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Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) and Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) scored victories in the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Bielsko-Biała. The Frenchwoman returned to winning ways after a disappointing start to the season in Fort William, while Dunne recorded his first-ever UCI Downhill World Cup on the new Polish track. Meanwhile, Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) and Asa Vermette (Framework Racing) made it two from two in the Women’s Juniors and Men’s Juniors. The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series made its Polish downhill debut this week as the best Gravity-fuelled athletes took to the Bielsko-Biała track’s smorgasbord of jumps, roots and rock-filled forest sections. After a heavy downpour in the morning, the sun came out in full force for the Elite UCI Downhill World Cup finals, but the conditions weren’t without their own difficulties. On the track’s drying exposed top sections, the dirt was breaking up because of the constant pounding of race rigs, while the wood sections remained damp, making tyre choice extremely difficult. It didn’t faze Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) and Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) though, who used all their UCI World Cup-winning experience to get to grips with the unknown course and push their bikes to the limits to take the wins. CABIROU STORMS TO VICTORY WITH HÖLL CRASHING IN FIRST SECTOR   Marine Cabirou had a disappointing Fort William by her own high standards, finishing outside the podium places and leaving herself with a lot to do to challenge Valentina Höll (YT Mob) in the UCI World Cup overall championship. She appeared to have put the Scottish season opener behind her though, arriving in Poland as one of the most consistent riders on the Beskid Mountains’ course. Third place in Saturday’s Qualifying and Semi-Finals was a sign that Cabirou wasn’t in Poland to make up the numbers and dropping in on her Finals run with just Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) and Höll to come, she knew she’d have to find more than three seconds on her Semi-Finals time to knock then-race leader Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) out of the hot seat. After a steady top section, the 27-year-old grew in confidence throughout her run, laying down the power to set a blistering pace in the lower section that was good enough for top spot. Seagrave looked like she was on a heater, finding almost a second at the first intermediate split, but the resurgent Brit came unclipped from her pedals in the technical wood section, losing momentum and crossing the line fifth. And then there was Höll. The 2023 UCI Downhill World Champion put a snapped chain in Qualifying behind her to set the fastest time in the Semi-Finals, with Aaron Gwin saying in live commentary that it was “hers to lose”. The 22-year-old set off incredibly powerfully from the start gate, but her run was over as quickly as it had started – a crash in the first sector sending her down hard. Last year’s overall series winner isn’t a quitter and was quickly back on her bike, but it was damage limitation rather than a miraculous recovery – the Austrian coming home in sixth. Her win in Poland was Cabirou’s eighth UCI Downhill World Cup of her career, and speaking after the race, she said: “I’m super happy to win here on this new track in Poland. It’s crazy because the track has changed a lot all week. It was difficult to manage the race run because we had a lot of rain at the start of the afternoon, so I didn’t know if I could push or not, so I just tried to do my best. At the beginning, I saw that the track was kind of dry so I tried to push. I made a mistake but I think everybody made a mistake, so I just had a good run.” DUNNE WINS FIRST UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) put in an assured, controlled performance to take his first-ever UCI Downhill World Cup win in Poland – the Irish 21-year-old piloting his prototype Mondraker down the course in his signature, knife-edge style. It was another Irishman who was in the hot seat for most of the men’s final – Oisin O’Callaghan (YT Mob) fourth on the hill and laying down a marker that would be strong enough for 10th on the day. Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) finally broke the 21-year-old’s dreams of a second UCI World Cup win. The Frenchman’s race run was the first to go inside the 2:57 barrier and enough to see him finish on the podium in fourth – an improvement on his 6th place in Fort William.   Coulanges’ time in the hot seat was short-lived though. Enter Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity). The 2023 UCI Downhill World Cup overall series winner had kicked off his season with victory in Scotland and looked to have overcome a crash in yesterday’s Semi-Finals. He was 1.2 seconds up on Coulanges in the first split alone and would hold on to break the 2:55 barrier. But would it be enough for his 10th UCI Downhill World Cup win? Saturday’s surprise qualifier Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Union - Forged by Steel City Media) appeared to be backing up his strong Semi-Finals run, gapping Bruni deep into the fourth intermediate split until he was brought crashing back down to earth with a front wheel washout on an innocuous piece of track. The 20-year-old New Zealand national champion had shown that there was time to be made on Bruni’s time though, which Dunne exploited to the max. The Irishman laid down a final run where he was fastest in three out of four intermediate splits (and second-fastest in the other), narrowly beating Bruni by 0.64 seconds. The three riders left on the hill didn’t have an answer to Dunne’s dominant run – Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) finishing sixth, Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) rescuing third despite dabbing his foot down, and team-mate Dakotah Norton (Mondraker Factory Racing) down in 31st after sliding out at the top of the first sector on a wet patch. Speaking after his win, Ronan Dunne said: “I was loving the track in Poland. The crowd was insane. It’s the second [UCI Downhill World Cup] with the new team. It’s been perfect and I had myself in the mindset of either I was going for a helicopter trip, or I was coming down in first. We didn’t take the helicopter trip, but we took the win. Usually, I don’t look at the times, but this time I was. I saw the time that Bruni put down and I thought ‘OK, we’re going for it, we’re not messing around’. I was ready to fight someone. It paid off.” Overall series leader Loïc Bruni said: “I’m pretty happy with the result. I don’t think I deserved more because my weekend wasn’t so good. Some of the boys were riding better than me. I’m happy with second. I didn’t think it would be possible to go top three. The run was good, the bike was good, and everything is really nice so hopefully we can carry the momentum. I’m really happy for Ronan. It’s so good to see. WILSON AND VERMETTE RETAIN THEIR 100% RECORDS While the Elites had scorching sun, it was a different story for the Juniors, with rain midway through proceedings making for wet and wild conditions on course.  In the Women’s Juniors, Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) used all of her experience of growing up on Scotland’s sodden tracks to take her second win of the season, edging out Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) by 0.069 seconds, while Sasha Earnest (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) finished third. Speaking after her win, Heather Wilson said: “I can’t believe it. At the top I was just laughing, and I wasn’t feeling nervous. I was like ‘OK, I’m just going to have fun and try and ride my bike’. It was so loose, and I was really enjoying it. It was so fun. The whole track everywhere is so blown out. It’s so physical.” The Men’s Juniors was a far more clear-cut affair, Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) dominating from the second intermediate split onwards to win by almost four seconds. Mylann Falquet (Goodman Santa Cruz) was the next most consistent rider, with Dane Jewett (Pivot Factory Racing) completing the top three.   Speaking after his race win, Asa Vermette said: “It was a loose run. I honestly didn’t think it was going to be the best run. I was sliding all over the place in the woods. I just kept pedaling to the bottom. In my qualis I did crash, so maybe it was good that it wasn’t pouring rain like before. But it was a good run.” STANDINGS AFTER THE UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP ROUND IN BIELSKO-BIAŁA: UCI Downhill World Cup | Women Elite Valentina Höll (YT Mob) – 560 Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) – 550 Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) – 540 Nina Hoffman (Santa Cruz Syndicate) – 506 Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) – 490   UCI Downhill World Cup | Men Elite Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity) – 627 Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing) – 467 Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) – 454 Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) – 447 Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) – 441   UCI Downhill World Cup | Women Juniors Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) – 120 Sacha Earnest (Kiwidh) – 95 Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) – 85 Eliana Hulsebosch (Union - Forged by Steel City Media) – 85 Matilda Melton (Transition Factory Racing) – 70   UCI Downhill World Cup | Men Juniors Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) – 120 Luke Wayman (The Gravity Cartel – Rogue Racing) – 80 Dane Jewett (Pivot Factory Racing) – 80 Daniel Parfitt (BNC Racing) – 73 Till Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) – 54   The third rounds of the UCI Downhill World Cup and the UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups will take place in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, Austria on June 7-9, while the Endurance championships resume next weekend (May 24-26) in Nové Město Na Moravě, Czech Republic.

The 2023 UCI Downhill World Champion continues her early-season dominance while the American pinner steers his high-rise handlebars to the top of the Semi-Finals pile. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is a fan of firsts, and this weekend is no different as Poland hosts its debut UCI Downhill World Cup. After tackling Fort William’s iconic course during the season opener two weeks ago, riders were tasked with a complete unknown – the trail builders at the Bielsko-Biała venue crafting a brand new track packed with jumps and plenty of flow for the arrival of the world’s best downhill athletes. Today (Saturday, May 18) saw 311 riders take to the Beskid Mountains for qualification, with the Elites having to go through two rounds to secure their spot for Sunday’s final.  HÖLL CONTINUES HER STRANGEHOLD Not since Rachel Atherton was in her pomp have we seen a more dominant rider than Valentina Höll (YT Mob). The 22-year-old kicked off her overall series defense with a win in Fort William and has given herself the best shot to do the same in Poland. Even a crash in Qualifying couldn’t hold the 2023 UCI Downhill World Champion back, and she dusted herself off and laid down a marker in the Semi-Final, leading in the three final intermediate splits to post a 3:27.8. Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) continues her return to form, the Brit posting the second-fastest times in Qualifying and the Semi-Final on the jump-heavy course, while Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) looks to have put her disappointing sixth place in Scotland behind her, going third in both of Saturday’s races. Höll predicted that there would be surprises on the unknown course in Thursday’s press conference, and Veronika Widmann’s (Continental GT Racing) did just that – the Italian’s fourth place in the Semi-Finals the highest-placed non-protected rider. Fort William’s second-placed rider Nina Hoffmann appeared to struggle, finishing more than nine seconds behind Höll after a mistake in the second sector, while Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) is set to miss out on finals for a second UCI World Cup in a row – the two-time UCI DH World Champion also losing time on the track’s second sector. NORTON EDGES OUT VERGIER TO QUALIFY FIRST There was a lot of talk in Fort William about Dakotah Norton’s (Mondraker Factory Racing) handlebars. The American rider unveiled a cockpit featuring 75mm height, which raised more than a few eyebrows. He silenced the keyboard warriors with a lightning-fast fourth place on finals day in Scotland, and it’s clear that the steering set-up is still working for him in Bielsko-Biała. After finishing narrowly behind Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing) in Qualifying, the 32-year-old did it the hard way in the Semi-Finals, recovering from 14th fastest in the first intermediate split to record a 2:59.8 – edging out the Frenchman by 0.128 seconds. The pair were the only riders to go sub-3:00 all day, with Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) the next closest rider in the Semi-Finals with a 3:00.6. Other highlights were Ronan Dunne’s (Mondraker Factory Racing) super consistent ride to 4th, Lachlan Stevens-McNab’s (Union - Forged by Steel City Media) storming lower section to finish fifth in the Semi-Finals and Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) looking close to his best in sixth. Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory) appeared to have continued their early season form with fourth and fifth respectively in Qualifying, but Fort William’s top two have had to rely on their protected status to make it through to tomorrow’s finals having finished down in 38th and 41st in the Semis. Notable absentees on tomorrow’s start list include Greg Minnaar (Norco Factory Racing), who didn’t make it through Qualifying, Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing) and Matt Walker (Madison Saracen Factory Team), with both Brits off the pace in the Semis. HULSEBOSCH AND ALRAN LEAD THE WAY AS THE BEST YOUNG RIDERS The other highlights from Saturday’s qualifying were the Men’s and Women’s Junior Qualifying, where the best young riders took to the new Bielsko-Biała course. In the Women’s Junior, Eliana Hulsebosch (Union - Forged by Steel City) and the reigning UCI Downhill Junior World Champion Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) made it a New Zealand one-two, with Fort William winner Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) in third. In the Men’s Junior, Till Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) took the win with Ryan Griffith (Pivot Factory Racing) the only rider who could get within a second of the up-and-coming Frenchman. The action gets underway with the Women Junior and Men Junior Finals from 11:30 CEST (UTC+2) tomorrow live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals TV pre-show broadcast starts at 12:45 CEST (UTC+2). Find out how to watch HERE.

After Friday’s nail-biting conclusion to the UCI Enduro World Cup in Bielsko-Biała, thousands of fans returned to the trails of the Beskid Mountains’ venue on Saturday, May 18 for the UCI E-Enduro World Cup. Riders faced a nine-stage race that included two loops of the Polish course and would tackle 52.7km including liaisons and 3,038m descent. Five stages would be repeats of those used during the previous day’s Enduro event, giving the athletes doubling up the edge on a relatively unknown course, while stages four and seven were the only power stages. While Friday’s wet conditions had played a big role in the outcome and riders were rewarded at times for playing it safe and staying upright, Saturday was warm and sunny, allowing the course to dry out slightly and guarantee some fast, flowy racing. Espiñeira dominates for the second week in a row In the women’s field, last week’s event in Finale showed that the 2023 overall title winner Florencia Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) was starting her title defense in peak form. The Chilean won four out of nine stages and overcame a spirited challenge from Tracy Moseley to hold on to the top spot. Moseley was again likely to be Espiñera’s biggest challenge from the five-strong field, and the veteran Brit rolled back the years to edge the first stage by three seconds. Although she had announced during Thursday’s press conference that she didn’t plan on racing all of this year’s UCI E-Enduro World Cups, she wasn’t in Poland to make up the numbers. Espiñeira responded – and hard – winning six out of the eight remaining stages, finishing second in the other two, and holding the lead from stage three onwards. It is this consistency that helped win her the title last year, and with her main competitor sitting out some rounds of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, it’s hard to see how she won’t retain the championship. Despite Espiñeira’s dominance, Moseley managed to limit her losses to under 10 seconds – winning two more stages to finish in second. There was a slight gulf to Laura Charles in third, who completed the same podium from Finale last time out. Speaking after the race, Florence Espiñeira said:  It feels great. It’s a good start for the season. I’m relieved and happy to continue like this. It was very tight all the time. At the point where I thought I had a nice cushion of time, Tracy smoked me back and it all went down to the last stage. I was all or nothing for it. Lukasik makes up for missing out on Enduro top spot with an emphatic E-Enduro win During Friday’s UCI Enduro World Cup, the collective crowd of Poles lining the Bielsko-Biała course was willing their local star Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) to the win, but it wasn’t enough – the national champion missing out on his first UCI Enduro World Cup win by nine-hundredths of a second to Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team), despite winning the last three stages. What a difference 24 hours makes. Lukasik returned to the course on Saturday as a last-minute entrant to the UCI E-Enduro World Cup, and set about demolishing the rest of the field in front of a baying home crowd. The 31-year-old led from the start, winning the first three stages to build up what would be an unassailable lead. Team-mate and last week’s winner Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) seemed like he might be able to provide some serious competition but was slowed down by having to plug a puncture on stage one before it failed again on stage five, after which he received a brand-new tyre. While Gilchrist was hampered with his flat, Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) was able to seize the initiative, flying on the downhill stage five to edge into second place. Neither Gilchrist or Borges were able to seize the initiative when Lukasik struggled on the second power stage and finished 10th, leaving the local hero with enough of a buffer to take the final stage easy in front of a carnival-like atmosphere. A crash on the eighth stage put a dent in Gilchrist’s hopes of making it a Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team one-two, and the Australian had to settle for third behind Borges. Speaking at the end of the race, Slawomir Lukasik said:  It feels amazing. After yesterday, I was happy but not [like] right now. I’m pretty stoked about this weekend. I didn’t feel any pressure or expectation – it was just having fun and riding fast. It was a nice day. It’s amazing racing at home and [have] a lot of people cheering me – it’s a really great feeling. Standings after the UCI E-Enduro World Cup round in Bielsko-Biała  Women’s Florencia Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) – 953 Tracey Moseley – 847 Laura Charles – 718 Sofia Lena Wiedernroth (Specialized Enduro Team) – 631 Alia Marcellini (Haibike) – 551 Men’s Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) – 816 Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) – 796 Hugo Pigeon (Scott SR Suntour Enduro Team) – 521 Slaomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) – 458 Edgar Carballo Gonzalez (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) – 425 In the open racing categories, 26 amateurs raced five of the same stages as the professionals. The third rounds of the UCI Downhill World Cup and the UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups will take place in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, Austria on June 7-9.

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series made its Polish debut with the opening race of this weekend’s Bielsko-Biała UCI World Cups. Enduro got the action underway at the Beskid Mountain’s venue, and athletes were tasked with five technical, twisting stages that took in 36.5km of trails and 2,074m of descent. Unlike last weekend’s race in Finale Outdoor Region, it would be a new experience for most riders who would have to adapt quickly and learn fast on the constantly changing course. STAGE 1: KAMIENIOŁOMThe opener saw riders take on Kamieniołom, a 2km bike park stage that featured one black and two red-grade trails and 275m of descent on a technical, rocky course. The local crowd was out in full force, experiencing professional riders on their home trails for the first time. Cannondale’s Ella Conolly was the first to seize the initiative in the women’s field, the British rider clocking a 4:42 to take an early lead. It could have been a completely different story had Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) not crashed, the reigning overall champion having regained her composure to limit her loses to just 2.8 seconds. Last week’s UCI Enduro World Cup winner, Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) showed that her result in Finale was no fluke, finishing third, 4.2 seconds down on Conolly. Only a second could split the top four in the men’s competition, Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) coming out on top and carrying some solid form after his win last weekend. Jack Moir (YT Mob) was just 0.134 seconds behind the American – the Australian fully recovered after an injury that ruled him out in Finale. The biggest cheer of the stage though went to Lukasik Slawomir (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) – a partisan home crowd willing him on to improve on fifth last time out. Early casualties on stage one included Dimitri Tordo (Commencal Enduro Project), who was left battered, bruised and in 42nd place, and Martin Maes (Orbea Fox Factory), who was forced to abandon after he was unable to fix a puncture that he suffered at the bottom of the stage. Midway through saw the first drops of rain, which would go on to play a crucial role in the rest of the race. STAGE 2: DZIABAR The rain had come down hard by the time riders reached the second and longest stage of the day – a 3.7km trail with 524m of descent – and it caused carnage, with Noga Korem, Harnden, Courdurier and Morganne Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) all crashing. It became about damage limitation, and Chloe Taylor managed her ride the best – a 7:41 enough to send her from eighth to first. Estelle Charles (Specialized Enduro Team) finished the stage second, more than 12 seconds back on the Brit on the stage, while Courdurier showed her championship-winning resilience to rescue third. The treacherous conditions continued during the men’s tackling of the stage, but the racing remained just as tight – Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) taking the stage win and overcoming Richie Rude’s stage one advantage to lead the American by 0.4 seconds. STAGE 3: DEBOWIEC The crashes continued as the riders rolled into Debowiec, a 2.5km stage with 336m descent, and early race leader Conolly, Christian Textor (YT Mob) and Jack Menzies (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) all suffered offs as the persistent rain shifted the terrain under the tyres. Harnden hung on to take her first stage win of the day, but it was only enough to take last week’s UCI World Cup winner up to second place. It was Courdurier who sat at the top of the pile, three-hundredths of a second faster overall, while Taylor found herself in third, 0.94 seconds back. With two stages remaining, it was clear that we were looking at one of our winners, and it would probably come down to who could stay upright. After a disappointing second stage (where he went eighth fastest), Slawomir put all his local knowledge to use in stage three, recording the fastest time (a 4:50) to leapfrog Moir and Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) into third place. Above him sat Rude and Murray, but the Polish rider looked calm and focused in the chaotic conditions. STAGE 4: CYGAN Although significantly shorter than last weekend’s race overall, the long liaison gave riders a chance to reset and take stock between Debowiec and Cygan. But they’d need to be switched on in the start gate. Littered with roots and other natural obstacles, the flowing, winding 2.5km stage would be even more difficult after the rain, and would come down to line choice. Harnden showed that she thrives in these conditions, recording her second consecutive stage win to take a 2.2-second lead over Courdurier going into the final stage. The Frenchwoman was the only elite woman to take a particular high line on the stage, but it wasn’t enough to outride the 23-year-old Brit. Taylor was still hanging on in third, 3.6 seconds back, with the trio opening a significant gap on the rest of the field. It was the same story in the men’s, Slawomir making it back-to-back stage wins, but it was Murray who still had the advantage – the New Zealander making a massive save to avoid a washout and finish the stage with a 2.7-second lead intact.   STAGE 5: DH+ If the tension wasn’t already high enough, a red flag meant riders were forced to wait before they could get underway with the final stage, DH+ – a steep, stony, uneven trail including 283m of descent in just 1.8km. Unlike last week, where Harnden had enough of an advantage to take it easy on the final stage, the gloves were off in Bielsko-Biała, and riders threw caution to the wind. It was Courdurier who landed the winning blow, the experienced rider showing why she won four of last season’s seven UCI Enduro World Cups and improving on her second place in Finale. It wasn’t to be two-from-two for Harnden, who lost more than two seconds to Courdurier on the stage to finish just 0.236 seconds behind in the overall, while Taylor settled for third, Charles fourth and Conolly fifth. Speaking after the race, Isabeau Courdurier said: “It’s quite crazy because it’s redemption from this morning where I struggled so much and couldn’t ride like I wanted to. It was a real surprise because I didn’t look at the time and I thought I was quite far away. In the end, it’s so tight, it’s basically like finishing the race at the exact same point after going through so many slippery roots, technical bits, and flat sections. I have no idea how we did this. I’m super happy about it.” The men’s race would finish even closer, and it would be heartbreak for Slawomir, who won his third straight stage but missed out on his first UCI Enduro World Cup win by 0.095 seconds. Murray was the man to break the local’s hearts, retaining the position he’d held since stage two and just doing enough with his fourth place on the final stage to take his first UCI Enduro World Cup. Last year’s overall champion Rude would go second fastest on the stage to finish third overall, with Moir (4th) and Melamed (5th) completing the podium. Speaking after the race, Charles Murray said: “Managing to keep it upright was the main thing – pedal where I could but just be smart because there were so many slippery roots out there. Last week, I was a bit surprised because you never know where your form is coming into the season and then to back it up with the win was too good to be true”. CHRISTIE MAKES IT TWO FROM TWO WHILE KUCHYNKOVA SHOWS DOWNHILL SKILLS IN UNDER-21 EVENTS After a fast start, Slovakia’s Simona Kuchynkova left it late but did enough to unseat Lily Planquart (Lapierre Zipp Collective) to win the women’s under-21s by 2.7 seconds. Third place was Elly Hoskin of Canada. In the men’s under-21 event, Australian Bailey Christie (Theory Racing) was even more dominant than in Finale Outdoor Region, winning the first three stages and finishing 2nd  and 4th in the remaining two. In the open racing categories, 209 amateurs raced four of the same stages as the professionals. Saturday sees the UCI E-Enduro World Cup riders take to the Bielsko-Biała course, completing two loops and nine unique stages. Britain’s Tracy Moseley and Florencia Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) are set to battle it out again, while Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) will be looking to dominate in the men’s competition.

The Women’s 2023 UCI Downhill World Champion and Australian icon are both raring to go after big results in Fort William The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series rolled into Bielsko-Biała this weekend, with the stars of the UCI Downhill, Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups taking to the trails of Poland for the first time in UCI World Cup history. A new venue brings with it a lot of unknowns, but at the pre-race press conference on Thursday, May 16, both Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Downhill Team) were looking forward to getting to grips with the Beskid Mountains’ brand new downhill track after successful weekend in at the UCI Downhill World Cup in Fort William a fortnight ago. “[Starting] the season with a win is something I honestly did not expect because I have a new bike, a new team, so I thought maybe I needed a bit more time to grove in and find my mojo, but it was already there,” said Höll. “The more time I spend on my new bike, the better and more comfortable it will be.” She added that this season, the competition is tougher than ever, while she expected some surprises come Sunday’s finals. “Everyone is on pace. In Fort William, the top five podium has never been that close together, which is also super exciting. But also with the new venue, I believe we’ll see new faces on the podium, especially with how different the track is to Fort William. The younger riders like Phoebe [Gale] or Gracey [Hemstreet] will love this track with all the jumps and it just suits their riding style.” BROSNAN BACK ON TRACK Brosnan, who piloted his new Canyon Sender to second place in Fort William, said that he was happy with his progress after two disappointing years where he was “putting in so much work and not getting the results”. But the three-time UCI Downhill World Cup winner he’s not settling for second best. “Placing second in the final felt like a win. But as a racer, I’d like to go that one step higher.” He suggested that the addition of electronic suspension gave him an advantage last time out and would continue to do so throughout the remainder of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. “It’s the future of this sport. Electronic suspension is what’s going to win races from here on for a long time. I don’t think it’s going to be perfect for every track, but the development that you can potentially do in this field is massive.” MOSELEY LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR ESPIÑEIRA Bielsko-Biala is also hosting the second UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups of the season following last week’s opener in Finale Outdoor Region. Tracy Moseley, who finished second in the E-Enduro event in Italy, revealed that she wouldn’t be racing all of this year’s UCI World Cups, removing one of Florencia Espiñeira’s (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) main rivals for the overall title. “I’m not going to be at all the races this year,” said Moseley. “I’m just picking a few and I chose this one particularly because it’s a new venue. After all the years, it’s nice to go new places.” She added that she expected it to be quite a level playing field in Poland. “No one knows the terrain, no one really knows these trails. Everyone I’ve met in the forest today has been like ‘oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening’. It’s exciting for us to come somewhere new and it’s brilliant for somewhere like this to have the world’s best riders come and ride their home trails, so it’s great for the sport.” The UCI E-Enduro World Cup starts at 8:30 (CEST) on Saturday, May 18, while live coverage of the UCI Downhill World Cup kicks off at 12:45 (CEST) on Sunday, May 19.  Find out how to follow the action here.

The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series has got off to a blinding start with four unpredictable race weekends that have thrown up a whole host of surprises and adrenaline-fueled off-road action. After two new Brazilian venues kicked off the Endurance formats with some Latin American flair, it was the return of two favorites in the first two Gravity UCI World Cups of the season – Fort William, Scotland (Great Britain) for Downhill and Finale Outdoor Region (Italy) for Enduro and E-Enduro. This weekend continues the jam-packed May mountain biking schedule, as both Gravity formats descend on Poland’s Bielsko-Biała for three days of racing against the clock. It’s the central European country’s first-ever UCI World Cup, and with the Downhill venue a brand-new course, it’s sure to be packed full of surprises for riders and fans alike. EXCITING UNKNOWN While the Beskid Mountains venue in southern Poland might not have hosted a UCI event before, its Enduro Trails network is renowned in this corner of Europe for its steep, technical, and natural terrain. There’s a thriving local mountain bike community too, so riders can expect a warm welcome from the passionate Polish fans on every jump, berm, rock garden and drop. The Downhill course is brand new and is a mixture of jumps, features and wood sections, making bike set-up difficult with no historic data to go off. It will also develop throughout the weekend as lines are cut into the rich, dark soil, roots and rocks are exposed and bomb holes form, meaning no two runs will be the same. While the downhill course has been created especially for the UCI World Cup, the venue’s team had a wealth of options to choose from for the Enduro and E-Enduro stages. The UCI Enduro World Cup will see athletes take on five stages during a 36.5km course featuring 2,074m of descent, while the UCI E-Enduro World Cup has nine stages across a 52.7km course with 3,038m descent. RIDERS WITH A POINT TO PROVE The Fort William and Finale Outdoor Region rounds of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series gave a clear indication of who has had a good off-season and who’s still finding their feet and now playing catch up. In the first UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) showed they haven’t taken their foot off the gas since winning last year’s overall titles, and given their dominance in Scotland, it would be no surprise if the pair made it two from two in Poland. It’s not a foregone conclusion though. The women’s field looks as competitive as ever, while some riders will have a point to prove after a disappointing result a fortnight ago. Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) appears to be back to her best, Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was a mistake away from pushing Höll all the way, and Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) has made a strong recovery from last year’s season-ending injury. Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) will look to bounce back after missing out on a podium spot in Scotland, and the returning Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) will be a force to be reckoned with if she can qualify for finals. Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team), Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity), Dakotah Norton (Mondraker Factory Racing) and Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) were the riders who could get closest to Bruni last time out, so expect the same in Poland. Don’t be surprised if you see Greg Minnaar (Norco Factory Racing) up there as well, the G.O.A.T on the start list after quickly recovering from a shoulder separation in his Fort William race run. A POTENTIAL HOME WINNER Although the results sheet says ‘win’ for Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) at the Finale Outdoor Region Enduro season opener, it could have been very different if a puncture hadn’t cost his teammate Slawomir Lukasik on the final stage. The 31-year-old Polish star will be looking to right the wrongs of Finale and give the local supporters a home winner to cheer about on Friday. Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) is another rider who will be on a mission in Bielsko-Biała – the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner was forced to settle for second once more in Finale Outdoor Region after an impressive performance by Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity). While she might have finished 22nd last time out, Katarzyna Burek is another rider to have on your radar – the reigning Polish national champion winning at the venue back in 2022. Finally, there is a handful of riders coming into the UCI E-Enduro World Cup in blistering form. The Australian 21-year-old Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) looks the real deal, winning four of nine stages in Finale Outdoor Region and taking third spot in three more, while Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon Collective Factory Enduro Team) was the most consistent, only finishing outside of the top 10 on one stage. In the women’s competition meanwhile, Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) and Tracey Moseley appear to have formed a rivalry that will hopefully run all season. Racing gets underway in Bielsko-Biała on Friday with the UCI Enduro World Cup – full schedule and events details are available here.

After epic race weekends at the iconic locations of Fort William and Finale Outdoor Region, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series completes its hat-trick of back-to-back Gravity rounds with a UCI Downhill World Cup and UCI Enduro World Cup at a brand-new venue, Bielsko-Biała, in Poland. We look at everything you need to know about the Bielsko-Biała round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, including when the Enduro and Downhill events are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to watch. WHEN? The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Bielsko-Biała, Poland starts with the UCI Enduro World Cup at 8:30 (UTC+2) on Friday, May 17 and concludes with the Men’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup at 14:00 (UTC+2) on Sunday, May 19. Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EST+6/BST+1/CEST): Friday, May 17 08:30 – UCI Enduro World Cup Saturday, May 18 08:30 – UCI E-Enduro World Cup 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Elite 12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Elite 14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior 14:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior 15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Women Elite 15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Men Elite Sunday, May 19 11:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior 13:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite 14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite WHERE CAN I WATCH? There will be several ways to watch the action unfold at Poland’s first-ever UCI World Cup in Bielsko-Biała. For Friday and Saturday’s 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 on Monday, May 20. It will also be possible to keep track of the Open Racing competitions on the live timings, with 235 amateurs taking on the Enduro of Bielsko-Biała on Friday, May 17 and the E-Enduro of Bielsko-Biała on Saturday, May 18. For the second UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, you can watch the finals live anywhere in the world. Both the men’s and women's UCI Downhill World Cup Junior races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals will be shown on one of the below channels or streaming services. Pre-show starts at 12:45 UTC+2, so set a reminder to join Ric McLaughlin and Aaron Gwin live from Poland: North America Canada – Flosports USA  – Max South & Central America: Staylive Oceania/Asia Australia – Stan China – Zhibo.tv New Zealand – Staylive Africa: Staylive Europe Austria – discovery+ Belgium – Eurosport 2 Czech Republic – Eurosport Player Denmark – Eurosport 2 France – Eurosport 2 and La Chaine L'Équipe Germany – discovery+ Hungary – Highlights on Eurosport 1 at 19:15 UTC+2 Ireland – discovery+ Italy – Eurosport 2, discovery+ Netherlands – Eurosport 2, discovery+ Norway – discovery+ Poland – Eurosport 2 Portugal – Eurosport 2 Romania – Eurosport 2 Slovenia - Highlights on Eurosport 1 at 19:15 UTC+2 Spain – Eurosport 2 Sweden – discovery+ Switzerland – Eurosport Player United Kingdom – discovery+, Women live on Eurosport 2, Men highlights on Eurosport 1 at 8pm CEST Rest of world – Staylive RIDERS TO WATCH The Bielsko-Biała venue is a complete unknown for most of the Enduro and Downhill athletes, so everyone is coming into the second round of each of the Gravity competitions on a level playing field. In the Men’s Enduro competition, one rider to watch is Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team). The 31-year-old Polish rider was battling it out with teammate Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) for the top spot in the Finale Outdoor Region last weekend until a puncture on the final stage put an end hopes of his first UCI World Cup win. He still managed a respectable fifth place but will be hoping his luck holds out in Bielsko-Biała in front of a supportive home crowd. Lukasik won’t have it easy though. The 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner Richie Rude can make it back-to-back wins, Charlie Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) will be gunning for his first win after an impressive second place in Italy, while Jack Moir (YT Mob) looks set to return after sitting out the first round with a minor injury. The competition in the women’s UCI Enduro World Cup is fiercer than ever, Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) ending Morgane Charre’s (Pivot Factory Racing) dominance in Finale and extending 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner Isabeau Courdurier’s (Lapierre Zipp Collective) winless run at the iconic Italian venue. Expect Courdurier to seek revenge in Poland, with third-placed Ella Conolly (Cannondale Enduro Team) also hot on her heels.  The UCI E-Enduro World Cup witnessed the changing of the guard in the Men’s competition in Finale Outdoor Region as the reigning overall series title holder Fabien Barel (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) didn’t start. Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) seized the initiative in the Frenchman’s absence, the 21-year-old winning four of nine stages and holding onto the top spot from stage three. The Australian’s dominance meant he was even able to take his foot off the gas in the final stage, aiding recovery coming into Bielsko-Biała. In the women’s E-Enduro field, Florence Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) came away with the win in Finale, but Tracey Moseley pushed her all the way to the line – the pair sharing wins in eight out of nine stages. The British rider will be seeking revenge in Poland, while the only other stage winner in Finale Outdoor Region, Laura Charles, will be aiming to add more to her haul. In Downhill, the reigning UCI World Cup overall winners Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) showed at Fort William that they’re likely to be the dominant forces once more in 2024. But don’t expect the competition to turn into a procession with plenty of riders coming to Poland with a point to prove. Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD), Nina Hoffman (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commecal) look the most likely to knock Höll off her perch, while in the Men’s Elite, Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) looks back to his best and Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) goes into the second UCI Downhill World Cup of the season confident that he’s piloting a race-winning bike. Racing gets underway on Friday, May 17 in Bielsko-Biała. Full schedule and event details are available HERE. You can find where to watch all the racing action in Bielsko-Biała HERE.

The opening round of the UCI E-Enduro World Cup in Finale Outdoor Region was witness to two thrilling contests in the men’s and women’s competitions. Australia’s Ryan Gilchrist was the dominant male, with four stage wins to his name, while on the women’s side Tracey Moseley and Florencia Espiñeira shared the spoils across all but a single stage. In the end the Chilean rider came out on top to take her first UCI World Cup win of the season.   The thrills and spills of Saturday’s UCI Enduro World Cup were followed by a far from lazy Sunday dedicated to the UCI E-Enduro World Cup. For both the women and men, the season opener comprised nine stages split across two separate loops of the Finale Outdoor Region trails - the first of four, the second of five. The rules of the competition limit riders to a single battery per loop, which they swap out upon their return to the Technical Assistance Zone after completion of the fourth stage.   The nine stages consisted of 84km of trail with 3600m of descending, on some of Europe’s most scenic and challenging trails overlooking the Ligurian sea.     DOMINANT GILCHRIST   Mirroring Saturday’s start, Sunday’s racing began on Base Nato, a fast and physically demanding trail. Dropping almost 400m over just 2.6km, there’s no easing into the racing on a course like this.   The men went first, with Alexis Icardo (C-Lab Fulgur Bike Product) the first to lay down a serious time. The Frenchman’s 5:19 was beaten by the rider right behind him, Manuel Borges (Canyon Collective Factory Enduro Team.) The Portuguese, 13 years Icardo’s senior, rolled back the years and took almost 2.5 seconds off the younger rider’s time. Thirteen riders crossed the line before one could improve on Borges’ time. Alex Marin (GasGas Factory Racing) won the first stage by a single second, and the top five was only separated by five.   That tightness at the top set the tone of the racing over the first loop, with the first four stages producing three different winners. Only Ryan Gilchrist (Yet / Fox Factory Race Team) managed to double up, with his wins on Stages 3 and 4, Ingegner and Supergroppo, establishing him in pole position as the riders headed for loop two. The Australian’s 11 second margin of victory across the 7km Supergroppo trail put him in a particularly strong position with five stages still to race.   Cecce Camoin (Specialized Enduro Team) was the only other individual winner from the first loop, on the e-bike specific Stage 2 Cà Bianca trail - one of 34 in Finale Outdoor Region. Borges was twice more denied the win, but a 100% record of four finishes ensured he finished the first half still very much in touch with Gilchrist.   A THREE-SIDED AFFAIR   The first loop in women’s competition was a somewhat two-sided affair. Tracey Moseley won the opening stages on Base Nato by 3.5 seconds and came second to Haibike’s Alia Marcellini on Cà Bianca. Italian Marcellini thrilled home fans by claiming her nation’s first win of the weekend, a result that would help her go into the second loop in 3rd overall.   After finishing 5th and 3rd on the opening two stages last season’s number one, Florencia Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) got into her stride on the third and fourth stages with wins. The Chilean rider’s stronger Supergroppo run, which she finished with a time 7.5 seconds faster than second place Laura Charles, was enough to take her onto the second loop with a six second advantage over Mosely.    The five stages that made up the second loop were designed to challenge not only the riders’ endurance but their abilities to manage their machines.   POWER STAGES   Stage 5, which took place on the Legnino trail, was one of two consecutive power stages. Power stages incorporate a climb with the aim of testing “a rider’s ability to blend riding skill with their bikes drive unit output.” Legnino, which overlooks Finale, is short, punchy and technical while the second, Borderline, was expected to be pivotal in determining the outcomes across the rest of the loop to come.   It was an entirely new set of men’s riders that came to the fore on Legnino. Hugo Pigeon (Scott SR Suntour Enduro Team) set the time to beat and must have been feeling confident when the penultimate rider to go, Tiago Ladeira (Miranda Factory Team), crossed the line a single second down on his time of 51.45. With the final run of the stage, however Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective) snatched stage top honors by going two seconds quicker. Ryan Gilchrist was some way off the pace in 11th, while Manuel Borges’ run found him all the way down in 18th.      Both riders had more than enough time in hand to hold on to their positions at the top of the overall leaderboard and both improved significantly on the longer Borderline trail. A convincing victory for Ladeira moved him up from 6th to 4th overall, while 3rd place for Gilchrist, by less than a second, only served to consolidate his lead at the top. Borges’ second place standing was looking ever more precarious however as Cecce Camoin, runner up on the stage by a mere 0.6s, bit a 7 second chunk off his deficit to the Portuguese rider.   GILCHRIST AND ESPIÑEIRA SHARE THE TOP SPOTS   The final three stages Rocche Gianche, Andrassa and DH Men would between them serve up the best that the Finale Outdoor Region has to offer by way of trails, as well as a top five comprising the most competent all-round e-enduro riders on the day.    Ryan Gilchrist returned to winning ways on the fast forest descents of Rocche Gianche, as Cecce Camoin secured a second-place finish that moved him up into the same place in the overall standings. Despite a relative stage-on-stage improvement Borges appeared to be almost in freefall but was able to steady the ship and take back second spot with his final run of the day.   Alex Marin ended his day as he started it - with a victory that, although it did not help him much in the overall competition, did well to demonstrate the Spaniard’s capabilities. Going into DH Men with an almost 30 second buffer Ryan Gilchrist could afford to take it easy, and he cruised to victory on the legendary course.   On the women’s side of the competition, Tracy Moseley and Florencia Espiñeira started their second loop the way they finished the first, sharing the top spots between them on the Legnino and Borderline power stages. Espiñeira’s 14 second victory on the first put her in a massively strong position with four stages remaining.     Sofia Lena Wiedenroth (Specialized Enduro Team) began to make moves in the standings thanks to a solid run on Rocche Gianche that was good enough for second place, as Moseley picked up another time and pulled back almost nine seconds on her great Chilean rival. Almost all of which was lost on Andrassa, as Espiñeira arrived at the line in a lightning quick time of 4:28 - 8.2 seconds faster than the British rider.   Approaching the final stage Espiñeira could, like Gilchrist, afford to take it steady. Instead, she gave it all she had and ran Moseley close in what is shaping up to be a thrilling rivalry. By the time both had completed their final runs Espiñeira had come out on top by just 15 seconds, with France’s Laura Charles a further 50 seconds back.   Alia Marcellini was the only other rider to win a stage, as Espineira and Moseley claimed four a-piece.   As the defending champion, for Espiñeira, it was “a relief” to get off to such a strong start. “The first race of the season you never know how it’s going to go,” she said afterwards.    Asked by how she managed the technical challenges presented by the course, she replied: “We had to be very strategic on the use of batteries. I was switching out of race mode, using less assistance during the liaisons, which means you have to push more - but that’s what you train for.”   Ryan Gilchrist was similarly pleased to get off to such a strong start: “The whole day I felt like I was just riding my bike and having fun. It’s what I’m all about, it’s what the sport’s all about. Being able to take stage win after stage win, and win the day, is a testament to the work that I’ve put in and my sponsors have put in.”   The second rounds of the UCI Downhill World Cup, and the UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cups, will take place next weekend in Bielsko-Biała, as Poland makes its debut as a host on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.

The 2024 UCI Enduro World Cup got underway in Finale Outdoor Region, a region that has become synonymous with Enduro. The best in the world were all set for a five-stage test across 57km of trails, taking in 2570m of descending, deep into the mountains above the Ligurian sea in northern Italy. STAGE 1: BASE NATO The opening stage saw the riders take on the Base Nato trail, a flowing 2.6km run, made up of fast lines and small jumps, ideally suited for putting down a marker. On the women’s side Pivot Factory Racing’s Morgane Charre did just that. The French former UCI Downhill World Champion reached the line in a time of 5:52, which would ultimately prove good enough for 3rd on the stage. Cannondale’s Ella Conolly, who experienced a turbulent 2023, went one place and two seconds better. It was reigning champ Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) who announced herself most vociferously, by setting a time six seconds quicker than that of Connolly and showing to all that she would again take some beating. The fastest local was Nadine Ellecosta (Abettone Ancillotti Victoria Factory Team), whose time of 5:55 was good enough for her to finish in 5th place. The men’s competition was even closer, with the top five riders finishing the first stage separated by just five seconds. Kasper Woolley (YT Mob) showed how fast it was going to be early on. The American, who suffered a spleen injury a year ago, set off so quickly that he almost caught the rider ahead of him. Despite suffering a crash mid-way through his run Woolley’s compatriot Jesse Melamed (Canyon Collective Factory Enduro Team) did enough to hang on to the top ten.   The home crowd will have been delighted to see two of their countrymen, Mirco Vendemmia and Tommaso Francardo (Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team) make the top five, but it was another American who took top honours on the opening stage. Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team), the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup overall winner, showed he’d lost none of his edge with a smooth run that stopped the clock at 5:07.4. His team-mate Lukasik Slawomir (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) was just three seconds slower and good enough for 4th, just 0.05 down on Vendemmia.  STAGE 2: INGEGNERE The back-to-back racing continued with Stage 2, which took place on the notorious Ingegnere trail. Purpose-made for this very series back in 2015 Ingenere has been described as “one of the most complete enduro stages ever built.”  Whether it was the course or the heat, something seemed to get to Isabeau Courdurier, whose second timed run of the day struggled to match her opening stage Tour de Force performance. Despite finishing only 4th she had enough time in hand to hang on to the overall lead. Hattie Harnden (Trek Factory Racing) had the opposite result taking her first stage win of the season in a lightning quick time of 9 minutes 18 seconds. Morgane Charre proved herself the most consistent rider of the day so far, moving herself up into second place overall with a 9:20 run. Richie Rude made it two from two on Ingegnere and made it seem as if his first effort really was just a warm-up. The 29 year-old flew down the 3km of trail in 8 minutes 18 - a full eight seconds quicker than Belgian Martin Maes(Orbea Fox Enduro), Slawomir Lukasik and Vendemmia who all finished within a second of each other’s time. As tight as it was, the Polish rider had done enough to move himself into third. A great run from Specialized’s Charlie Murray saw him displace the second Italian, Francardo, from the top 5. STAGE 3: SUPERGROPPO The longer distance of Stage 3's Supergroppo trail was always likely to produce bigger splits in the field, but few expected Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing) to dominate as completely as she did. The British woman covered the 7km course more than 20 seconds quicker than any other rider. Her time of 15:30 was enough to propel the rider from the Malvern Hills to the top of the overall standings, as Courdurier lost her grip on the competition completely. The 33-year-old, who prefers a more technical track, struggled to maintain momentum on the flatter sections, and could only finish 5th.  Australian Rae Morrison (Liv Factory Racing), who had managed respectable top ten rides in the opening stages, put the power down in the third to achieve a 2nd place finish that saw her nudging the top 5 overall. Had she not sustained a crash from which she was nevertheless able to recover, Morrison might have even come close to Harnden’s time. Ella Connolly made it two Brits in the top 5 and returned to her silver medal spot with a time three hundredths of a second slower than Morrison. Supergroppo produced smaller gaps between the top men’s riders with the top five on the stage separated by less than ten seconds. Although he couldn’t make it three wins out of three, Richie Rude was still just about inside that quintet. The poorer result also cost him the overall lead but the blow will have been somewhat softened by the fact that it was his own team-mate, Slawomir Lukasik, who took it from him. Lukasik accelerated hard out of the corners and found some serious rhythm to deliver a third victory of the day for Yeti/Fox racing.  Belgian Martin Maes had, by his own high standards, a bit of a stinker. 8th place and 19 seconds down on the winner saw him slip to 5th place in the overall standings. In contrast, another strong ride from New Zealander Charlie Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) for second kept him climbing the standings, even while speeding downhill. Going into the final round Murray was just seven seconds off the pace set by the Yeti/Fox duo, who were in turn separated by just 14 thousandths. It had to be the final stage because, unfortunately, Stage 4 was forced to be cancelled due to an earlier incident on the Rocche Gianche course. STAGE 5: DH MEN If Rocche Gianche was unlikely to present many opportunities to make up time, DH Men trail (also known as DH Uomini) offered even less. The legendary trail which appears to launch riders right into the Ligurian sea itself drops a near-vertical 260m over less than 1.5km of horizontal. After a delay, racing resumed with Courdurier returning to winning ways. The 33-year-old took every chance on the short course, seizing every opportunity and pulling back fractions of seconds across the run. The margin of her impressive second victory from four was not sufficiently large to put her back on top of the overall standings, however. Despite her supremacy she remains winless in the Finale Outdoor Region.  For her part Harriet Harnden, with plenty of time in hand, played it safe, doing enough to retain the lead, even as she slipped to 5th place on the stage. Morganne Charre made it a French 1-2, in the process cementing her 4th place overall. A second consecutive 3rd for Ella Connolly marked her out as easily the most consistent rider of the day, while ensuring she ended the round in the same position.  On his final run Richie Rude proved unequivocally that the shorter, faster, more technical course is where he is most at home, and where he is almost unstoppable. Rude recorded his third win of the day and was the only rider to go under four and a half minutes on the course, ensuring he finished atop the overall standings. There was disappointment for his team-mate Lukasik, however. The Polish rider went from 1st to 5th overall due to a front flat tyre that cost him 28.742 seconds and caused him to come in 41 places and 29 seconds down on Rude. Solid rides from Murray and Maes secured them both podium places for the round, with the Kiwi’s consistency throughout the afternoon earning him second spot. For Richie Rude, “getting that first stage win really put that confidence in me to know I could do well on these tracks.” With temperatures into the high twenties, it was, he added, “really hard out there.” A buoyant Harriet Harnden admitted afterwards to harboring pre-race doubts about how well she would ride. To take the win, she said, “feels amazing. I didn’t think this was going to happen.”  PLANQUART AND CHRISTIE DOMINATE THE UNDER-21 EVENTS France’s Lily Planquart (Lapierre Zipp Collective) dominated the women’s under-21s, claiming four out of four stages and winning the overall by more than 40 seconds. Second place was Elly Hoskin of Canada.  The men’s under-21 event was won by Australian Bailey Christie (Theory Racing) with a solid set of results that included one stage win out of five, on the Insegnere trail, and finish inside the top four on each one. In the open racing categories 125 amateurs raced four of the same stages as the professionals. Sunday is the turn of the E-Enduro riders with the start list featuring luminaries of the sport such as Britain’s Tracy Moseley, Florencia Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) and Florian Nicolai (C-Lab Fulgur Bike Product), who finished third here a year ago.

The sun shone on the spiritual home of enduro as we welcomed back amateur athletes to the Finale Ligure region. 125 amateurs took part in the open racing categories, racing four of the same stages as the pros!Enduro of Finale | Open Women Enduro of Finale | Open Men  Enduro of Finale | Men's Masters 35+  Enduro of Finale | Men's U21

The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series action keeps coming after the first of four back-to-back race weekends kicked off with the UCI Downhill (DHI) World Cup at Fort William. This weekend, the final mountain bike format joins the action with the first UCI Enduro and E-Enduro (EDR) World Cups of the season at Finale Outdoor Region, Italy. We look at everything you need to know about the Finale Outdoor Region round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, including when the Enduro and E-Enduro events are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to follow the action.  WHEN? The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Finale Outdoor Region, Italy starts with the UCI Enduro World Cup at 8:30 (UTC+2) on Saturday, May 11 and concludes with the UCI E-Enduro World Cup at 8:30 (UTC+2) on Sunday, May 12. Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EST+6/BST+1/CET): Saturday, May 11: 8:30-17:30 – UCI Enduro World Cup Sunday, May 12: 8:30-17:30 – UCI E-Enduro World Cup HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION The sprawling and often remote nature of an Enduro race makes a live broadcast difficult. While there won’t be a direct feed from the mountains of the Finale Outdoor Region, it will be possible to keep up to date with all the action through the live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website. Highlights will also be shared across the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ Instagram and Facebook channels, while the top stories from the race weekend will be published on the YouTube channel on Monday, May 13. RIDERS TO WATCH Enduro racing is back for 2024 and there have been some exciting changes in the paddock in those eight months: new outfits like Simplon Trailblazer and Commencal x 7mesh have come on board to ensure there’s a stacked field for the first UCI Enduro World Cup of the year. Greg Callaghan (Ibis HD6), Bex Baraona (Gowaan Racing) and Jack Menzies (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) are the highest profile athletes piloting new bikes for the first time in the Finale Outdoor Region. And what an event it's set to be. A favourite amongst riders and the format’s incredibly passionate fans, the spiritual home of Enduro is welcoming back Enduro and E-Enduro racing to its iconic limestone trails with a mixture of classic trails, new sections and renewed old favourites. Its shift from its traditional season-ending spot to the opener means everything’s still to play for too, so expect high-octane racing from the off. In the women’s field, reigning UCI Enduro World Cup overall winner Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) remains a dominant force, but the Frenchwoman is yet to win in the Finale Outdoor Region, opening the door for someone else. Her closest rival from last season, Morganne Charre (Pivot Factory Racing), has won the last three Finale Outdoor Region rounds, and few would rule out the Canadian from recording a fourth consecutive victory on the Italian Riviera. Those trying to stop her include Raphaela Richter (Simplon Trailblazers), who finished 4th last year in the Finale Outdoor Region and was 6th in the overall before she had to miss the final two UCI Enduro World Cups through injury; and Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity). Speaking to Josh Carlson as part of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series preview, Harriet Harnden said: “I’m really excited. I thought that the course looked great and a couple of stages I’ve not done before so I think it’s great to do something a bit different and there’s always tons of trails here so might as well make the most of all of them”. Speaking at the press conference ahead of the race, Isabeau Courdurier said: “I've never won in Finale. I did very well in the Trophy of Nations, but I think I missed something every single time. Most of the time it might be the physical aspect, but I've been improving so much through the years. Part of me really wants to win here and getting on the top step in this main stage must be quite special. But I know it's a tough one, especially to start with it. It's the first race of the season so you don't want to go out full fire and mess up the season. I think I'll try my best but keep my eyes on the overall and if I can make it, I’ll make it.” For the men, Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) is the only rider to have won at Finale Outdoor Region twice – his most recent victory coming last year. The Canadian will be facing a stern test from other previous winners Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team), Jack Moir (YT Mob) and Martin Maes (Orbea Fox Enduro Team), while Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) and Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) were within 10 seconds of Melamed last time out. Jesse Melamed said: “We’re comfortable here – we know it, we have the beach, the weather, the trails, the people, the food, the gelato, everything is just so lovely and nice and I think it’s just such a good place to return to.” Speaking at the press conference ahead of the racing, Richie Rude said: “I feel like I'm almost the same as I was when I started. Every year it feels quite similar and you always want to push yourself in different ways and you know, try to perfect yourself so it's definitely still there to try and win. Seeing the course map this year is pretty classic Finale. Knowing that we've raced a few of them brings back like good memories. I’m excited to get like back on on the course.” In the UCI E-Enduro World Cup it’s hard to look beyond the overall title winner Florencia Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) but with an intense nine stages of racing across an  84km course (including liaisons) that will push riders and their bikes to their limits, anything could happen. Speaking at the press conference ahead of the racing, Florencia Espiñeira said: “I try not to get under pressure side I just to keep enjoying driving my bike I make my best performance no matter what has happened in the past. So in that sense, my approach has always been the same but I do my best on the best preparation I can.” Racing gets underway on Saturday, May 11 in Finale Outdoor Region.  Full schedule and event details are available HERE.

The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is in full flow after the Gravity events kicked off with a brilliant UCI Downhill World Cup in Fort William, Scotland. This weekend, it’s time for the Enduro and E-Enduro (EDR) formats to join the fray with their first UCI World Cup of the season in Finale Outdoor Region, Italy (10-12 May). The first of two back-to-back UCI Enduro and E-Enduro World Cup weekenders (with Poland’s Bielsko-Biała hosting both Enduro and Downhill the following weekend), is key for all competitors to hit the ground running in Italy, with a third of the season to have already settled by Sunday, May 19. It’s hard to think of a better location to launch the 2024 UCI Enduro World Cup season – the Finale Outdoor Region is regarded as the format’s spiritual home. SPIRITUAL HOME OF ENDURO The Italian Riviera town might not rival Rome or Naples for mainstream appeal, but when it comes to off-road riding, it’s something of a mountain biking Mecca. For three decades, the hills to the north of the coastal town of Finale Ligure have been a hive of activity, spawning a series of trails across the exposed limestone rock that are now world-renowned. The always-expanding network extends across more than 20 municipalities and is a chocolate box of technical terrain that pushes riders and their bikes to their limits. Since 2013, it has hosted an Enduro World Series or UCI World Cup every year – the only destination in the world to have done so – and always attracts an incredibly passionate crowd, lured to the spiritual home of Enduro by the gripping racing, the unique chance to ride from the mountains to a crystal-clear sea, and the epic post-race piazza parties of Finale Ligure and Pietra Ligure. This year, the UCI Enduro World Cup will see athletes take on five stages during a 57km course featuring 2,570m of descent and 1,600m of total elevation gain (including liaisons), while the UCI E-Enduro World Cup has nine stages across and a 84km course with 3,600m descent and 2,450m of total elevation gain (including liaisons). Both will include some Enduro classics, new sections and two old favourites that have been renewed. Last year, Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) and Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) recorded wins in the Men’s and Women’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup, while Fabien Barel (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) and Laura Charles (Miranda Factory Team) were victorious in the E-Enduro format. FAVOURITES IN FINALE Enduro and E-Enduro are tricky formats to predict, as seen in last season’s UCI Enduro World Cup series, where there was a different winner at almost every round. In the Women’s Elite class though, Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) bucks that trend – the Frenchwoman winning four out of seven UCI Enduro World Cups and podiuming in the other three. Finale Outdoor Region is something of a bogey venue for Courdurier though. The 30-year-old has never won an individual race on the Italian trails and finished third last year. Morgane Charre was the most consistent rider that day, winning two out of six stages and putting in the third-fastest time in three to beat second-placed Gloria Scarsi (Canyon CLLCTV Pirelli) by 13 seconds. Expect Charre and Courdurier to battle it out for top spot this weekend and continue a rivalry that wasn’t decided last season until the final round. In the Men Elite competition, Melamed will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in Finale Outdoor Region, but don’t expect the rest of the field to go easy on the Canadian. Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) won at the venue back in 2018 (when it was part of the Enduro World Series), while Jack Moir (YT Mob) and Martin Maes (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) have also tasted success in this corner of the Mediterranean coast. After the dust has settled on Saturday’s UCI Enduro World Cup, things will power into action the following day with the E-Enduro contest held on its own day for the first time. Last season’s Women’s Elite overall title winner Florencia Espinera (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) will be aiming to go one better than 2023’s second place, while in the Men Elite competition, it’s hard to look beyond Fabien Barel – the 43-year-old showing no signs of slowing down in the E-Enduro racing format. Racing gets underway in Finale Outdoor Region on Saturday with the UCI Enduro World Cup – full schedule and events details are available here.

Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni scored victories in the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Fort William. The reigning UCI Downhill World Champion continued her winning ways on the Fort William course, while Bruni finally finished top at the 10th time of asking at this iconic track. Meanwhile, Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) gave the locals something to cheer for in the Women’s Juniors and Asa Vermette (Framework Racing) obliterated the competition despite breaking his pelvis five weeks ago. The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series rolled into Fort William, Scotland, for the first UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, and the fan-favourite course served up some adrenaline-fuelled action with Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Loïc Bruni kicking off their seasons with wins. Aaron Gwin, Downhill Ambassador of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, said: “The first UCI Downhill World Cup in Fort William didn’t disappoint! The Men’s and Women’s Elite finals showed that this season will be one to watch, and this legendary course served up some amazing racing once again.” HÖLL FINISHES STRONG TO TAKE HER FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON Valentina Höll might only be 22, but the reigning UCI Downhill World Champion and last year’s UCI World Cup Downhill overall series winner has cemented herself as the favourite whenever she enters the start hut. The Austrian has good form on Fort William’s course, having won her second consecutive rainbow jersey at the Nevis Range venue, and has looked like the woman to beat all weekend after winning Saturday’s Women’s Elite semi-final qualifiers. Gloria Scarsi (Canyon CLLCTV Pirelli) set the early pace, putting in a consistent run from top to bottom that would see the Italian hold on to a podium spot – the third of her UCI Downhill World Cup career. Monika Hrastnik (Dorval AM Commencal), Mille Johnset (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) and Marine Cabirou (Scott Downhill Factory) all couldn’t find an answer, and it was a blistering run from Nina Hoffman (Santa Cruz Syndicate) that finally knocked Scarsi out of the hot seat.  Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) was the closest to the German rider’s time but wasn’t able to keep her high early pace in the second half of the course – the British rider continuing her promising form in front of a loud and supportive set of fans and guaranteeing a podium spot.  And then there was Höll. The last rider on the hill, she was a second back in the second split on the mountain, but managed to pull it back in the fast, flowing bottom half of the course to win by 0.5 seconds. Speaking after the race, Valentina Höll said: “We have a brand-new bike, brand new people on the team. It was the track where I won World Championships last year but there was no time to even rest. It’s a tough track to start the season. It wasn’t one of my best runs. I was so loose and tired at the end. I’ve never been on top at the first race so I’m really happy and I can just get better.” Second-placed Nina Hoffman said: “I got everything right apart from one mistake but as Vali [Höll] wasn’t gaining time in this sector I thought it was tight and that she was going to get me on the Motorway. But that’s racing – at least it was tight. The competition is insane.” Third-placed Tahnée Seagrave said: “I’m so happy. I’ve been working really hard this off-season and I’ve just been building confidence. It’s been probably four or five years since I’ve felt like I was at podium contender pace, so it’s pretty good to be up there.” BRUNI BREAKS HIS DUCK IN FORT WILLIAM Loïc Bruni has six UCI Downhill World Championships and three UCI World Cup overall titles to his name, but the Frenchman had never managed a win at Fort William in his nine previous races in Scotland. ‘Superbruni’ was on a different planet at the 2024 season opener though, going one second up after the first split on Dakotah Norton’s (Mondraker Factory Racing) then-race leading time before extending his advantage as he flew down the mountain. Saturday’s fastest qualifier, Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team), came closest to knocking Bruni out of the hot seat but the Australian and 2014 Fort William UCI World Cup winner could only get within 1.8 seconds to finish in second place. Bruni’s teammate, Finn Iles (Specialized Factory Gravity), made it a successful overall weekend for Specialized Factory Gravity by taking third, while Dakotah Norton and Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) rounded out the podium in fourth and fifth respectively. Greg Williamson (Madison Saracen Factory Team) was the highest-placed British rider in 7th, while fan favourite Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) finished 16th – an impressive return after two injury-hit seasons. Speaking after his win, Bruni said: “I’ve never been super strong here. I’ve struggled a lot in the last few years, but I knew I could do it one day or another. This weekend, I’ve been struggling a bit with the wet but today the clouds held off so there was no rain and I thought this was the opportunity. I’m feeling strong, the bike is good, everything was perfect for it. I pushed everywhere; I wasn’t fresh at the bottom but I gave it [my] all. I’m so happy. That’s such an achievement for me and I’m over the moon.  “The mental side is the hardest because this track is so mean. It’s super rough – the bike and your body are taking big slams and I feel like everything has to click at once and it’s not always easy to do it at the right time in finals. I finally did it.” Second-placed Troy Brosnan said: “10 years ago, I won here in 2014. Coming back from a very up-and-down season last year I wanted to go strong. Second place for me today feels like a win. I’m in a better head space and the bike is really working underneath me. Third-placed Finn Iles said: “I wanted it a little too much at the start and I think I raced quite smart because I knew I was attacking too much and it’d probably lead to a crash so I brought it back a little bit, calmed down and rode the bottom part really fast and smooth. It’s a good marker because if I have the right mindset coming into the next race. I know I can ride faster than I did today and hopefully I can get on the top step.” WILSON SHOWS THE FUTURE IS SCOTTISH In the Juniors, there was something for the Scottish fans to cheer for in the Women’s Juniors final with local rider Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) taking the win in her first-ever UCI World Cup Junior race. The 17-year-old used her experience on the Fort William course to post the only sub-five-minute run of the age group event, with Sacha Earnest (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) and Eliana Hulsebosch (Union - Forged by Steel City Media) finishing in second and third respectively more than 3.5 seconds back. The 2023 UCI World Champion Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) was last down the hill and looked set to edge Wilson out of the hot seat until a rear flat in the final sector meant she had to settle for fifth. Heather Wilson said: “It doesn’t feel real. I don’t feel like I’ve won. I’m so glad that it’s done, and I’ve crossed the line in one piece. I’m so happy. I have no words to describe how I feel right now. [The weather] was actually perfect because the track still had some grip – it wasn’t too slippy. Some of the corners are blown up, so I just took my time and pushed into them. You need to trust these corners and it worked out perfectly. VERMETTE MAKES A WINNING RETURN FROM INJURY Meanwhile in the Men’s Juniors, Asa Vermette (Framework Racing) blew away the rest of the field with a storming 4:10.55. The American broke his pelvis at the end of March but showed no signs of being held back in Scotland, laying down the fastest splits in three out of four sectors. Luke Wayman (The Gravity Cartel – Rogue Racing) did enough for second, while the local rising star and fastest qualifier Daniel Parfitt (BNC Racing) gave the Scottish fans another thing to cheer with third. Asa Vermette said: “I pictured my run. It was exactly how I pictured it. I couldn’t have done it any better. I’m actually shaking right now. Two weeks ago I was sitting on the couch and watching as many GoPro videos as I could of the track that I was about to race. I didn’t even know if I was going to make it to this race.” FANS TURN UP IN FORT WILLIAM The Nevis Range course is a pilgrimage for the UK’s Downhill fans and more than 14,500 spectators, athletes, partners, volunteers, and staff attended throughout the weekend – with fans making themselves heard throughout every training, practice and finals run the whole way down the 2.8km track. Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events, said: “Scotland is made for mountain biking and has provided the perfect stage for a thrilling weekend of action as the world’s best riders competed in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Fort William. Congratulations to Loïc Bruni and Valentina Höll on claiming the victory. “Events play an important role in our communities, giving us the chance to connect and enjoy memorable experiences. This weekend the atmospheric crowds at the iconic Nevis Range venue has ensured a memorable experience has been had by both fans and riders alike.” Cabinet Secretary for Transport at the Scottish Government, Fiona Hyslop said: “The Nevis Range at Fort William once again proved a fantastic venue for world-class downhill mountain biking. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is an important fixture in the cycling and Scottish sporting calendar and builds on the success of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. I was delighted to attend the final day of the event, to meet with organisers and witness the exhilarating conclusion of the action. I hope that the event inspires people across Scotland to start cycling or cycle more, whether for transport, exercise, sport, or pleasure.” The fourth round of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain BIke World Series takes place next weekend, May 10-12, in the Finale Outdoor Region, Italy. The first UCI Enduro World Cup and UCI E-Enduro World Cup of the year is the second of three consecutive Gravity weekends in a row, before the Endurance championships resume at the end of the month (May 24-26) in Nové Město Na Moravě, Czech Republic.

Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) and Valentina Höll (YT Mob) are the fastest on the hill in semi-finals at the first UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, but tomorrow’s finals are far from a foregone conclusion. Finn Iles and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Factory Racing) were hundredths of a second off of the top spot in the Men’s Elite semi-final, while Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) looks the most likely to challenge Höll in the Women’s Elite. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series rolled into Fort William, Scotland this weekend for the first Downhill UCI World Cup of the season. Today (Saturday, May 4) saw all 280 athletes in action as the Juniors completed qualification, while the Elite riders were whittled down further still after taking part in qualifiers and semi-finals. As well as sorting who made it through to tomorrow’s (Sunday, May 5) finals, it also gave fans an idea of who’s in form at the start of the new season. In the Women’s Elite, Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) looked back to her best in the opening round of this season’s UCI Downhill (DHI) World Cup in Fort William, Scotland, laying down two consistent runs in the Women’s Elite qualifiers and semi-finals to make her the rider most likely to challenge Valentina Höll (YT Mob) for the top spot in Sunday’s finals. The British 8-time UCI World Cup winner has history on the Nevis Range course, winning in front of an adoring home crowd in 2018. But after a disappointing 2023 season by her own high standards, it looked like the 28-year-old has had a strong winter after coming first and second in the Women’s Elite qualifiers and semi-finals respectively. It was Höll who prevented Seagrave from completing a clean sweep, the reigning UCI Downhill World Champion and last season’s UCI DHI World Cup overall winner setting a blistering time in the Women’s Elite semi-finals that had the fastest splits in three out of four sectors. The 22-year-old silenced any doubters after her switch from Trek to YT during the winter, showing that she was already up to speed on her new race rig. The Austrian will be last down the mountain in Sunday’s final, so expect the race to go to the wire. Speaking after her win in the Women’s Elite semi-finals, Valentina Höll said: “I crashed in qualis, so I knew there was more in the tank. My time is not that great so let’s just see. Tomorrow is race day so full focus on this.” Tahnée Seagrave said: “Doing two runs back-to-back on a track like Fort William takes a lot out of you but I was super stoked to see my time be up there as the fastest. That’s where I want to be and I want to be a threat all year so it’s looking good.” In the Men’s Elite, Loïc Bruni (Specialized Factory Racing) displayed why he is the reigning UCI Downhill World Cup overall champion, going fastest in all sectors during the Men’s Elite qualifying round and putting a whopping 3.293 seconds between himself and his teammate Finn Iles (Specialized Factory Racing), who finished second.  The Frenchman wasn’t able to make it two from two in the Men’s semi-finals though and had to settle for third after Troy Brosnan (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) and Iles edged him in a contest where they could only be separated by hundredths of a second. Of all three, Brosnan is the only one to have tasted victory in Fort William before, having won on the course back in 2014. And as the last man down the hill in Sunday’s final, it will be interesting to see if he can dig into that experience from a decade ago to edge it again. Speaking after his win in the Men’s Elite semi-finals, Troy Brosnan said: “The track at the top is a lot better, it’s a lot grippier but there was a bit of wind in the face, so I just had to push. I’m super stoked to come down in first in semis and top four in qualies.” Finn Iles said: “I was really smooth up top, but I had a big mistake in the woods and other than that it was a nice fast run. I’m happy, I know that it’s here. First race of the year and to go second, there’s a really good feeling. I think tomorrow I’m going to lay it all on the line.” The fastest Brit across the men’s qualifying rounds was Greg Williamson (Madison Saracen Factory Team), while fan favourite Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) made his long-awaited return after two years plagued by injury and managed a respectable 21st in qualifying and 24th in the semi-finals. Finally, the G.O.A.T and seven-time Fort William UCI World Cup winner Greg Minnaar (Norco Factory Racing) showed some initial promise on his new Norco, piloting it to 9th in the men’s qualifying, although the four-time UCI World Champion has left himself with a lot to do after 29th in the semi-finals. The other highlights from Saturday’s qualifying were the Men’s and Women’s Junior, where we saw some of the most exciting up-and-coming downhill talent take to the iconic Nevis Range course. In the Women’s Junior, reigning UCI Downhill Junior World Champion Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) edged Scottish rising star Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns). In the Men’s Junior, Daniel Parfitt (BNC Racing) put his local knowledge to good use, crossing the line first in a time that would have seen him score 7th in the Elite Men’s semi-final qualifiers. Before qualifying, Fort William hosted a Mini-DH event, where kids in the U12, U14, and U16 categories showcased their talents and competed in a friendly environment, promoting the spirit of sport and healthy competition within our community. The future stars of Downhill were joined by Maree Todd, the Scottish Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, who did a tour of the event village site and Nevis Range and took part in the medal ceremony for the Mini-DH event. The action gets underway with the Women Junior and Men Junior Finals from 11:30 BST (CET-1) tomorrow live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals TV broadcast starts at 13:15 BST. 

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is in full flow after two action-packed Endurance race weekends in Brazil, but attention now turns to the other side of the Atlantic and the start of the Gravity and UCI Downhill (DHI) World Cup season at Fort William, Scotland.  We look at everything you need to know about the Fort William round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, including when the men’s and women’s Downhill events are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to watch.  WHEN?  The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Fort William, Scotland starts with qualifying for the Women’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup at 12:00 (UTC+1) on Saturday, May 4 and concludes with the Men’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup at 14:00 (UTC+1) on Sunday, May 5.  Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+1 (EST+5/BST/CET-1):    Saturday, May 4  12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Elite  12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Elite  14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior  14:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior  15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Women Elite  15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Men Elite    Sunday, May 5  11:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior  12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior  13:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite  14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite    WHERE CAN I WATCH?  You can watch the action from the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Downhill season opener in Fort William, Scotland wherever you are in the world. Both the men’s and women's UCI Downhill World Cup Junior races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals will be shown on one of the below channels or streaming services:   North America  Canada – Flosports  USA  – Max  South & Central America  Argentina – Staylive  Brazil – Staylive  Chile – Staylive  Colombia – Staylive  Mexico: Staylive  Peru – Claro  Oceania/Asia  Australia – Stan  China – Zhibo.tv  New Zealand – Staylive  Africa  South Africa – Staylive  Europe  Austria – Eurosport, discovery+  Belgium – Eurosport   Czech Republic – Eurosport, CT Sport Plus  Denmark – Eurosport   France – Eurosport, L'Équipe  Germany – Eurosport, discovery+  Hungary – Eurosport   Ireland – Eurosport, discovery+  Italy – Eurosport, discovery+  Netherlands – discovery+  Norway – Eurosport   Poland – Eurosport   Portugal – Eurosport   Romania – Eurosport   Spain – Eurosport   Sweden – Eurosport   Switzerland – Eurosport   United Kingdom – Eurosport, discovery+  Rest of world – Staylive    RIDERS TO WATCH  There will be 280 athletes racing at the UCI Downhill World Cup this weekend and 28 nationalities in attendance, but predicting who will be stood at the top of the podiums come Sunday is as difficult as Fort William’s twisting, technical track.   The downhill off-season has been a busy one in the pits, with many riders switching teams, returning from injury, and looking to get fighting fit ahead of a UCI Downhill World Cup season that doesn’t wrap up until early October. The iconic Scottish course is a favourite amongst riders and fans alike though, so expect adrenaline-fuelled action on the Nevis Range hillside all weekend long.  In the women’s field, reigning UCI Downhill World Champion and UCI World Cup overall winner Valentina Höll (YT Mob) remains the rider to beat, but the last few months haven’t been straight-forward for the 22-year-old Austrian, and she’ll be piloting a new bike for the first time at Fort William after joining a new team for this season.   Home fans will be hoping one of Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD), Phoebe Gale (Canyon CLLCTV FMD), or Louisa-Anna Ferguson (Intense Factory Racing) will give them something to cheer about, while Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) and Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) will be returning between the race tapes after recovering from long-term injuries.  Speaking at the pre-race press conference, Louisa-Anna Ferguson said:  I'm excited to race at home on a new bike, so I'll see what I can do. I'd love to perform well here and start the season strongly. The track is tough. It's long and physical, and even with all the changes they've made, it's pretty exhausting. But the weather has turned out well, so it might be a little less challenging than in recent years. Myriam Nicole said:  Stopping due to an injury is not something I would've wanted to do, so to be back feels like a big victory. Racing a World Cup is no joke, so when you come back, you have to be ready. Coming back too early would've been a mistake. I was really at the top before I crashed, but when you come back, you're so grateful. I've never been so happy to be back at a World Cup. British rider and reigning UCI Downhill World Champion Charlie Hatton (Continental Atherton) will be aiming to repeat his win from the last time out on the storied Scottish mountain in the men’s elite race, while locals will be longing for the fully recovered Flying Scotsman, Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing), to transform their vocal support into his second-ever UCI World Cup win.   Reece Wilson said:  Racing at home with fans and family who want to see me is an incredible feeling. I'm really looking forward to the charge of the home fans, and I'm ready for it. Others in consideration include reigning UCI Downhill World Cup Champion Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), a fully recovered Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction), and a certain GOAT, Greg Minnaar (Norco Factory Racing), who will be riding a new race rig having left Santa Cruz race after 16 years.  Loïc Bruni said:  Last year we had some misfortune with the weather, which left us hungry for more and left us with motivation. The only thing to do is open the throttle. I’m looking forward to it, and it’s my second home, but all the guys are familiar with it. If I can win, it will be amazing. I tried last year, but it didn’t happen, and the British were amazing. Greg Minnaar said:  The move from Santa Cruz to Norco was a really big change; I was at Santa Cruz for 16 years. But I'm looking forward to this chapter, and so far, it has been amazing. They've made some amazing changes [at Fort William]. I think it will be a lot quicker, and the racing will be really tight. Racing gets underway tomorrow, May 4 in Fort William.  Full schedule and event details are available HERE.  You can find where to watch all the racing action live in Fort William HERE.