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Eleonora Farina (MS Intense Racing) won her first-ever UCI Downhill World Cup with an excellent display of control and skill on a rain-soaked course at Haute-Savoie, Les Gets, France. Home favourite Amaury Pierron (Commencal/MUC-Off by Riding Addiction) proved a popular winner as he produced a masterclass to clinch a dominant victory in the men’s elite race. FARINA MANAGES CONDITIONS BEST Eleonora Farina (MS Intense Racing) sealed a long-awaited win as the Italian managed the conditions best to power to victory in challenging weather at Les Gets, Haute-Savoie. Farina was the only rider in the women’s field to record a clean run in round five, and her time of 4.19.168 proved fastest ahead of Norway’s Mille Johnset (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) and Britain’s Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD), who finished second and third respectively. “Wow, it was a crazy one. In my mind at the start, when it started raining, I said ‘stay on your bike and make a clean run’. So yeah, after 10 years I can say I won my first!” beamed a delighted Farina, who set a time of 4.19.168. Adverse weather had made for difficult conditions and a rock-hard course which resulted in the cancellation of the Finals of the UCI Downhill Junior World Cup. In an ominous sign for her competitors, Norway’s Frida Helena Ronning (Union-Forded by Steel City Media) – first to tackle the 2.4km course - slipped on the first corner and suffered a serious blow when she later flipped over into the crash net. Britain’s Phoebe Gail (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team), Louise-Anna Ferguson (Intense Factory Racing), and Germany’s Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) were among the other early riders whose races were impacted by crashes due to the lack of grip on the surface. In what was proving to be a survival run, Italy’s Farina took to the start line with immense confidence and rode the treacherous conditions excellently to set the time to beat. It was a nervous watch for Farina as Johnset performed admirably to produce a very respectable time but ultimately just fell short, 6.768secs behind Farina. Seagrave had executed a superb and patient plan of attack but just when it looked like she could challenge Farina’s time, an agonising late crash put paid to her hopes, although it was good enough for third. With the course becoming more difficult with every run, the overall series leader Valentina Höll (YT Mob) took an aggressive approach in an attempt to usurp Farina but despite a valiant effort she lost her back wheel on a sharp turn, producing a run that was fifth-best on the day. With the result confirmed, an emotional Farina could celebrate an unforgettable and long-awaited victory. After five rounds, Holl remains in the lead with 1,445 points, ahead of Seagrave and Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) with 1,221 and 1,036 respectively. PIERRON DEMOLISHES RIVALS French favourite Amaury Pierron (Commencal/MUC-Off by Riding Addiction) treated the fans to one of the most impressive downhill runs you will see as he recorded back-to-back victories in the men’s elite race. One of the best in these conditions, Pierron – the penultimate rider to take to the course – was faultless as he blew his rivals out of the water with a blistering time of 3:43.976. Evoking memories of his 2019 win here, the 28-year-old sent the supporters wild with an absolute masterpiece, as his impressive comeback continued with a vengeance. Austria’s Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) and South Africa’s Greg Minnaar (Norco Factory Racing) were second and third on the podium respectively. Veteran Minnar had held the lead since the first run, recovering from an early fall on a surface that was akin to an ice rink to produce the benchmark of 3.40.687. It had looked like it was going to be Kolb’s day when the Austrian took control of the hotseat with a phenomenal run – but his time was ultimately demolished by Pierron. “It was crazy! Nobody could really make a good time, but the rain just came and it gave us a really good track,” he said. “It was so much fun, I was so excited to get on track and the fans were insane.” Fortune was always going to favour the brave and Britain’s George Ethan Craik (Scott Downhill Factory) displayed a lot of mental toughness before he took a tumble at a turn on the open section. In unprecedented scenes, home favourite Benoît Colanges (Dorval AM Commencal), and Australia’s Luke and Remy Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) suffered similar misfortune. Throwing caution to the wind, Canada’s Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) initially managed the wet terrain impressively but he, too, ultimately paid the price for his attacking approach on a deteriorating course. Australia’s Troy Brosnan threatened Minnaar’s position at the top with a precision run, but he had to settle for fourth-place finish after a couple of costly mistakes during what was otherwise an excellent display. Kolb took to the gravel with a swagger and the early signs looked promising as the Austrian weaved his way around the course untroubled, successfully negotiating a steep section that had caught so many victims before him. But there was not going to be any stopping Pierron, who set the pace early and went for it with a truly special run culminating in a memorable victory, sparking scenes of jubilation among his home crowd. Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) remains in control of the overall standings with 1,403 points, ahead of Pierron (1,187 points) and Brosnan (1,067). UCI DOWNHILL JUNIOR WORLD CUP FINALS CANCELLED AS WILSON AND VERMETTE CROWNED WINNERS Due to adverse weather conditions, the UCI Downhill Junior World Cup Finals scheduled for today were cancelled. According to UCI regulations, the result from the last qualifying round determines the final standings for this round. Consequently, Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) claimed the women's victory, while Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) won the men's event based on their strong performances in the qualification session. Vermette extends his overall lead, while Eliana Hulsebosch (Union-Forged by Steel City Media) continues to lead the women's standings. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Series continues on Sunday with round 6 of the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup. The Women U23 race will start at 9:00 CET, followed by the Elite races, and the U23 Men will conclude the event at Les Gets, Haute-Savoie, at 15:30 CET. For more details on where to watch, click here.

Due to the latest weather forecast from Météo France, indicating continued Vigilance Jaune status because of storms, heavy rains, and potential flooding, the existing schedule for the UCI Downhill World Cup on Saturday, 6 July 2024, will not proceed as planned. The revised race schedule is as follows, based on the latest weather forecast review:  9:00-10:00 AM CET: Downhill training session for Elite riders only. 11:00 AM CET: UCI Downhill World Cup – Elite Final Women, followed by Elite Final Men. Final start lists will circulated through the official channels. 2:00 PM CET: The Mont Chéry area will be closed for all public and sporting activities. Gondolas will be closed, and everyone will be asked to vacate the area. The Finals of the UCI Downhill Junior World Cup are cancelled. Following the article 4.11.010 of UCI Regulations, if the final cannot take place due to unforeseen circumstances, the last qualifying round determines the final result.  The Elite races will be streamed live on digital platforms (Max, discovery+, Eurosport, Staylive) with a linear broadcast available on Eurosport 2. More details on how to follow the action around the world are availble HERE. This safety decisions have been made by the UCI, WBD Sports, and the local organizers to ensure the welfare of athletes, teams, marshals, volunteers, spectators, and everyone involved in the event. The cross-country training schedule remains unchanged (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM today). Further updates will be communicated if there is any deterioration in the weather that affects this revised schedule.

After an imperfect experience in Val di Sole, Women’s UCI Downhill World Cup leader Valentina Höll (YT Mob) got her season back on track with an impeccable semi-final run in Les Gets. On the men’s side Dakotah Norton (Mondraker Factory Racing) put in two flawless runs to put himself in the optimal position for Saturday’s final. HÖLL POSITIONS HERSELF AS FAVOURITE, BUT HER RIVALS ARE RUNNING HOT TOO Women’s UCI Downhill World Champion Valentina Höll (YT Mob) might have experienced a minor wobble in Val di Sole, but she showed her ship is as steady as can be in Haute Savoie. The two best runs of the day of anyone, meant she strengthened her position at the top of the standings, taking maximum points going into Saturday’s finals.  Not that she can expect to cruise to a third UCI World Cup victory of the season, as every one of her closest rivals showed themselves be in or close to their best form of the year. If anything, the difference may prove to be who held what back, and who was trying out different lines under test conditions. None of which is to undermine Höll’s performances which were, as so often, grace personified. What it is, however, is to maintain a degree of doubt. How the final will unfold is an unknown until it isn’t. In her first run she was only behind - and barely - in the opening sector. The shining light of Val di Sole, Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD), was the quickest of the day out of the blocks, but where Höll found time across the course, Seagrave had more of a stop-start run. The Britain’s most troublesome sector was the fourth, where she dropped nearly half of the three seconds she was behind the Austrian at the finish. Home favourite Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off By Riding Addiction) made her fans happy by getting quicker after the second split. Level at the first split, down a shade under two seconds at the second, she lost less than three tenths of a second more, and would run Höll much closer if she could beat that bit of the track. As it was, in her semi-final, although she was better in that sector it still made the difference between her and Höll. Seagrave evidently learned some lessons from her opening run and although she too has problems to solve in sector two, she actually took time out of the Austrian on the second half of the track. If either or both she or Nicole can put the best parts of their runs together one of them stands a very strong chance on Saturday.  With the top ten semi-finalists separated by just ten seconds, the final is sure to be a close-run thing.  DAKOTAH NORTON SETS THE ALPS ON FIRE IN THE SEMIS 160 male riders launched themselves onto the Hautes Savoie downhill course early on Friday afternoon in the opening heat. Only 61 of them made the semi. Dakotah Norton (Mondraker Factory Racing) was fastest of all of them, all day long. Norton seems to have saved his best form of the season to early July. Sixth place overall and an outsider coming into this weekend, based on his opening timed runs he has now marked himself out as one of the favourites. What most impressed was that in neither his qualifier nor semi-final was the American fastest at the top of the Les Gets downhill track - but he was quickest where it really mattered - at the bottom. That’s where the clock stops. His first run making him the last man to drop down the ramp in the semi-final, he made it to the first split in a lowly ninth place, with work to do. He got on and did it.Less than a minute later, reaching the second check he had gone from a quarter of a second down to almost half a second up.After that he was cruising, finding his flow and leaving the weight of the world behind him. Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) in contrast, started strongly only to lose his rhythm. The Austrian made no fatal flaws but nor did he match the challenges presented by the course. Koln dropped a second at each of the final splits to finish 7th and he will start 7th from last in Saturday’s final.  The winner in Val di Sole, Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) demonstrated that his performance three weeks ago was anything but a one-off, riding comfortably to finish 9th in the heat and score a strong second place behind Norton in the semi-final. For his part, series leader Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) set off to a relatively easy start in the opening qualifying heat, apparently treating it more like an additional reconnaissance run than a full bore, competitive effort. A slip mid-way down the track from which he struggled to recover cost him time and places and meant a season-worst finish of 42nd. He more than made up for it in the semi-final however and put in an especially quick final split. That meant he finished third when it matters and will be third from last out of the box in the final. Bruni’s team-mate Finn Iles was a rare rider who excelled himself in the qualifier only to have more trouble in the semi, dropping from 3rd to 9th. A top ten start will nevertheless mean he remains among the big-name riders to watch.

Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) and Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) employed almost identical tactics to take similar sized victories in the women’s and men’s UCI Cross-country Short Track races in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France). Both waited until their opponents were weakening before attacking on the final circuit. In the men’s UCI World Champion Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took a tumble on the first lap but fought all the way back to claim a hugely impressive 3rd place. PIETERSE HITS HARD AND EARLY BUT CANNOT LAND KNOCK-OUT BLOW  Les Gets (Haute-Savoie) is known for having one of the hardest short-track courses on the circuit with a particularly fast start/finish. Dry conditions, as the riders faced on Friday, only made it faster. At the front row in the women’s UCI Cross-country Short-Track (XCC) World Cup, Val di Sole winner Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) wore the bruises to show how hard she had pushed it in practice. That wasn’t going to stop her in the race proper, however, as she shot off the line. As did Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon), but all raiders got away cleanly as they headed up the hill. Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) drifted back from the front row to 12th place. Ciara Teocchi (Orbea Factory Team) surged around to the front on the right, leading going into the traverse jumps. Jenny Rissveds (Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental) held onto second place into the rocks, with Pieterse coming through to take over at the front after one completed circuit. In the early part of lap two, it was Pieterse from Teocchi and Rissveds, before Martina Berta (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team) launched her way up the middle. The Italian’s attack was almost too successful, as it carried her into first place. Prematurely? Perhaps. Certainly, she gave the place back to Pieterse at the completion of the second lap. Pieterse was in no mood to hang around, stringing out the field over the top of the climb. All kinds of damage was done by her first serious acceleration. Onto lap 4, Pieterse had given herself clear air and was building her advantage towards the double digits. Candice Lill, Gwen Gibson (Trek Factory Racing Pirelli), Rebecca Henderson (Primaflor Mondraker Racing Team), and Blunk were deciding how much of an alliance to form when Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing Pirelli) blasted her way towards the front of the chasing group. Halfway through and while Pieterse looked strong her task job was far from complete. Had she gone too early? Was Alessandra Keller letting her hang herself out to dry? The man-made rock garden caused problems for the pack, with Candice Lill losing her chain on the 6th time over, effectively ending her race. Onto lap 7, Pieterse led by 11 seconds. Evie Richards turned on a tractor beam, positioning herself low over her bars and pedaling hard in pursuit of her quarry. Keller was happy to let the Brit do the lion’s share of the work, as Rebecca Henderson hung a further bike length back. Two to go and it was three riders vs one, until Keller fired herself past Richards as she was beginning to fade. On the descent Keller was a single short bend behind Pieterse, just three seconds separating them. Keller had the choice to shoot past as they hit the grass climb but opted instead to pause on Pieterse’s wheel. With one lap to go Richards had found something in her reserves to put four of them in contention for the victory. Pieterse kept riding her own rhythm as Keller took the lead in the race for the first time. She made it hurt on the climb, and count on the descent.  She was almost out of sight on the switchbacks and by the rocks was all but clear, with two sets of stones separating her from Pieterse. Times later showed Keller had measured her effort perfectly, with her 2’17 last lap the fastest of anyone in the race. Even as Pieterse was gassed by the early effort and extended solo spell, Henderson couldn’t displace the Dutch rider from 2nd, and was forced to settle for 3rd. Richards lost contact again on the last lap but did enough for a good 4th place as Gibson came home in 5th. “Puck went, because she likes to make the race fast,” explained Keller afterwards, “while I thought to save some energy. My team manager told me to focus on second. Getting through the second last lap I thought it was going to be close. We closed the gap, I tried to make the others work, and we worked together pretty good. We caught Puck again and I made the move through the attack zone.” As well timed as it all appeared, Keller insisted “I didn’t have a plan.” HATHERLY HANGS BACK AND HITS HARD In the men’s XCC, Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) and Martín Vidaurre (Specialized Factory Racing) started best of all. Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) was looking strong, but it was Schwarzbauer who led onto the uphill switchbacks, ultimately leading them all across the line at an almighty clip. Green stains showed Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) had gone down on the grass and the UCI World Champion found himself dead last with a massive amount of work to do to get back into contention. Fortunately, he had seven laps to do it. Thomas Litscher (Lapierre Mavic Unity) wasn’t letting go of the German’s wheel but nor was he keen to push him out of the way. In fact, no-one was, though Aldridge looked sorely tempted to attack. The off-camber climb was slipperier than it looked, and the race began to string out as it approached the halfway point. As Hatherly moved up, Schwarzbauer punched the pedals to let him know he wasn’t losing power.  On the fourth time up the climb, the race was perfectly poised, with no big gaps between groups.  Onto Lap 5, Schwarzbauer led Litscher, Hatherly, Aldridge and Vidaurre. Neither Filippo Colombo (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team) nor Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) were quite out of it. Gaze had made it into the top 20 with more than half the race remaining. Schwarzbauer signaled for someone else to take a turn on the front, which Litscher graciously accepted. At this point there was a good group of seven, but it was time for games to start being played, perhaps presenting opportunities for those behind. Gaze continued head-hunting and was up to 14th with three and a half laps left. Hatherly took over in the G1 engine room, as Blevins and Vidaurre began to fade. The South African asked probing questions of Schwarzbauer on the climb but he won’t have liked the answers, as the German clung to his wheel. Charlie Aldridge was the sole rider from the front set still to put his nose in the wind. As they hit lap 9 he moved onto Schwarzbauer’s shoulder, but preferred 2nd to third for their penultimate ascent. Gaze had made it up to 6th place, making him first of those riders not in the front group. An easing of their pace seemed to serve as an invitation to the Kiwi. At the bell he had almost accepted it, which was the moment Aldridge picked to attack. Only his team-mate Hatherly could go with him, as the Cannondale pair briefly duked it out before Hatherly said farewell ahead of the short descent. Hatherly increased his lead, and it seemed only Gaze could get the better of him. But Hatherly had boxed clever, making it through the rock garden cleanly and coming home four seconds to the good. Aldridge’s sprint made it a team 1-2, while Sam Gaze delivered a remarkable 3rd. Schwarzbauer, who had perhaps put too much work in, finished 4th, with Litscher making up the podium. Colombo was the rider from the original quintet to miss out. “It’s been a long time coming and I’m super happy that it paid off today,” said Hatherly, whose last short-track victory came in Brazil in 2022. He continued: “I had the confidence to make it hard before the last lap to take the edge off the guys. I kept something in the tank to give it that final squeeze.”   SECOND U23 SHORT-TRACK WORLD CUP WINS OF 2024 FOR HOLMGREN AND RILEY The men’s and women’s U23 races were similar, and similarly hard-fought affairs. In the women’s UCI Cross-country Short-Track World Cup, Isabella Holmgren beat overall leader Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing) for her fourth UCI World Cup win of the season across both competitions. Holmgren went clear of the field by putting in a big dig midway through the race, before hanging on to win by three seconds from Böhm. Sina Van Thiel (Lexware Mountainbike Team) was right behind her compatriot, a storming performance delivering her best result of the year. Olivia Onesti (Trinx Factory Team) and Ginia Caluori (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team XCO) rounded out the podium in 4th and 5th. As much intent as her move seemed to contain, Holmgren said she “didn’t really go into it with a plan, because it’s such a technical course with all the rocks and everything. I just felt it and thought it would be better to go sooner rather than later. One lap I had a mishap on the rocks, and you never know if that will happen again.” In the U23 men’s XCC, Bjorn Riley (Trek Future Racing) battled it out with Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) over ten laps to take his second UCI XCC World Cup win in three weeks. The victory was by the modest margin of three seconds. “At no single point did I think I had [Treudler],” said Riley afterwards. “Maybe on the rock garden but I was just hoping, begging that I had enough beans to give it on the two straight sections and then not mess up the rocks at the end.” He didn’t, and he openly admits to love what he’s doing for a living: “I was super relaxed all week, because I love this course,” he continued. “I was super happy and just decided to shred with all my mates. I’m so proud of what I’ve done this year that whatever comes out of it I’m happy with it. Knowing that I’m secure in this career makes me the happiest man on earth. To win is just a bonus.” Five riders came in together behind them, with Rens Manen Van Teunissen and Oleksandr Hudyma (both KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team), and Martin Groslambert (JB Brunex Superior Factory Racing) making up the podium.

The Downhill, Cross-country Olympic and Cross-country Short Track pros were given a well-earned break last weekend as the Enduro and Cross-country Marathon Elite showed what they could do in the heart of French Alps, specifically in the villages of Combloux and Megève. The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series resumes tomorrow just up the road, in the same French department, Haute-Savoie, centered on the cycling-crazy town of Les Gets. Lejla Njemcevic and Héctor Leonardo Páez rode flawlessly to victory in the Elite Women’s and Men’s UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup (XCM) in Megève. In the UCI Enduro World Cups, Antoine Rogge and Estelle Charles took their first wins over the grueling multi-stage competitions set in the hills of Combloux. Les Gets’ world-famous bike park, with its over 128km of trails making it the biggest in Europe, has been a magnet for mountain bikers of all kinds since 1992. Whether Downhill (DHI), Cross-country Olympic (XCO), freestyle, freeride or electric mountain biking there is something for everyone. Les Gets has twice hosted UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, in 2004 and 2022, as well as a stage of the Tour de France in 2023. This is the third year in a row that the town welcomes the UCI Mountain Bike World Cups. WILL THE TRICOLORE FLY AGAIN OVER THE DOWNHILL RACERS? Home riders dominated in Les Gets last September, claiming three of the four places at the top of the UCI Downhill and Cross-country World Cups podiums, including both downhill gold medals.  Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) was fast in qualifying, faster in the semi-finals, before going on to execute an impeccable final run of the weekend. Cabirou’s sublime second place ride in Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy) two weeks ago shows her form is right where it needs to be, as she looks to achieve  a second consecutive victory on the aggressive Les Gets course. Apart from the winner in Val di Sole, Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD), and overall leader Valentina Höll (YT Mob), Cabirou will need to watch out for compatriot Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction). Nicole admits that in the past she might have preferred racing further afield, away from the pressure of home favourite status. These days, she says, “I take this as a chance to have everyone that we love around and cheering for us.” Unlike some riders, Nicole is hoping rain will fall on the course “I prefer to go slow, so wet means a slower track,” she said. If she cannot take the win, Nicole picks her friend Tahnee Seagrave as her preferred and likely winner. It would not only be a second UCI World Cup win in a row for Seagrave, but a second win on this course after she topped the podium in 2021. On the men’s side Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) was in touch with the lead but behind for most of his final run in Les Gets last year. He left it late but delivered a rapid fourth sector to find the time he needed for a first ever UCI World Cup win in front of 20,000 fans. “It was incredible, better than my dreams,” Coulanges said in this week’s pre-race press conference. Coulanges has enjoyed another solid season of Gravity, which has seen him save his best run of each weekend until last. Although he has yet to take another top spot, he has twice finished on the podium - at Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria) and Bielsko-Biała (Poland). His only finals finish outside the top ten came two weeks ago in Val di Sole. Arriving in Les Gets, Coulanges is ready to target another high finish. “I feel really good on the bike,” he says. If not Coulanges, could Nicole’s team-mate Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) be the rider to raise home heart rates? The rider, who suffered a devastating injury a year ago, completed a miraculous comeback with a stunning winning ride in Val di Sole. The rider is approaching the next round of racing in a reflective mood. “Last week was a big high but I’m just trying to keep the ball rolling and stay focussed,” he says. The key to his victory in Val di Sole was that it was “smooth and clean” but that he didn’t “push too hard,” although he suspects that the Les Gets course will call for a different approach. Despite his coyness, Pierron has good reason to believe he can do it, having won here in 2019. The overall leader in the men’s competition is another Frenchman, Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity.) Bruni couldn’t manage better than 5th place in Val di Sole. LES GETS OFFERING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALTERNATE CROSS-COUNTRY STARS On the occasions UCI XCO World Champions Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) have competed in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series this season, they have both dominated the longer format (XCO). Neither will appear in Les Gets, with Ferrand-Prévot focusing on her Olympic preparation and Pidcock taking to the roads of the Tour de France. Also absent is American Haley Batten -  “My full focus is on becoming my best for Paris 2024,” she said three days ago on Instagram - and Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) whose technical superiority carried her to a stunning victory on the sticky Swiss course two weeks ago. That ought to open the door for others looking to achieve confidence-boosting victories ahead of the Olympics at the end of this month. It surely makes the hot favourites among the women the overall series leader Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Keller has been getting better as the rounds have progressed, achieving a season-high second place in the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup in Crans-Montana, Valais (Switzerland). She will be looking to go one place higher in Les Gets. Pieterse has shown herself a master of the short track (XCC), winning both of the last two races in Val di Sole and Crans-Montana. Second and third respectively in the XCO demonstrated she is not lacking in endurance either. Could third place Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) step into the shoes of her American colleague? The up-and-coming 25-year-old from California skipped Crans-Montana but still has three third places to her name this season, along with a silver medal. A win surely lies in her future - could it come this weekend?  Last year’s women’s Les Gets UCI XCO World Cup winner Mona Mitterwallner (Cannondale Factory Racing) has had, by her own account, “a bit of a rough” year so far. That has been largely down to a viral illness which she has still to completely shake off.  “It’s been a slower start to the season,” she says, “but the season is not over and I’m pushing all the way to the end. I just want to look back and say I did everything I can. I just want to have the feeling that I’m flying up the hill again,” she adds. “That’s what drives me.”  Despite the setbacks, two XCO top tens to her name mean the Austrian is in relatively good shape. She arrives back in Les Gets “with so many good memories and positive feelings” and “I know I can deliver here even if I’m not feeling 100%.” Nino Schurter (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team) has a 144-point lead at the top of the UCI Cross-country OIympic World Cup overall standings, but the GOAT’s late DNS blows the race wide open.  Among those waiting in the wings are second place South African Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) who will be looking to turn his consistent form into something bigger on the rough Alpine tracks of Les Gets. UCI Cross-country Short-track World Cup overall leader, Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) returns to the UCI World Cup having hopefully shaken off the bout of Covid that kept him off the Crans-Montana startlist. Koretzky has shone in the XCC races but his endurance has let him down in his last two XCO appearances, where he finished outside the top 20. Finishing second in both longer races in Brazil, however, show he is more than capable of competing with those targeting Olympic medals.  Just three points behind Koretzky is another Swiss rider, Filippo Colombo (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team), who has podiumed in half the events in 2024, across XCC and XCO.  Koretzky’s team-mate Christopher Blevins is the only rider other than Schurter and Pidcock to triumph in a UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup race this season. Blevins has had a harder time since that momentous early season day in Mairiporã (Brazil), and will be hoping to find form with Paris just around the corner.  This will be the last time racing at Les Gets for France’s Maxime Marotte (Decathlon Ford Racing Team), who has recently announced that this will be his final season on the circuit. The 37-year-old Frenchman is, he says, “proud of all the podiums” - a total of 27 UCI World Cup podium finishes across his career - and the “many, many good times” as a professional mountain bike racer.   His advice to hopeful riders is to “race with your heart” and “don’t be afraid if there are people stronger than you.” WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY HOSTS ‘WOMEN IN MOUNTAIN BIKE’ NETWORKING BREAKFAST IN HAUTE-SAVOIE, LES GETS On Wednesday morning, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports facilitated a "Women in MTB" informal networking breakfast in Les Gets, gathering women from various sectors of the mountain biking world. The event served as a unique opportunity for women to connect, share experiences, and foster a sense of community within the mountain biking industry. Attendees included representatives from various enduro, downhill and cross-country teams, such as riders, physiotherapists, chefs, or mechanics. Additionally, members of the organization and media personnel covering the event were present, further enriching the networking opportunity. This initiative highlights WBD's commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the sports industry, particularly in mountain biking, which has seen significant growth and interest in recent years. The action is also aligned with WBD's ongoing efforts to support and empower women in sports, ensuring they have the resources and opportunities to thrive in their respective fields. Racing gets underway in Les Gets tomorrow with the UCI Downhill World Cup Qualification. Full schedule and events details are available here.

On Wednesday, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports facilitated "Women in MTB" informal networking breakfast, gathering women from various sectors of the mountain biking world. The event took place ahead of the 11th round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in the iconic Haute-Savoie venue of Les Gets, France and brought together a diverse group of women involved in the sport. The event served as a unique opportunity for women to connect, share experiences, and foster a sense of community within the mountain biking industry. Attendees included representatives from various enduro, downhill and cross-country teams, such as riders, physiotherapists, chefs or mechanics. Additionally, members of the organization and media personnel covering the event were present, further enriching the networking opportunity. This initiative highlights WBD's commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the sports industry, particularly in mountain biking, which has seen significant growth and interest in recent years. The event provided a valuable opportunity for women to engage in meaningful conversations, exchange insights, and build professional relationships that can drive future collaborations and advancements in the sport. The action is also aligned with WBD's ongoing efforts to support and empower women in sports, ensuring they have the resources and opportunities to thrive in their respective fields. By creating such spaces for interaction and dialogue, WBD continues to champion the presence and influence of women in the sports environment. As the season progresses, the connections made during this morning's event are expected to pave the way for a more inclusive and supportive environment for women in mountain biking.

As the Olympics draws ever nearer, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continues its Tour of the French Alps this weekend, with another riveting round of racing action from the Haute-Savoie region. It’s only a short commute north from last weekend’s stop in Megève and Combloux to Les Gets, where the Endurance and Gravity stars will do battle once again. We look at everything you need to know about the Haute-Savoie, Les Gets round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, including when the UCI Cross-Country Short Track (XCC), Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) and Downhill (DHI) Worlds Cups are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to follow the action. WHEN? Due to the latest weather forecast from Météo France, indicating continued Vigilance Jaune status because of storms, heavy rains, and potential flooding, the existing schedule for the UCI Downhill World Cup on Saturday, 6 July 2024, will not proceed as planned. The revised race schedule is as follows, based on the latest weather forecast review: 11:00 AM CET: UCI Downhill World Cup – Elite Final Women, followed by Elite Final Men. Final start lists will circulated through the official channels. The Finals of the UCI Downhill Junior World Cup are cancelled. Following the article 4.11.010 of UCI Regulations, if the final cannot take place due to unforeseen circumstances, the last qualifying round determines the final result.  Further updates will be communicated if there is any deterioration in the weather that affects this revised schedule. Sunday, July 7 09:00 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Women U23 11:00 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite 13:30 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite 15:30 – UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup | Men U23 WHERE CAN I WATCH? You can watch all the action from the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Les Gets (Haute-Savoie) wherever you are in the world. There will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel. Both the men’s and women's UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup U23 races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, but for all other races, tune in to one of the below channels or streaming services: EUROPE: Austria: discovery+ Belgium: HBO Max, Eurosport 2 Czech Republic: Max, Eurosport 2 and Czech TV (only XCO) Denmark: Max, Eurosport 2 France: Max, Eurosport 2 and La Chaine L’Équipe Germany: discovery+, Eurosport 2 Hungary: Max, Eurosport 2 Ireland: discovery+, Eurosport 2 Italy: discovery+, Eurosport 2 Netherlands: HBO Max, Eurosport 2 Norway: Max, Eurosport 2 Poland: Max, Eurosport 2 Portugal: Max, Eurosport 2 Romania: Max, Eurosport 2 Slovenia: Max, Eurosport 2 Spain: Max, Eurosport 2 Sweden: Max, Eurosport 2 Switzerland: Eurosport player and SRF UK: discovery+, Eurosport 2   CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela: Staylive Puerto Rico: Max  AFRICA: Staylive  NORTH AMERICA: USA: Max Canada: Flosports ASIA: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan : Staylive China: Zhibo.tv Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand: Eurosport  OCEANIA: Australia: Stan Sport New Zealand: Staylive REST OF THE WORLD: Staylive U23 UCI CROSS-COUNTRY OLYMPIC RACES: YouTube LIVE TIMING: live.ucimtbworldseries.com   RIDERS TO WATCH Women Elite UCI Downhill World Cup leader and UCI World Champion Valentina Höll (YT Mob) didn’t have it all her way last time out in Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy) but she’ll be back on the slopes looking to show she remains the rider to beat. Another strong performance from her closest rival and the most recent UCI World Cup podium-topper Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) could put another decent-sized dent in the 229 points that currently separate them. Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) is breathing down Seagrave’s neck in third place - she won here in Les Gets last year so has reason to believe she can go higher. The Men Elite UCI Downhill World Cup winner in Val di Sole last time out was Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction). Pierron broke the C5 vertebrae in his neck a year ago, and the win, he wrote on Instagram, weighed “1 ton of doubts, 10 ton of pain [and] 100 ton of work.” No-one expects him to stop there. Despite his falling to a (relatively) lowly 5th place in Val di Sole, Pierron and the rest will still surely see Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) as the man to beat on the fearsome Alpine descents with his team-mate and closest rival Finn Iles hungriest of all to take a bite out of Bruni’s massive overall lead. Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) has struggled to get going this season, but his victory last year tells us he knows and likes this course and must be seen to represent a threat. The Les Gets cross-country fields will be without both Men Elite and Women Elite UCI World Champions, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tom Pidcock (both Ineos Grenadiers). That opens the door in the Olympic (XCO) races for rivals to take a confidence-boosting win ahead of Paris 2024 - now just three weekends away. The male name on everyone’s lips will be that of veteran Nino Schurter (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team.) Schurter powered to victory in Val di Sole and came in a creditable 4th place in Crans-Montana (Valais, Switzerland) - despite crashing several times on a single lap. Right behind the Swiss great in Val di Sole and in the same relative position in the overall standings is South Africa’s Olympic hope Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing.) If Hatherly arrives in Les Gets at the peak of his strength and confidence he could see himself on the top step of the podium for the first time. No stranger to that same position - albeit on the shorter distance XCC course - are Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) and Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Both have taken two wins apiece in the short track, while XCC leader Koretzky hasn’t fared too badly over the longer XCO races either. Gaze seems to have lacked the endurance and has finished both the last two rounds in the 30s. His Alpecin-Deceuninck team-mate Puck Pieterse has only been getting stronger throughout the season, clearly with the aim of hitting peak performance in time for Paris. Despite competing in just three out of five rounds of the UCI Cross-country World Cup, last year’s Les Gets winner finds herself in fourth place overall and hasn’t been off the podium in a single cross-country race. The leaderboard is headed by Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) who finished second in Val di Sole and has been similarly consistent through 2024. A first XCO win of the season could be just what the Swiss rider needs ahead of the Olympics. In the absence of Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) Keller will want to keep Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) in her sights. Lecomte found her form and her flow in Crans-Montana two weeks ago, and from one win so often comes another.   Racing gets underway on Friday, July 5 in Les Gets (Haute-Savoie, France) Full schedule and event details are available HERE

Riders faced a ten-stage race, covering over 56km, including grueling liaisons and 2,480m of fast descending. The six stages that made up the UCI Enduro World Cup would return, with the additional of two power stages and one stage newcomer, Jaillet Superior. After a deluge of rain throughout the evening, the changing trail conditions would play a huge part in deciding the fate of riders in today's race.   STAGE 1 AND STAGE 2: POWER STAGE ONE & COL DU JAILLET  Putting the emphasis on the ‘e’ in e-enduro, riders started their day with a power stage. Only 0.2km in length, this steep, purpose-built section of track felt like it was made for Sofia Wiedenroth (Specialized Enduro Team), who took the stage win by +1.406, with teammate Estelle Charles following suit in second.   Overall series leader Flo Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team), finished the stage in fifth, but was back on top at the end of stage two, having put just +2.572 seconds between her and second place Italian, Alia Marcellini (Haibike). Estelle Charles remained steady, taking third place on the second stage of the day.   Meanwhile in the men’s field, Irishman Gregory Callaghan made his UCI E-Enduro World Cup debut and had a clean start on the first stage of the day, slotting into the top ten. But it would be the French that dominated the stage one results, taking six of the top 10 spots. Levy Batista (Rocky Mountain Gravity Racing) secured the stage win, fellow countryman Adrien Dailly (Lapierre Zipp Collective) would take third, with Portuguese rider Tiago Ladeira (Miranda Factory Team) splitting the two, taking second, only +0.254 of a second behind Batista.   Riders who competed in Friday’s UCI Enduro World Cup proved that their double-efforts would pay off on stage 2, Col du Jaillet, as they collectively took the three of the four top spots. Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective) in fourth, Martin Maes (Orbea Fox Factory Enduro Team) returning to pace in third, Antoine Rogge (Lapierre Zipp Collective) finished the stage in second, with Cecce Endu (Specialized Enduro Team) taking the stage win.     STAGE 3 AND STAGE 4: CHRISTOMET & CABANE DU TETRAS  The mix of freshly cut raw trails offered up in stage three, Christomet, combined with the natural ruts and roots of stage four, Cabane du Tetras, created a mind-boggling mix of both dry and extremely muddy conditions. It didn’t seem to bother Espiñeira however, who took the stage win on three, and third place on stage four.   Opting for a riders right high line to avoid the carpet of roots, Estelle Charles made herself at home on stage four, Cabane du Tetras, to take the win, placing the French athlete in overall lead of the race as they head into stage five.   In the men’s race, Cecce Endu & Antonie Rogge switched up places as they crossed the line at the end of stage three, whilst overall series leader, José Soares Manuel Borges (Canyon Collective Factory Enduro Team), continued to struggle, placing 14th on stage three and 18th on stage four.   Alex Marin (GasGas Factory Racing) struggled to hold on with a crash on Cabane du Tetras but was still +3.439 seconds ahead of Australian Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team), finishing forth on the stage behind Callaghan in third, Damien Oton (Oolab Team) in second, with Rogge making it two stage wins in a row.   STAGE 5 AND STAGE 6: COMBLOUX & POWER STAGE TWO  With only one stage to go before riders visit the technical assistance zone (TAZ), stage five was a beast. Full of chunky chunder, flat corners and snaking, switch back turns, it brought the full speed of bike park trails to the riders.   In the women’s race, George Smith (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) took a surprising stage win in her first ever E-Enduro, ahead of Estelle Charles and Espiñeira, and kept her form on the following power stage to come out second, and up to fourth overall.   Rolling into the last four stages of the day, Estelle Charles led the pack, followed by Espiñeira and Marcellini. With such close racing, there is everything to play for and no guarantee of the top step for Charles needed to fend off the overall series leader to secure the race win.   The men’s race saw Frenchmen Hugo Pigeon (Scott Sr Suntour Enduro Team) take the stage win. Rogge showed he’s keeping pace, taking second place followed by Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) in third, his best result of the day so far. Then came some tactical tire changes in the Technical Assistance Zone (TAZ), with at least Yeti / Fox Factory Racing and Orbea Fox Enduro Team both changing from dry to mud tires, a sign of the conditions that lie ahead.   The fans were out in force on stage 6, the second and final power stage of the day, giving all their encouragement to Cecce Endu, who suffered a broken chain, forcing him to push up the steep switchback climb and ultimately resulting in a dead last stage finish for the French local. Portuguese rider Emanuel Pombo (Miranda Factory Team) took the stage win, with Rogge not taking home any points on this stage, but retaining overall lead of the race, ahead of Kevin Marry, who gathered a crucial eight points on Combloux, to keep him in contention.     STAGE 7 AND 8: JAILLET SUPERIOR & MEGÈVE  If there were two stages that would determine the heroes of this race, the technically challenging terrain of stage 7 and 8 would be it.   Estelle Charles took her third and fourth stage wins of the day, ahead of Flo Espiñeira who followed up with second place in both stages. Although she finished third overall on stage seven and eight, a huge mechanical on Megève with a suspected motor issue, ended Marcellini’s race, a second heartbreaking finish for the Italian racer after her DNF in Saalfalden Leogang – Salzburgerland. Another big loss after she was on-track for a podium here in Combloux, Haute-Savoie.   In the men’s race, Cecce Endu’s broken chain on power stage two would cost him a time penalty, moving him out of the top ten elite men, and there was drama for Michael Hannah (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) who ended up off course on the 2.3km of the rough, wild, and rocky singletrack of the Megève stage. But it was Adrien Dailly (Lapierre Zipp Collective), who stopped his teammate Rogge from taking his third stage win of the day. Rogge had to settle for second place on stage seven, and the same on stage eight, where Damien Oton claimed the stage win.  STAGE 9 AND 10: ROUGE DES FRASSES & COMBLOUX  The all-natural 1.7km Rouge des Frasses may be a short stage, but it offered no respite for the riders as its big, mature roots were time-zappers lying in waiting. A second shot on Combloux would be the final stage of the day, with George Swift hoping for a repeat stage win.   Flo Espiñeira and Estelle Charles continued their battle, and it would be the overall series leader Espiñeira who would find enough gas in the tank to take the final two stage wins.  But the Chilean would have to settle for second place in the overall race, as Estelle Charles took her first UCI E-enduro World Cup win. George Swift, who brough home her best World Cup result to date, finished the race in third place.   Stage nine in the men’s race saw Ryan Gilchrist find his form to take the stage win. He’d go on to win the final stage of the day, a re-run of Combloux, securing him the third-place podium spot. Antoine Rogge’s third and fourth finishes on stage 9 and 10 respectively allowed him to maintain a comfortable 22-point lead, to take his first UCI E-enduro World Cup win. Damien Oton’s steady pace throughout the day was rewarded with the second-place spot on the podium, his best result since the 2018 Enduro World Series round in Finale Outdoor Region. Despite a huge crash on stage 10, Hugo Pigeon stayed in the points to secure fourth place overall, followed by Greg Callaghan in fifth.   THE RACE FOR SERIES LEAD  Flo Espiñeira remains top of the overall standings as Ryan Gilchrist regains the overall series leader jersey after some hard-fought stages in Combloux, Haute-Savoie. Gilchrist’s team, Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team also remain untouched in the team standings, with two races left of the 2024 season. The UCI Enduro & E-enduro World Cup returns in mid-July (12-14), when the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series rolls into Aletsch Arena in Switzerland, the seventh new race venue on the 2024 series calendar.   The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continues its stay in France next week (4-7), with the series’ biggest weekend on the calendar in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie.

After a week of unsettled weather, the athletes racing the 100 km UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup (XCM) were faced with some gruelling trail conditions coupled with high humidity as they completed the Mont Blanc Ultra Somfy at the first of two weekends of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Haute-Savoie, France.   Athletes endured an intense course that had over 5,000m of elevation gain to conquer before reaching the 70km mark, including summiting Bellastat. The course consisted of a mixture of climbs and descents, including steep sections like the Chemin des Granges climb and offered a diverse and rugged terrain, making it a suitable battle for even the most experienced of mountain bikers.   A TOUGH RACE FOR LOOSER 2023 overall winner Lejla Njemcevic started strong alongside 2023 UCI Marathon World Champion Adelheid Morath with the pair leading by two minutes at halfway point, whilst the French National Champion, Margot Moschetti couldn’t keep pace and was a full ten minutes back at the same point. It wasn’t to be for Morath, who dropping out at the 70km mark, or Moschetti, who managed to cross the line in eighth.   Meanwhile, there was early drama for Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ winner Vera Looser when she suffered a technical problem, which led to a hard push from the Namibian to come back to catch Njemcevic. The pair broke free of the pack, leaving American Hannah Rae Otto in third place, ten minutes behind the duo.  But the difficult race for Looser didn’t stop there, as she suffered a puncture and dropped crucial time behind Njemcevic, allowing the Bosnian to cruise the remain kilometres to the finish line in Megève, taking the UCI XCM World Cup win.  Looser somehow managed to hold onto a third-place finish behind Otto, in her first UCI XCM World Cup outing since winning the final round of the 2023 season in Snowshoe, West Virginia (USA). Speaking to the overall series leader about her thoughts on the race, Njemcevic said:   I just wanted to ride a steady race from beginning to the end. I was riding with Adelheid, so we were bouncing back and forth, but I was always sticking to my plan. My racing plan wrote my own race, and in the end, everything worked out. With the final race of the season taking place in Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid later this year, Njemcevic has her eyes firmly set on the 2024 Overall Series Champion jersey:   It's really exciting, but I think I'm the best. I know I'm the best. First race, I was better, made a tactical mistake, but this race is the hardest race we ever did.I was the best by far, so I don't expect anything less than winning an overall in the USA. I can't wait for it. A BATTLE OF THE GREATS  In the elite men’s field, it wasn’t to be a repeat victory for Fabian Rabensteiner as he finished fifth overall - just behind Roberto Bou Martin (Kilmatiza Toteemi Cabberty) in fourth and Italy’s Samuele Porro in third - enough for him to remain in overall lead of the series.   Frenchman Basile Allard lipped to finish 22nd whilst Martin Stošek (Canyon Sidi MTB Team) suffered with a rear flat tyre whilst only two minutes from the lead pack.  Upfront it was the battle of the World Champions, as 2019 and 2020 UCI Cross-country Marathon World Champion Héctor Leonardo Páez stuck like glue to Andreas Seewald (Canyon Sidi MTB Team), the 2021 UCI Cross-country Marathon World Champion. Paez’s strategy to leave enough in the tank for the last crucial uphill allowed him to take the lead and secure the race win by over one and a half minutes.   Héctor Leonardo Páez said:  I did a very smart race. I knew it would be a very tough one, and I had to save the energy from the beginning and test the last uphill and take care in the last downhill as there was a lot of mud.  Race was as I expected and very happy with this win. The last downhill was perfect for me as I tried it before, so it gave me some confidence to have a gap and win the race. The final round of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM) World Cup event will take place in a new debut venue for 2024, Mt Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid. This iconic venue in northern New York State is famed for hosting the Winter Olympic Games in both 1932 and 1980. Racing takes place on the weekend of 27 – 29 September 2024.  

The village of Combloux in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps might have been making its first appearance on the UCI Enduro World Cup stage, but this corner of France’s status as the beating heart of the format makes this weekend’s racing something of a homecoming for the sport. Its debut WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series course wasn’t welcoming riders with open arms though, providing a stern test across six stages featuring 2,530m descent, while the total course (including liaisons) would see competitors tackle a 39.2km with 1,685m elevation gain. Combined with a slick track from rain earlier this week and baking hot conditions, and the field had their work cut out for them just to make it to the finish line without succumbing to time penalties. STAGE 1: COL DU JAILLET The opener saw riders take on Col du Jaillet, a 2.4km stage packed full of slippery roots, and tight, narrow alpine singletrack. Pivot Factory Racing’s Morgane Charre came out of the gate hot, laying down a 5:31.117 on home soil to show she’s still got a part to play in the UCI Enduro World Cup overall standings despite not yet reaching the highs of last season. Cannondale’s Ella Conolly was second on the stage, 2.95 seconds back, while series leader Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) had to settle for third – 5.84 seconds behind Charre – after suffering issues with her rear derailleur. Courdurier’s closest competitor in the overall series, Harriet Harden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity), finished in 6th, 18.4 seconds back on the stage one leader. The men’s competition meanwhile saw a new name at the top of the pile – Downhill specialist Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) taking to the Combloux trails with an eye on 2024 UCI Enduro World Championships selection and recording a 4:35.857. Familiar face and series leader Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) managed second, 1.445 seconds down on the Australian, while Rude’s teammate Slawomir Lukasik was the best of the rest at +5.036. It wasn’t all plain sailing on stage one though, with Marco Osborne suffering a huge crash that left him more than 3 minutes down.  STAGE 2: CHRISTOMET After a punchy liaison, riders faced a 2.8km trail that paired a tight woodland middle section with a wide, open start and finish. Charre did enough on the stage, leading a French top three – Courdurier and Mélanie Pugin in second and third – and extending her lead over her closest compatriot to 6.259 seconds. Conolly’s fourth on the stage was enough to keep her in third in the day’s overall, with there a sizeable gap forming between third place and Pugin in fourth (+18.22). The home crowd were given something to cheer in the men’s too, Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) bouncing back from 17th position on the first stage to take the win and move himself up to 7th on the day, 10.377 seconds back on race leader Rude. The ever-consistent American lost just 1.215 seconds to Rudeau on the stage, with Micro Vendemmia sandwiched between them.   STAGE 3: ROUGE DES FRASSES The all-natural 1.7km stage three might have been the race’s shortest, but its big, mature roots meant it was a trail when riders could lose substantial amounts of time. And so it would prove in the women’s field, where no one could get within four seconds of the on-fire Charre. The Frenchwoman’s gap was now over 11 seconds on second place Conolly, while Courdurier found herself in the unfamiliar position of third, 12.329 seconds behind Charre. It wasn’t just Charre who was coming to life in her home UCI EDR World Cup though, with Rudeau securing back-to-back stage wins to propel himself up to fourth position. The in-form rider – who finished second in Saalfelden Leogang’s UCI EDR World Cup three weeks ago – was laying it all on the line, and no one could get within 1.5 seconds of him. While Rude still led, his advantage was diminishing.   STAGE 4: MEGÈVE The hot conditions and tight liaisons were starting to take their toll on the riders, but by the midway point they still had several difficult stages to overcome before the finish in Combloux – starting with the 2.3km of rough and wild, rocky singletrack to Megeve. Charre was absolutely flying, extending her 100% record by putting more than 9 seconds into second place Conolly. Her lead was now more than 20 seconds, and it would take disaster for her to not record her first UCI EDR World Cup win of this 2024 season. Rudeau clearly got the memo too, taking his third stage win on the bounce and cutting a further 3.952 seconds from Rude’s overall lead. There were now just 1.796 seconds separating the pair, and with two stages remaining, anything could happen.   STAGE 5: CAMANE DU TERRAS While nothing is a given in Enduro, Morgan Charre was onto her victory lap by the time she dropped in on the 1.8km Cabane du Terras. But no one appeared to have told her she could take her foot off the gas. The Pivot Factory Racing rider cemented her top spot with a fifth stage win, Harriet Harnden putting some poor results behind herself to finish second, 2.2 seconds back. The biggest shift in the result was Ella Conolly, who lost time on Courdurier, which saw the reigning overall series winner leapfrog the Brit into second. In the men’s, Rudeau’s hot streak was broken by a resurgent Jack Moir (YT Mob) – the 2021 series winner pipping the Frenchman to first by 0.167 seconds. Rude meanwhile dropped more time on Rudeau, with his lead at the top of the overall now just 0.052 seconds. With Meier-Smith sat in third and more than 11 seconds in arrears, it was set to be a straight shootout between Rude and Rudeau for the podium top spot.   STAGE 6: COMBLOUX For final showdowns, they don’t get much better than stage 6 to Combloux. At 4.24km, its chunky chunder, flat corners and snaking, switch backing turns would be a challenge when feeling fresh. But throw in hours of racing in searing conditions, and the stage would push riders to their limit. One rider who didn’t have to go all in was Charre, who sat up (slightly), and missed out on a 100% stage-win record – Harnden taking the honours instead. It would have no bearing on the overall though, the Frenchwoman finishing more than 23 seconds up on her compatriot Courdurier, with Ella Conolly third. Harnden (fourth) and Pugin (fifth) would complete the podium. Speaking after the race, Morgane Charre said: “It was so good today. I love these conditions when it’s drying a little bit. I was so happy with my riding. [Riding at my home race] makes you stay a bit more positive and fight a bit harder. A lot of my family and friends came to watch and it was really cool. [My favourite moment was] probably stage four – I had a few loose moments, but I just kept going and was so excited.” While the women’s race was a foregone conclusion, there would be drama until the last in the men’s field. Both Rude and Rudeau were clearly on the limit, and both would end up on the deck after pushing too hard. It was Rude who was able to recover though, breaking French hearts by finishing three seconds up on Rudeau on the stage. The disappointment was compounded for the Frenchman – Meier-Smith winning his second stage of the day and snatching second place in the final standings. Lukasik finished fourth – his fourth podium of the season – with Moir fifth. Speaking after the race, Richie Rude said: “The thing that kept me going is knowing that the conditions were really good today. It was a lot drier than yesterday for practice. I was stoked for every stage. It was tough having the lead but having it chipped away at every stage. That was a bit stressful but I enjoy the battle and having done it a bunch of times, I know that I can do well in those situations.”   GOLDSBURY RECORDS BACK-TO-BACK WINS WHILE MAXA SHOWS MAXIMUM CONSISTENCY IN UNDER-21 EVENTS A blistering stage 3 and 4 was enough for New Zealand’s Winni Goldsbury to blow the competition away to win the Women’s Under-21 by more than 50 seconds over Simona Kuchynkova. Third place was Lily Boucher of Canada. In the Men’s Under-21 event, Czech Republic’s Adam Maxa showed that consistency – rather than stage wins – is key in Enduro. While he didn’t top a stage, his lowest position was 4th, which allowed him to build an unassailable 14.6-second lead over series leader Jt Fisher (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team). Round one and two winner Bailey Christie (Theory Racing) finished third. In the open racing categories, 185 amateurs raced four of the same stages as the professionals. Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the turn of the Endurance athletes as the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup makes its debut in Megève, Haute-Savoie, while the Gravity action resumes on Sunday with the E-Enduro riders taking to the Combloux, Haute-Savoie course, completing two loops and 10 stages. Can anyone stop Florencia Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team)? And who will come out on top in a super competitive men’s field?

The 30-year-old Frenchwoman was one of cross-country mountain biking’s rising stars before her world came tumbling down. After battling with injuries, an eating disorder and juggling training with a part-time job just to make ends meet, she has found her calling in the Cross-country Marathon (XCM) format. Ahead of her home race at the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup in Megève, Haute-Savoie, the French XCM champion shares how her career highs and lows have shaped her outlook and her ambitious goal for 2025. Margot Moschetti is happiest when on her bike in the big outdoors. In fact, it’s how she got into cross-country mountain biking.  Growing up on the outskirts of Nice in the south of France, she was an avid swimmer and practised judo, but she longed to explore her Côte d’Azur surroundings rather than be confined to the pool or judo hall. Her father, a keen mountain biker, suggested she join him for a ride. Her path was set. “It's a freedom to be outside and have no planned training period,” she says. “You can go whenever during the day and enjoy being free and outside.  While the 30-year-old has been on the professional cross-country circuit for more than a decade and riding and racing mountain bikes since the age of 13, clipping into her pedals to go and train still puts a smile on her face. But it hasn’t always been this way. A RISING STAR From the outside, Moschetti’s early career follows the trajectory of most of the sport’s rising stars. After a string of impressive results at Junior and Under-23 level – including numerous UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup wins and silver at the Under-23 2014 UCI XCO World Championship in Hafjell - Lillehammer (Norway), she signed with an established team – 1996 Olympic champion Bart Brentjen’s Betch.NL Superior-Brentjens – for the 2015 season. “They were enjoyable years because there was quite a lot of success and I enjoyed having those victories and that recognition,” she says. “It gave me the opportunity to join a big, organised team and learn a lot from that experience with Bart [Brentjen’s] – how to be more professional, what it means to be a high-level athlete, how to get ready for a specific event.” Her final season as an Under-23 saw her record more UCI World Cup podiums and a silver at the European Championships, but when she progressed to the Women’s Elite class in 2016, she went from being in contention for victories to struggling to break the top 30. It wasn’t a case of the Elite class being a step too far though. Moschetti had been suffering from an eating disorder for more than two years, and her body was at breaking point. A VICIOUS CYCLE It all started in 2013 when she was sidelined with a serious knee injury that would take six months just to recover. “I didn’t get the best advice and was told that, because I wasn’t able to do sport, I might put on weight and then not be able to perform at the same level after that,” she says. “It clicked in my head that I couldn’t put on weight, and I had to be careful with my eating. I almost stopped eating to try and manage it.” When she did resume training, she continued being incredibly strict on what and how much she was eating. Despite the imbalance, she achieved some of her best results – reinforcing the negative approach to nutrition. “I lost a lot of weight, trained a lot, and had huge results. But eventually it took a toll on my body and that was the start of the end.” Moschetti developed mononucleosis – a viral infection also known as Glandular fever where symptoms include extreme tiredness, high temperatures and swollen neck glands – and couldn’t shake it for a year. On returning to racing, the results still weren’t there, and by 2019, her contract with Brentjen’s outfit wasn’t renewed, meaning she had to join a smaller team, where a pay cut forced her to get a part-time job to make ends meet. “When you have all those successes in the XCO, and you have been in the front all the time, it's difficult to step back. Everything goes into a vicious cycle – you must leave the big team you were in and join a smaller team with less means. I had to have a part-time job, which meant less time to train and less time to recover. It was difficult to live and cope with it. REBUILDING FROM THE BOTTOM Moschetti credits her family with helping her overcome her eating disorder, providing the support and care she needed to focus on herself and understand that she had to take care of herself. Her part-time job – where she helped disabled children get physically active – gave her a reality check too. “I thought ‘Maybe I have to calm down about watching what I’m eating and just think about how I feel’.” She’s quick to point out that she’s still not ‘cured' – “I can still feel the devil on my shoulder and have to make sure that I’m not falling into that vicious cycle again” – but she’s confident that she has the right team and support in place to ensure she’s making the best choices about eating. MASTERING THE MARATHON It’s clearly working for her too, and Moschetti is getting back to her best. She decided to focus solely on the Marathon format from the 2023 season – “it was a natural choice because of the long distances and the opportunity to be in a more open landscape rather than lapping on a short track as you do in XCO and XCC” – and narrowly missed out on a top 10 place at 2023’s four-round UCI XCM World Cup season. This season, she has signed with E-Fort, and has been able to train as a full-time professional once more. Her only objective this year has been to train and get better; Moschetti’s main focus the 2025 UCI XCM World Championships. But her win at last weekend’s French XCM national championship show that she’s on the right path. “I’m very happy to wear the French jersey again. It gives me a lot of motivation for the future and shows the level of training and recovery that’s necessary to perform at the highest level. I’m putting everything together to get back to my best and where I belong.” She adds that she’s happy to race at home at this weekend’s UCI XCM World Cup in Megève, Haute-Savoie with the jersey on and that she “will give the best of herself” to secure a result for the local fans. But ultimately, if her highs and lows have taught her anything, it’s that she doesn’t want to take the opportunity for granted.  “The difficulties have freed my mind of some the constraints that I had earlier in my career and made me more conscious of how lucky I am to be back as a full-time pro – getting paid to do what I enjoy.”

This weekend marks the return of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup (XCM) in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, as riders line up in Megève, Haute-Savoie, France, for the second long-distance Endurance event in the format’s three-race season. After May’s opener in rider favourite Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, Czechia, the Megève event poses a new challenge – the venue making its WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series debut. But it’s not a complete unknown to fans of long-distance off-road racing – the 100km XCM race joining the iconic Mont Blanc Ultra Somfy, organised by the MB Race, a legendary event regarded as the world’s most difficult one-day mountain bike race. CLIMB-HEAVY COURSE The stunningly beautiful foothills of the Mont Blanc massif are the setting for the race, but riders will have little chance to admire the views with 5,000m of elevation gain to tackle across the 100km course. The climbing starts on leaving the race village in Megève with an ascent of the Col du Jaillet to Tête de Torraz – a gruelling 16km mountain pass packed with 1,200m of elevation gain. Riders return to Megève at 70km having summited Sommet Bellastat, before a final 30km loop with a jagged profile that finishes with a descent down to the finish line. RABENSTEINER AND LOOSER OFF TO A STRONG START The three-race nature of the UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup means every position and UCI point counts in the contest for the overall series win. Fabian Rabensteiner got his defense off to the perfect start, taking maximum points with a strong final climb in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ that enabled him to build a small but unassailable lead on his fellow breakaways Alex Miller, Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann (Canyon Sidi MTB Team). The Italian has only raced once since the opening XCM round – a DNF in the Dolomites where he retired due to stomach issues – allowing him to focus on this weekend’s racing in France. Porro and Stutzmann will also be in contention in Megève with Miller not racing in France, while Wout Alleman (Buff Megamo Team), Simon Stiebjahn (Singer Racing Team) and Héctor Leonardo Páez Leon have all recorded strong rides in the intervening weeks after missing out on the podium positions in Czechia. In the women’s field, Vera Looser continued her impressive UCI World Cup form, adding another victory to her first and third place in the two races she competed at in 2023. Last year’s overall winner Lejla Njemčević couldn’t keep up with the Namibian’s pace on the second lap in Nové Mĕsto Na Moravĕ, settling for second, with Rosa Van Doorn (Buff Megamo Team) third. All three and Van Doorn’s teammate Janina Wüst (Buff Megamo Team) go into this weekend’s race as contenders, while recently crowned French National Champion Margot Moschetti, is the best chance of a local victory. HOW TO KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION You can stay up to date with all the action from the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Megève, Haute-Savoie, France wherever you are in the world. There will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel on Wednesday 3 July. The UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup gets underway in Megève, Haute-Savoie at 6:00 (UTC+2) on Saturday, June 29 with the Men’s Elite, followed by the Women’s Elite at 6:05 (UTC+2) – full schedule and events details are available here.

France’s Haute-Savoie department is hosting back-to-back weekends of UCI World Cup racing, with all six WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series formats competing over three venues and two jam-packed race weekends between Friday, June 28 and Sunday, July 7.  The first weekend (June 28-30) sees the UCI Cross-country Marathon (XCM) Endurance format take to the trails of Megève on Saturday, while there will also be Gravity action setting off from the neighbouring village of Combloux on Friday and Sunday – Mont Blanc’s extensive trail network playing host to the fourth round of the UCI Enduro (EDR) and E-Enduro (E-EDR) World Cups’ six-round series.  While Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team), Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective), Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) and Flo Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) lead their respective series, it’s still all to play for with this weekend set to be an intriguing contest.    Demanding, elevation-packed course  While the Haute-Savoie region has become a steadfast host of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series this is the first time that Combloux will host the UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups.  This means that, like May’s Bielsko-Biała round, it will be the first time that many athletes will have raced on the trail network. Unlike Poland though, this corner of France has a world-renowned reputation, so it’s likely that it won’t be riders first visits to the region.  The UCI Enduro World Cup will see athletes take on six stages during a 39.2km course featuring 2,530 m descent and 1,685m of total elevation gain (including liaisons), while the UCI E-Enduro World Cup has ten stages across a 57km course with 3,039m descent and 2,480m of total elevation gain (including liaisons).  Open racers in both enduro and e-enduro will take on a similar course to the elite professionals.     Rude and Courdurier not having it all their own way  If you look at the standings, last year’s overall series winners Richie Rude and Isabeau Courdurier appear to be in commanding form at the top of their respective enduro tables. But neither have truly dominated any of the three races this year, even if both have secured two wins from three.  Courdurier’s biggest challenger has been Harriet Harden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity), and the 23-year-old Brit has pushed the Frenchwoman at every single race, narrowly missing out on first place in Bielsko-Biała and Saalfelden Leogang. Another Brit, Ella Conolly, has also been incredibly consistent, recording a podium finish in each of the first three rounds, while there’s surely more to come from last year’s overall series runner-up Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing).  Rude meanwhile has faced stiff competition from his teammate Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team), while Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) has been the most consistent rider outside of the top three – even if the Canadian has only managed one podium.  Other riders to look out for are Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project), who is on an upward trajectory with results of 18th, 9th and 2nd, and Jack Moir (YT Mob) – the 2021 Enduro World Champion’s season yet to truly catch alight.    Gilchrist and Borges resume their title fight, and can anyone stop Herreros?  Saalfelden Leogang witnessed a switch up at the top of the Men’s Elite e-enduro competition – Manuel Soares José Borges finishing fifth to leapfrog Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) after the latter slipped to 24th on the day. The pair have been the most in-form riders to date, with one-off entrants Lukasik and Martin (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) keeping the regular e-enduro athletes off the podium top spots in Bielsko-Biała and Saalfelden Leogang. Expect Borges and Gilchrist to resume their battle for supremacy in Combloux’s draining, 10-stage UCI E-Enduro World Cup race.  Despite her dominance to date, Herreros struggled by her high standards in Saalfelden Leogang – the Chilean only winning four out of nine stages. But with her closest competitor Tracy Moseley not on the start list and the rest of the field unable to put together consistent performances stage after stage, few would bet against Herreros making it four wins from four.  How to watch the Enduro action unfold  There will be several ways to watch the action unfold at the first of France’s two UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups of the 2024 Series. For Friday’s Enduro and Sunday’s E-Enduro racing, there will be live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and highlights on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, with top stories from the race weekend to be published on the YouTube channel, before Monday, July 1.  

FACOM, a leading manufacturer of hand tools, is proud to announce its partnership with the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. The French brand, which embodies the values of innovation, precision, and reliability, brings its expertise and durable tools to the cycling world. This collaboration reflects a shared passion for performance, which is a key factor in the greatest victories. For over 100 years, FACOM tools have been the instruments of choice for skilled professionals in the most demanding technical industries. Delivering the quality expected from a premium French brand, FACOM tools support technicians and mechanics at the forefront of invention and innovation. Already an Official Supplier to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, FACOM is now advancing its commitment by becoming an Official Partner for the upcoming iconic French rounds over two weekends in the Haute-Savoie region. The two-wheeled action in Haute-Savoie comprises three rounds: the UCI Enduro & E-Enduro World Cup in Combloux from June 28 to 30, the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup in Megève the same weekend, and the UCI Cross-country Olympic, Short Track, and Downhill World Cups in Les Gets from July 4 to 7. Additionally, FACOM will shine as the Event Presenting Partner of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes, hosting rounds of the UCI Downhill, Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups a few weeks later. Olivier Catheland, FACOM’s Marketing Director in France, stated: Through our support of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, FACOM reaffirms its commitment to the world of cycling, which is environmentally conscious and promotes active mobility. This is a new milestone for the brand, which also shares the values of high-level cycling competition: performance, endurance, and durability. Wherever there is a need for absolute precision and the highest quality tools, you will find FACOM. Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: True to its commitment to high-level sport, we are delighted to elevate our partnership with FACOM. Their dedication to innovation, precision, and sustainability are the perfect match for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. We look forward to their increased presence at the upcoming French events in Haute-Savoie and Loudenvielle- Peyragudes, enhancing the experience for teams, athletes, and fans alike. FACOM's tools and expertise will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success of the series in France and beyond. For more information about FACOM and its products, please visit www.facom.com

Tom Pidcock (Ineos-Grenadiers) made it two wins from two in Crans Montana, in his last UCI Cross-country World Cup appearance before next weekend’s Tour de France Grand Départ. A strong but not perfect ride saw him out in front on lap two, and that was where he stayed for the duration. In the Women’s UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup race Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) made all the right moves with a dominant performance on a tough course in difficult conditions. LECOMTE BARELY PUTS A FOOT WRONG IN CHALLENGING CRANS-MONTANA CONDITIONS “It’s a proper course. Not a cyclocross course.” Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLCTV) said at the start of the week, revealing her taste for the more challenging, technical Crans-Montana circuit. The French national champion went on to prove it, leading the Women’s Elite UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup race from start to finish, with only a few short spells off the front. The absence of the overall XCO leader Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) and third place Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) had presented possibilities for swings in the overall standings on a treacherous day. Several riders were looking to move up. Lecomte and Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) shot off the start line, as Allessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) went bar to bar with Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck.) Saturday’s UCI XCC World Cup winner leading around the corner and onto the start loop’s tight asphalt climb. Keller pushed on into the woods, but it was Kate Courtney (Scott-Sram MTB Racing Team) who took over ahead of a short off-camber downward dip. Onto the longer wooded descent Loana Lecomte went full send to take a sizable 15 second lead over the startline. Keller, who struggled on the downhill, led the charge behind, with Courtney and Gwen Gibson (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) in her wake. Puck Pieterse left to the front of the chase group on the course proper. Everyone was obliged to walk through the next forested section as the field thinned out on the technical uphill. The race was all over the track, but Pieterse was able to gain a bit of ground on Lecomte, while distancing the rest. The Frenchwoman was not hanging about. As Lecomte opted for the challenging constructed timber garden centre, Pieterse took the wide line, costing her a couple of seconds, while Keller in third place also played it safe. After fifteen minutes racing, Lecomte was going from strength to strength, 17 seconds to the good over Pieterse. Into the rock garden, Lecomte went for the middle, balanced line and was followed by Pieterse. Onto the second lap where Pieterse at least had Lecomte in her sights - just - with the Dutch rider in Keller’s. Already a minute further back a battle for fourth place was unfolding between Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) and Jen Jackson (Liv Factory Racing.) On the steep muddy climb Pieterse was practically back to the front of the race, her cyclocross dismount and remount skills working to her advantage. Pieterse took the lead a minute later, as she pieced together the different parts of the course slightly better than Lecomte, with Keller seemingly coming back herself. On the next climb, Lecomte was able to stay on her bike as Pieterse had to run it. Lecomte immediately stomped onto the pedals while Pieterse’s struggled to clip back in cost her several seconds and forced her to relinquish second to Keller. Through the second tech zone, Lecomte spun the gear and pressed forward. Keller was able to find a great rhythm and comfort as Pieterse looked increasingly labored. After half an hour of racing and onto lap three Pieterse seemed to be slipping out of contention for the win. The battle for top spot looked more and more like it would be fought out between Keller and Lecomte. More than two and a half minutes separated 1st on the course from 10th. A slip for Lecomte over a root, her first meaningful mistake, allowed Keller to close the gap; the Swiss rider made a great line choice moments later to put her right on the Frenchwoman’s wheel. Lecomte shook it off and continued to ride her own race. She was particularly confident and competent on the descents, gaining a few metres here and there. Pieterse, meanwhile, was unable to find any parts of the course to favour her. Deeper into the race, Lecomte was able to increase her advantage over Keller to the double digits. Sixty seconds behind Pieterse, Laura Stigger looked like she had 4th place sewn up, as another minute back Evie Richards was looking the better of those battling it out for 5th. Loana Lecomte had her head held high over the start-finish, for an impressive 14’30 lap while Keller began to bob, still able to see Lecomte but barely as she completed her own third circuit in 14’50. The course was drying out even as the more it was ridden increased the depth of the ruts. By the fourth attempt, Lecomte had the more technical sections all figured out and could make them count. At the bell, Lecomte had 35 seconds in hand and was odds-on to become the second French winner of the day in Crans-Montana. Keller, roared on by the home supporters, hadn’t given up. Nor had Pieterse, but it had been a largely lonely race for the European champion. As the course ran out, Lecomte just had to get round, so she took the final technical sections with care. All smiles, she stopped the clock in 1’17 to complete a demonstration. 46 seconds later, Keller crossed the line to become the new UCI XCO World Cup leader. The podium was competed by Pieterse, Stigger and Richards. “It’s good to be back!” a jubilant Lecomte said afterwards. “I love this track,” she continued. “Even if we had a dry track, it’s a real mountain bike track, with a lot of technical sections, and very physical. I can’t wait to be back here for the World Championships next year. The secret is just to be happy and have fun on the bike.” It was Lecomte’s 10th UCI World Cup at elite level. ONE MORE WORLD CHAMPION WORTHY WIN FOR PIDCOCK A week before he is set to line up at the Tour de France in Florence (Italy), Tom Pidcock had time for one last battle with his old nemesis Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team).           The lights went from red to green and all hell broke loose. Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) got off to a great start, as did Marcel Guerrini (BIX Performance Race Team) and Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team).                          Pidcock was shuffled back a few rows behind the likes of Schurter and British champion Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing). Down onto the Red Bull Roots & Rolls lead the Swiss Scott team-mates of Filippo Colombo and Schurter. Alridge took the prime position as the riders swung onto the track proper but the opening five minutes were tight and cagey. Pidcock slid up to sixth place onto the narrow-wooded climb that had presented challenges in the Women’s Elite race. A few of the men had trouble too, including Pidcock, where Aldridge dug in and made his power advantage count. Julian Schelb (Stop&Go Marderabwehr MTB Team) took the lead from Aldridge towards the top and opened a decent gap on the same short descent that worked so well for Loana Lecomte. Schelb entered the timber garden with Pidcock five seconds back but in hot pursuit. Schurter wasn’t going to let Pidcock’s wheel go that early, wrestling his Scott to keep on the men’s UCI World Champion’s wheel. Pidcock closed to Schelb and took over the lead by taking a trickier line before the rock garden. Schelb didn’t like that and shook his head, going back in front with a faster line of his own. Pidcock took a tumble in the tech zone while snatching a gel. That saw him drop into the Schurter group leaving Schelb to enjoy a bit of clear air. The three were joined at the start of lap two by another Swiss rider, Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) as Pidcock drove it on to regain contact with Schelb. Pidcock had more trouble in the mud than Schurter and Schelb, but the right line was often more a matter of luck than judgement. The lead changed hands and places were swapped several times across the next few minutes. Pidcock sensed that the time was right and put in a muscular attack ahead of an early descent. He quickly turned that into a seven second advantage over Schurter and Flückiger, as Schelb slipped backwards. Flückiger seemed most capable of bringing back the leader and was just six seconds down, well within reach, at the start of lap 3. Schurter and Schelb were on their own in third and fourth, with Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) and Maximilian Brandl (Leware Mountainbike Team) battling it out for the remaining podium place. On the technical rooted section Pidcock kept on his bike while Flückiger had to hop off. It felt like one of the thousand cuts that could see Pidcock disappear into the distance. After half an hour of racing his lead was 19 seconds and growing. A rare mistake on the lap’s early descent from Schurter sent him into a rut and over the barriers. It was a soft landing but cost him bags of time, 3rd place, and left him visibly rattled. Meanwhile, Pidcock held a 34 second lead with more than half the race to go. Another controlled off for Schurter on the rock garden effectively put him out of contention. A less controlled one from Max Brandl required medical attention and put him out completely. Onto lap 4 and Schurter was struggling to hold his place on the podium, battling for it with Schwarzbauer and Luca Forster (Canyon CLLCTV.) Seemingly out of nowhere Pidcock was the next rider to take a hit, losing the front wheel on a root. Unlike others he had time to remount, relax and recover. Then Forster lost his own rear on the logged descent, going down hard and giving up fifth place to Schurter. Pidcock continued to motor, eating up back markers. Such was his lead that he was able to take the cleanest safest lines, get round safely while making it count on the power sections of the course. He crossed the line with the sun coming out, having lost just a few seconds to Flückiger, who could take comfort from at least having stabilised the situation. A minute back, Schelb seemed solid in third, as Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz Rockshox Pro Team) joined Schurter and Schwarzbauer in the squabble for 4th. Despite earlier difficulties Schurter refused to give up, rediscovering his shape, form, and rhythm in the fifth lap. He homed in on Schelb, overtaking him dead on the hour. Pidcock took the long asphalt climb out of the saddle and drew out a few more seconds over Flückiger. Schurter looked to make it hard for Schelb in the fight for 3rd. As the course dried out Braidot wasn’t prepared to allow it to be a two-rider affair. Mid-way through the penultimate lap, with first and second places seemingly secured the interest was in the three riders chasing third. The local crowd knew which of the trio they wanted to take it. At the bell the situation was poised, and course conditions were perfect. Schurter applied the pressure on the early difficult climb but couldn’t quite shake his foes. It looked to be going to the finish - at least between Schurter and Braidot, as Schelb’s light slowly dimmed. On the last lap, Pidcock nudged his own lead over the minute for the first time as he calmly eased his way home, before sprinting to the line. Flückiger cruised to second. With the line in sight, Schurter put in one last dig, but couldn’t do enough to stop Braidot from mugging him for 3rd. Schelb was safe in 4th as Nadir Colledani (Santa Cruz RockShox Pro Team) rounded out the podium. Pidcock, who had not practised the course before the race, admitted to early difficulties: “It was really tricky in the first few laps just to find my own rhythm,” he said afterwards. “We were just getting in each other’s way.” He went onto suggest that, after gapping the field he may have relaxed a bit too much considering what’s in store in the coming weeks: “I made a couple of mistakes after getting my gap. I’ve got big things coming up and I don’t think my team-mates would be too happy if I’d binned myself today. New men’s overall UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup leader Schurter said he “struggled with the conditions - one lap I think I crashed three times.” All in all, he was “super happy with my 4th place.” ONESTI HITS NEW SEASON HIGH IN U23 XCO After finishing a season’s best second in Val di Sole last weekend, Olivia Onesti (Trinx Factory Team) went one better in Crans-Montana. The French rider got quicker and quicker over the four laps, to win the Women’s U23 Olympic Cross-country World Cup race by more than a minute from Madigan Munroe (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli.) Emilly Johnston (Trek-Future Racing) the winner of Friday’s XCC, was a further 83 seconds down in third. “It was a really hard race, with a lot of rain and mud,” said Onesti, afterwards. “I like it because it’s different, but it was difficult. I’m so happy because it’s been a lot of work.” In the men’s U23 UCI Cross-Country Olympic World Cup on Saturday, Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) romped to his most dominant victory of the season to date. On lap three, Amos kicked clear of compatriot Bjorn Riley (Trek Factory Racing) and Rens Teunissen van Manen (KMC Ridley MTB Racing), quickly building a 16 second lead before going onto win by a comprehensive 37-seconds. “I think that was the hardest, most difficult race of my entire career today,” Amos said afterwards. “Everyone knew it was going to be an absolute war, I went all out from the gun to try and get out front early, make the race my own and make as little mistakes as possible and just try and stay off your ass, it was one hell of a day out there.” Next weekend, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series heads to Haute-Savoie, in the heart of the French Alps. The Alpine town of Combloux will host a new round of the UCI Enduro & E-enduro World Cups on June 28 and 30, respectively, while Megève will host Round 2 of the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup on June 29.