plus lots of free content on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.
Nové Město na Moravě in the Czech Republic is a famously tough place to go racing. The ascents and descents are short but amongst the most technical of the year. The track is lined with Czech fans, 5-deep all roaring the racers on to victory or defeat. For the teams of the Endurance side of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series it’s even more. It’s the chance to put the long winters of planning, rider signings and equipment updates to the test amidst the white hot heat of battle. Luca Martin, Anne Tauber, Pierre de Froidmont and David Campos were all out in force for the team in green and made their presence more than felt throughout the weekend: Don’t forget that you can catch all the action from the UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country Marathon, Enduro and E-Enduro World Cup’s from the Finale Outdoor Region on GCN+, Eurosport and discovery+ plus lots of free content on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.
