The UCI has confirmed the locations for the four mountain bike formats at the second-ever unified UCI Cycling World Championships, with Cross-country and Downhill returning to the UCI World Cup staple of Les Gets and Enduro and Cross-country Marathon tackling the trails of the Grand Massif.
Les Gets, Portes du Soleil has been picked for Cross-country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Downhill. The bike park is a firm favourite amongst mountain bike fans and hosted its first UCI Downhill World Cup in 1996. It has previous experience hosting UCI World Championships too – first the UCI Downhill World Championships in 2004, and most recently XCO, XCC and Downhill in 2022.
Enduro and Cross-country Marathon (XCM), meanwhile, will see athletes compete on the Grand Massif’s expansive 400km network of trails. With the French Alps as a backdrop, both races are sure to be a spectacle for riders and fans alike.
The mountain bike formats are just four of the 20 UCI World Championships that will be held across 12 sites in the Haute-Savoie department during the second-ever UCI Cycling World Championship. An expansion on the first event in Glasgow 2023, it will see 10,000 Elite and Amateur athletes compete for rainbow bands in disciplines as varied as road, track, BMX, indoor cycling and eSports between August 24 - September 5, 2027.
Some two million fans are expected to travel to the Haute-Savoie department for the 13 days of competition, with the whole of the area part of the festivities, while its breathtaking landscapes and iconic landmarks like Mont-Blanc will be celebrated during the contests.
Speaking at a press conference in Sallanches, France, UCI President David Lappartient said: “These combined UCI Cycling World Championships were part of my vision when I was elected UCI President in 2017. This vision became a reality in 2023 in Glasgow and across Scotland, and we are now building on what we created in Scotland, in an even wider range of cycling specialties. I am delighted that this edition will take place in Haute-Savoie, a recognised host region for UCI events in several disciplines. Cycling in all its splendour will be celebrated in the French department.”
In 2025, the Haute-Savoie department will host all formats of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series over two consecutive weekends. Morillon will make its debut as a UCI Enduro World Cup venue from August 22–24, followed by UCI World Cup events in Les Gets—including XCC, XCO and Downhill —from August 28–31.
