The 2026 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships take place this Saturday, 18 April, in Barcelona, Spain. The course, which features the Plaça de Carles Buïgas as its start/finish area, has hosted numerous rounds of the UCI World Cup and will make history as the first venue to hold a second standalone edition of the UCI Mountain Bike EliminatorWorld Championships.
The last time the event was held in the Catalan capital, in 2022, the UCI World Champion rainbow jerseys were claimed by the specialty’s two most decorated riders: Italy’s Gaia Tormena and France’s Titouan Perrin-Ganier. The circuit was since extended slightly in 2024 to create new overtaking opportunities, while retaining the iconic steps drop.
Relive the action from the 2025 UCI World Cup round in Barcelona here:
As this year the UCI World Cup for mountain bike cross-country eliminator (XCE) does not get under way until after the UCI World Championships, neither spectators nor competitors have had the chance to gauge athletes’ form and compare performances.
Riders to watch
What we do know, is that both reigning UCI World Champions are ready to defend their titles. Mariia Sukhopalova of Ukraine and Edvin Lindh of Sweden each claimed their first rainbow jerseys in 2025 at the Ayçiçek Bisiklet Vadisi bike stadium in Sakarya, Türkiye. Sukhopalova secured Ukraine’s first UCI World Championships medal since Iryna Popova won silver in 2018 and bronze in 2021. For his part, Lindh is Sweden’s fourth male medallist, and the country’s first winner since Alexandra Engen in 2012.
They will face strong competition, notably from 2025’s other podium finishers. France’s Isaure Medde took silver, but could she repeat her 2020 gold? Bronze medallist Maria Sherstiuk will surely be keen to follow Sukhopalova and become Ukraine’s second UCI XCE World Champion!
Last year’s men’s final featured two emerging talents who may be ready to step up: Austria’s 22-year-old Theo Hauser and 23-year-old Slovenian National Champion Matic Kranjec Žagar.
Edvin Lindh has also been enjoying his preparations, joining the pro outfit Mountainbike Racingteam alongside Marion Fromberger.
The 2025 UCI World Cup for XCE only wrapped in mid-October, making it another useful reference point. The women’s field this weekend will include the top three riders in the series general classification: overall winner Marion Fromberger, who was victorious in rounds three and four. The 25-year-old, three-time German National Champion has already claimed two UCI World Championships medals, although she has yet to win gold.
Sukhopalova (winner in rounds one and five, and third in Barcelona) and Dutch rider Didi de Vries, a finalist in Barcelona and consistent throughout the season, will likewise be present. De Vries was also the fastest qualifier at the 2025 UCI World Championships - albeit by less than 0.01 seconds ahead of Sukhopalova – before finishing fourth in the final.
In the men’s field, the top two riders in the 2025 UCI World Cup general classification will both be strong contenders for the rainbow jersey in Barcelona. Leading the standings is Slovenian Jakob Klemenčič (23), winner of rounds one and three, and reigning European Champion. Close behind is Lorenzo Serres, winner of the fourth and sixth (Barcelona) rounds, and French National Champion.
All of these riders are clearly dangerous, but it would be impossible to overlook the specialty’s two most decorated champions: Titouan Perrin-Ganier (FRA) and Gaia Tormena (ITA).
Six-time UCI World Champion, Titouan Perrin-Ganier won his first XCE rainbow bands in China in 2017. Now 35, he will bow out this year, but still has the capacity and the desire to once again make history : “2026 will be my very last season as a professional cyclist. After more than 20 years competing on national and international circuits, constantly challenging myself to improve, pushing my limits day after day… the time has come to turn this magnificent page.
“I intend to make the most of these last few laps, with the same passion, determination, and commitment… and who knows, maybe even bring home a few more trophies.”
For her part, five-time UCI World Champion Gaia Tormena declared that: “The first race of the year will be the [UCI] World Championships, and I’m more motivated than ever to win because Barcelona is one of the tracks that suits me the best, with short sprints one after the other.
“I simply can’t wait to be back at the start line and test my strength against the rest of the field.”
Check out the highlights of the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships in Türkiye:
Watch action live from Barcelona as of 15:00 CET on the UCI City Mountain Bike YouTube channel