At the two opening rounds of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Brazil, the tracks, crowds and racing demonstrated the country’s growing mountain bike scene.
More than 30 Brazilian riders took part in the events organised on home soil, alongside the best mountain bike cross-country riders in the world.
With huge crowds both at Mairiporã (25,000) and Araxá (the 80th venue to host the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup), the welcome given to Brazil’s most famous mountain biker, Henrique Avancini, who retired in 2023, was resounding: “It’s so good to have the World Cup back in Brazil… the crowd gets involved in the sport. It’s amazing to see the growth of mountain bike in Brazil over the past decade,” said the Brazilian champion.
His compatriot Alex Junior Malacarne, who finished on the Araxá podium in the Men’s Under 23 category in the cross-country Olympic (XCO) race, was also impressed by the atmosphere: “It’s like a dream and I’m having goosebumps right now!”
Apart from the widespread excitement, what can we learn from the Brazilian rounds about this year’s UCI World Cup?
1: The impact of the Olympic Games on the season
Qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is a factor impacting the strategy for the season, with top nations having only two places each. “It makes it even harder for the bigger nations, France, United States in the women’s field, and especially for the Swiss riders,” said Avancini.
While UCI World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot opted to not participate in the Brazilian rounds, Loana Lecomte was there: “I don’t have to prove myself, as Pauline and I already have our tickets … I know I’m not in top form, but I will get better.”
Jenny Rissveds (SWE), winner of the first round of the XCO, had a different mindset: “I knew there would be an internal battle between the two Americans [Batten and Blunk] and I played that card,” she said. “I’m not stressed about the Olympics, I’m already qualified.”
Fourteen years after his first win in a UCI XCO World Cup race, Nino Schurter has had a different start to 2024 by racing the Cape Epic and not hitting Brazil in top form. He downplayed the desire to win the overall UCI World Cup for the tenth time: “It’s not my place to battle for the overall. I want to pick a few races where I can battle for the victory. With the Olympic Games approaching, everybody is nervous about qualification and to have the best preparation. It’s something you can really feel. At the Olympics, I want to have another perfect day and, I hope, fight for another medal.”
2: The XCC and XCO sequence work
Elite riders compete in the cross-country short track (XCC) event on the Saturday (previously on Friday evenings), followed by the XCO race on the Sunday. Great for fans and tough for mechanics, but how about the riders?
“On paper it suits me well,” said Mairiporã XCC winner Sam Gaze (NZL). “I do a lot more road cycling, and back-to-back races are common in the road world.”
“I’m super happy because I always have the best legs on Saturdays,” said Anne Terpstra (NED). “As it’s not really a break, you can recover physically, but in your mind, you’re still ‘on’.”
3: Modern tracks have everything
The Mairiporã and Araxá tracks, designed by Nick Floros and a local team including Avancini, are great examples of contemporary tracks. Both are fast and technical, with testing climbs and great visibility for the crowds. Features include whoops and pump tracks, open parts and wooded sections. “We added in some more technical challenges,” explained Avancini, “while retaining the existing features.”
Some riders have been helped by other disciplines, such as Rissveds, who hit the Enduro tracks before the start of the season. The Swede’s downhill skills at Mairiporã gained her seconds and valuable extra recovery time, conserving more energy for the successful attack on the final lap. Mastering the varied courses of today has become crucial.
4: USA to be reckoned with
UCI XCC World Champion in 2021, Christopher Blevins, set the tone for the American team in the first round of the XCO. But it is the American women who impress the most in this Olympic year. Haley Batten and Savilia Blunk finished third and second in the XCO in Mairiporã, then first and third in the XCO and XCC in Araxá. In the Under 23 category, Riley Amos has four wins already and Bjorn Riley two second and two fourth places.
Four races, four wins 👏
— UCI MTB (@UCI_MTB) April 20, 2024
Another victory for Riley Amos 🇺🇸 in Men U23 XCO #MTBWorldCup @MTBworldseries pic.twitter.com/hAFISU4R7l
5: A XCC-XCO double is possible
We’ve already seen double wins in XCC and XCO.In the Elite category, Batten achieved an amazing double in the second round, Victor Koretzky (FRA) came close with a first and second place, while Alan Hatherly (RSA) and Blunk podiumed in both races.
Two performances in the Under 23 are worth highlighting: Riley Amos and Kira Böhm (GER) each won their XCC and XCO races in both rounds, giving them a maximum of 330 points to top the overall standings.
Upcoming events in the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series
The next round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in XCO and XCC will take place in Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic, from 24 to 26 May. In the meantime, three events on the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar are lined up: the first round of the UCI World Cup in Downhill in Fort William (GBR) from 3 to 5 May, the first round of the UCI World Cup in Enduro in the Finale Outdoor Region (ITA) from 10 to 12 May and the second round in Bielsko-Biała (POL) from 17 to 19 May.