The 2026 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Championships head to Primiero San Martino di Castrozza, in Italy's Trentino, this weekend (12-13 September) for what will be a landmark weekend for the speciality. For the first time, the UCI World Championships for XCM Masters will take place at the same venue and on the same weekend as those for the Elite riders: the Men Elite and Women Elite race for rainbow jerseys on Saturday, before the amateurs contest 12 Masters titles on Sunday.
A demanding course
The Men Elite and Women Elite will face a demanding 95km course with around 4,000m of climbing. The race will start and finish in Fiera di Primiero, with the first major test coming in the form of the category-one Col dei Cistri (1,550m). Riders will then tackle a succession of testing climbs and technical sections around San Martino di Castrozza, Malga Fosse and Tognola.
Perhaps the biggest challenge will come roughly 42km into the course, where riders will have to contend with the category-one Forcella Calaita (1,639m). From there, riders will descend towards Passo Gobbera, dropping to 888m above sea level, before a series of gentler climbs leads to the hors-category Bedolé (1,473m). The course then dips towards Dismoni, before rising once more towards the hors-category Civertaghe (1,363m). From there a rapid descent will take them back to Fiera di Primiero. And the finish line.
Valero Serrano’s hot streak
A total of 121 athletes from 30 countries are set to take to the starting blocks in the Men Elite category. Here is your guide on who to watch.
Spain's David Valero Serrano arrives at the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in fine form. Victories in the Italian (HERO Südtirol Dolomites) and Andorran (Naturland Andorra) rounds of the HERO UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup have put him at the top of the standings. The Spaniard also dominated the UEC European Continental Championships on home soil, beating Italian runner-up Gioele De Cosmo by one minute and 27 seconds. The 37-year-old, who won the cross-country Olympic bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, combines exceptional climbing endurance, tactical patience and strong finishing speed, making him a firm favourite.
Wout Alleman sits second in the HERO UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup standings after a consistent 2026 campaign that saw him win the first round, the HERO Costa Blanca in Calpe (Spain) in February. The 30-year-old Belgian also arrives at the UCI World Championships on the back of his fifth Belgian XCM Championships title and a victory at the fifth round of the UCI World Cup, the Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon in Kirchzarten (Germany) in late July.
Germany's Andreas Seewald won the overall HERO UCI Marathon World Cup in 2025, but currently sits eighth in the standings this season, partly due to his absence from the Andorran round of the series and despite finishing second in the season opener in Costa Blanca. His position in the standings should by no means discount him from turning in a stellar performance. The 35-year-old, a former UCI XCM World Champion (2021) and UEC European Champion (2021, 2025), will no doubt be a firm contender.
Colombia's Héctor Leonardo Páez León might be 44, but he remains as hungry for victory as ever. In 2026, he has continued to show impressive form, finishing second behind Valero Serrano in Andorra, as well as fourth in the Dolomites and the Black Forest. He won the UCI World Championships in 2019 and 2020, and will be looking to add a third rainbow jersey to his collection in Italy.
Can defending UCI World Champion Keegan Swenson retain his title? The 32-year-old American has mainly focused on gravel racing this season, proving his form by winning multiple events throughout the year. Whether this will be enough for him to keep the rainbow stripes remains to be seen.
Also worth keeping an eye on are Italy's Samuele Porro, Fabian Rabensteiner and Jakob Dorigoni, as well as South Africa's Matt Beers, who could all challenge for the podium.
Weinbeer’s for the taking?
The Women Elite entry list comprises a total of 63 athletes from 21 countries. One thing that is sure is that there will be a new UCI World Champion this year, as last year’s winner Kate Courtney (USA) is focusing on road racing in 2026 and will not compete in Italy.
This makes Swiss rider Anna Weinbeer the clear favourite following her outstanding 2026 season. The 31-year-old has won four of the five rounds of the HERO UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup, securing the 2026 series title ahead of the sixth and final round, La Tramun Sea Otter Europe in Girona (Spain) on 20 September. Additionally, Weinbeer claimed a decisive victory at the UEC European Continental Championships in July, beating Spain's Natalia Fischer Egusquiza by four minutes and 27 seconds. In 2025, she finished second at the UCI XCM World Championships in Valais, Switzerland. Can she go one better this year?
On paper, Spain’s Fischer Egusquiza looks likely to be Weinbeer's closest challenger. She's second behind the Swiss rider in the UCI World Cup standings after finishing runner-up in four of the five rounds. The 32-year-old’s international success goes back several years: she won back-to-back UEC European titles in 2021 and 2022.
Italian Claudia Peretti currently sits third in the UCI World Cup standings after a consistent season that has included third-place finishes at both the Andorran round and the Black Forest rounds, with a superb victory in the Dolomites in between. She recently won the Swiss Epic stage race, and will arrive in Italy full of confidence as the 28-year-old looks to improve on her fifth-place finish at last year's UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships.
Also look out for Mona Mitterwallner (Austria), Lejla Njemčević (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Adelheid Morath (Germany), Melisa Rollins (USA) and Savilia Blunk (USA).
The Masters
As for the amateurs competing at the 2026 UCI Masters Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships on Sunday, they face a course of around 82km with 3,500m of climbing. Starting and finishing in Fiera di Primiero, the route takes in Forcella Calaita, Bedolé and Civertaghe before returning to Fiera di Primiero.