The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is about to enter its fourth season, bringing together four mountain bike specialties for another year of action-packed racing. Spanning 14 race weekends across nine countries in three continents, the series will begin in Asia in early May and conclude in North America in October, where the overall UCI World Cup winners will be crowned in cross-country short track (XCC), cross-country Olympic (XCO), downhill (DHI) and enduro (EDR).
The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series englobes the UCI World Cups for each of the specialities and will include a total of nine rounds for XCO, XCC and DHI, and six for EDR.
XCO, XCC and DHI competition will get under way at the first round of the series this weekend (1-3 May) in Mona YongPyong (South Korea), while the EDR specialists will meet up for the first time at the end of the month (29-31 May). Their season-opener will take place in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France), which will also serve as the second round for the DHI riders.
XCO and XCC: star line-ups but without Maxwell
Looking back at the 2025 overall podium helps set the scene for the 2026 UCI XCO World Cup. One thing is sure, the overall Women Elite title will change hands as Samara Maxwell (NZL), who won in 2025, is not competing this year. Jenny Rissveds (SWE) finished last season hot on Maxwell’s heels after going from strength to strength as the rounds progressed. The reigning UCI World Champion and Alessandra Keller (SUI), who finished third in last year’s UCI XCO World Cup and in the UCI World Championships, will no doubt look to capitalise on Maxwell’s absence.
In the Men Elite category, last season’s winner Christopher Blevins (USA) beat Martín Vidaurre Kossmann (CHI) into second, while Luca Martin (FRA) finished the season in third place.
A reminder of last year’s XCC World Cup stars: Blevins completed the double ahead of Martin and Charlie Aldridge (GBR). In the Women Elite standings, Evie Richards (GBR) took the overall UCI XCC World Cup title, with Jenny Rissveds (SWE) and Alessandra Keller (SUI) again completing the podium.
DHI and EDR: can last year’s stars repeat?
In the Men Elite DHI category, Jackson Goldstone (CAN) enjoyed a memorable 2025 season, claiming five victories, including a home win in the final round in Mont-Sainte-Anne, to secure the overall UCI DHI World Cup title ahead of highly decorated Loïc Bruni (FRA), with Luca Shaw (USA) third.
The Women Elite DHI competition saw a third consecutive UCI World Cup overall title for Valentina Höll, despite not taking a win until the penultimate round. The Austrian rider was pushed hard by emerging talent Gracey Hemstreet (CAN) and a resurgent Tahnée Seagrave (GBR), who finished second and third respectively.
Poland’s Sławomir Łukasik won three of seven rounds to secure the overall Men’s 2025 UCI EDR World Cup title, ahead of former winner Jesse Melamed (CAN) and Charles Murray (NZL). Britain’s Ella Conolly powered her way to three successive victories, claiming the overall 2025 Women’s crown ahead of Simona Kuchyňková (SVK) and Nadine Ellecosta (ITA).
Fresh additions and fan favourites
This year’s calendar spans a variety of formats, with some rounds focused exclusively on endurance, others on gravity, and many combining both. A strong mix of established venues will also be featured, including Nové Město na Moravě (Czechia) for cross-country and Val di Fassa - Trentino (Italy) for enduro. Two venues will host racing in all four formats: Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland (Austria), La Thuile - Valle d'Aosta (Italy) and Haute-Savoie (France).
New for 2026, the season-opening Race of South Korea in Mona YongPyong will host Asia’s first-ever UCI World Cup rounds for XCO and XCC. It will also be the first time a UCI World Cup for DHI has been held on the continent in 25 years.
Also new to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, but familiar to many gravity riders, is the 1199 track at Whistler Mountain Bike Park, British Columbia (Canada), which will host a standalone DHI round.
Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah (USA), a former Olympic venue that is home training ground for Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Haley Batten, is another new addition to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar. Hosting the penultimate rounds for XCO and XCC, the venue is already generating excitement among riders and fans.
Host of the closing round of the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Lake Placid (New York, USA) returns to the calendar for its second appearance in the series, with its Olympic Sites. The event on the first weekend in October will be the final showdown for the XCO, XCC and DHI athletes. The UCI World Cup for EDR comes to a close with the sixth and final round in Morillon, Haute-Savoie (France) mid-August.
2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar
1-3 May – Race of South Korea – XCO, XCC, DHI
22-24 May – Nové Město Na Moravě (CZE) – XCO, XCC
28-31 May – Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (FRA) – DHI, EDR
11-14 June – Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland (AUT) – XCO, XCC, DHI, EDR
19-21 June – Lenzerheide (SUI) – XCO, XCC, DHI
26-28 June – Val di Fassa-Trentino (ITA) – EDR
3-5 July – La Thuile-Valle d’Aosta (ITA) – XCO, XCC, DHI, EDR
10-12 July – Pal Arinsal (AND) – XCO, XCC, DHI
17-19 July – Aletsch Arena-Bellwald, Valais (SUI) – EDR
14-16 August – Morillon, Haute-Savoie (FRA) – EDR
20-23 August – Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (FRA) – XCO, XCC, DHI
19-20 September – Soldier Hollow, Midway, Utah (USA) – XCO, XCC
25-27 September – Whistler Mountain Bike Park, British Columbia (CAN) – DHI
2-4 October – Lake Placid Olympic Sites, New York (USA) – XCO, XCC, DHI