Set in Austria’s largest bike region, Saalfelden Leogang is one of just two venues on the 2026 calendar that will host cross-country, downhill and enduro riders across one weekend, as the Epic Bikepark celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Saturday will also see a historic first for the sport, with the Elite Women UCI Downhill World Cup Final scheduled to finish last for the first time.

We take a closer look at everything you need to know ahead of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series stop in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, from race schedules across cross-country, enduro and downhill, to key riders to watch and how to follow the action.

WHEN?

The race program in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland starts with the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup on Friday 12 June at 10:35 (UTC+2) and concludes with the Elite Men UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup at 13:50 (UTC+2) on Sunday, June 14.

Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EDT+6/BST+1/CEST):

Friday, June 12

10:35 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women U23
11:25 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men U23
12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Men Elite
13:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Women Elite
14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior
14:40 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior
15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Men Elite
15:50 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Women Elite
17:30 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite
18:20 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite

Saturday, June 13

11:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior
11:45 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior
12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite
14:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite

Sunday, June 14

08:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup – Women U23
10:00 – UCI Enduro World Cup
10:10 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup – Men U23
11:55 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup – Women Elite
13:50 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup – Men Elite

WHERE CAN I WATCH?

There will be several ways to watch the endurance and gravity action unfold from the iconic WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series venue.

For the UCI Enduro World Cup, there will be a course preview featuring the route and its key sections, practice day and race day highlights on the official YouTube channel, key race moments on social media and live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website.

For the UCI Downhill World Cup* and the Elite UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup and UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup, races are available to watch live worldwide.

Europe:

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Baltics, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, Ukraine – HBO Max / Eurosport
Austria – HBO Max, Eurosport, K19
Belgium - HBO Max, Eurosport, RTL PLay (Only Elite XCO and Downhill races live)
Czechia - HBO Max, Eurosport, CT Sport
Ireland – TNT Sports
Switzerland, Liechtenstein - HBO Max, Eurosport, SRG/RSI (Only Elite XCC & XCO races live)
United Kingdom – HBO Max, TNT Sports

Asia:

Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand - Eurosport World

Oceania:

Australia – Stan Sport

New Zealand - MTBWS TV

Samoa - Eurosport World

North America:

Canada – FloSports

USA – HBO Max / MTBWS TV

MTBWS TV has now launched in the US, so fans will be able to watch the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series live on the streaming service. Racing will also still be available to watch on HBO Max.

South & Central America: MTBWS TV

Africa: MTBWS TV

All other territories: MTBWS TV

*The UCI Downhill World Cup Qualification Day can be followed on live timing and across social media. The men’s and women’s Junior UCI Downhill World Cup races will be available on HBO Max (in all available territories) and MTBWS TV via subscription. The Elite finals will be shown on one of the above channels or streaming services.

RIDERS TO WATCH

The Epic Bikepark is a familiar venue for experienced Endurance and Gravity competitors. Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland has been a mainstay on the UCI Downhill World Cup circuit since 2010 and featured on the UCI Cross-country World Cup calendar between 2021 and 2025. The venue also made its Enduro debut in the series three years ago, quickly becoming a favourite among fans and riders.

In downhill, Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) will be bidding to make it a career-best hat-trick of wins in front of her home crowd. Höll won at the venue in 2024 and has been imperious during the opening two rounds of this campaign. However, Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) will look to rain on her parade, having won at the venue last year and finishing runner-up to Höll in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France).

Defending Elite Men overall champion Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) won at the Austrian course 12 months ago, however the Canadian could only manage 26th at the opening UCI Downhill World Cup round in MONA YongPyong (South Korea) and then was disqualified from both qualifying runs for missing the tape two weeks ago. Meanwhile, former winner at the Austrian venue and five-time UCI World Champion, Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), will miss the event after sustaining a wrist injury during practice at Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, and may see him sidelined for the next three months. Attention therefore turns to Luca Shaw (Canyon DH Racing), who will aim to build on the momentum of his maiden UCI World Cup victory, while Andreas Kolb (Santa Cruz Syndicate) will be targeting a return to winning ways at a venue where he has previously enjoyed success.

On the endurance side of things, the competition could provide some of the closest racing of the weekend, with the absence of several star riders. Last season’s Men Elite UCI XCC and XCO World Cup overall winner Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) remains sidelined, as he continues to recover from a broken collarbone sustained at the opening round, while 2025 Women Elite UCI XCC World Cup overall winner Evie Richards (Trek – Unbroken XC) is also absent after suffering a concussion in a crash in Nové Město Na Moravě.

In their absence, Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC) will look to capitalise, leading the XCO overall standings and sitting second in XCC after a string of strong results, including victory in MONA YongPyong. However, Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) impressed in Nové Město Na Moravě, where he was only beaten by Tom Pidcock, who will also not compete this weekend.

After making her mountain bike return two weeks ago, Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech) will be looking to repeat her success in Leogang last season which saw her do the XCC-XCO double. Meanwhile, Specialized Factory Racing duo Laura Stigger and Sina Frei will look to maintain their strong form, with the former targeting a repeat of her XCO victory from two weeks ago and delight the home fans. UCI World Champion Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) will also be looking to open her winning accounts for 2026.

Ella Connolly remains the name to beat in the enduro field after the defending overall champion opened her account with an impressive win at the opening UCI Enduro World Cup in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes. Second and third placed riders Mélanie Pugin (Speed Project) and Raphaela Richter will have to find something special to stop Connolly adding another win to her collection.

The men’s UCI Enduro World Cup is wide open after Alex Rudeau won the opening round by just seven tenths of a second. Frenchman Raphaël Giambi (Speed Project) will be hoping to overturn the small deficit over the six-stage event. Former UCI Pump Track World Champion Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) was also on form in the opening round and could challenge again. Meanwhile, last year’s overall winner Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) will be hoping for a clean event after a crash last weekend cost him a bid at the podium.

Racing gets underway on Friday, June 12 in Saalfelden Leogang - SalzburgerLand. Full schedule and event details are available HERE.

Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland

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