After three back-to-back rounds in Italy, the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series heads west to Pal Arinsal, Andorra and its final UCI World Cups before a six-week summer break.
The Pyrenees venue welcomes Cross-country and Downhill athletes again for the first time since it hosted the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – where the reigning rainbow jersey wearers were crowned in a high-altitude and adrenaline-fuelled contest last August and September.
Located in the heart of the Pyrenees and a short journey from the Andorran border with Spain, both formats take place at the Pal Arinsal (formerly known as Vallnord) Bike Park. The park has more than 60km of trails across 30 different lines and five ski lifts to help riders experience the more than 1,000m of elevation drop on offer. It has been a staple of the UCI Downhill World Cup circuit since 2008, while Cross-country joined the fun in 2013. It has also hosted two editions of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships (2015 and 2024) during that time.
The Downhill takes place on the venue’s third UCI World Cup track. New for the 2021 season, it sees riders drop from Pic del Cubil down to Fontanals on a rowdy 2.1km course.
The Cross-country Olympic (XCO) and Cross-country Short Track (XCC) races, meanwhile, take on some of the hardest terrain that the riders will face all season, thanks to the addition of altitude. The XCO course is 4km long (160m elevation gain), while the XCC course is 1km long.
CAN ANYONE PREVENT PIETERSE?
Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has been almost unstoppable since she entered the 2025 series in Nové Město Na Moravě (Czechia) – 13th in the Czech round’s XCO, it was the only time in six race starts this year she hasn’t finished first. The Dutchwoman did the XCO-XCC double in Val di Sole -Trentino (Italy) to go with her double in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria), and could be the first woman to repeat the feat three times if she manages it again in Pal Arinsal - Andorra. She will have fond memories of the Andorran course too, having won the UCI World Championships for XCO there last year.
Despite Pieterse’s dominance, Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) still finds herself at the top of the rankings, having raced at all five rounds of the series. The New Zealander has been in incredible form of her own – finishing second four times after winning the opening round in Araxá, Minas Gerais (Brazil) – and her points advantage means she’ll go into the summer break in first place in the overall regardless of results in Andorra.
Others likely to contest Pieterse for the win include Mona Mitterwallner (Mondraker Factory Racing XC), who won at the venue in 2023, Val di Sole podium finisher Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) and round two-winner Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO).
PIDCOCK TO SHAKE UP PROCEEDINGS
Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) is a favourite of whatever race he lines up at – regardless of discipline – so when the two-time Olympic Champion’s name is on the start list, expect a sigh to go out across the rest of the paddocks.
The 25-year-old hasn’t raced his Cross-country bike since last year’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, where he finished third in the XCO behind Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) and Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing), but won’t be phased by his lack of recent race experience and the Andorran resident will be expected to contest for the win in his de facto home race.
Those attempting to stop Pidcock include the current rankings leader Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing), whose XCO form has stuttered since two wins and a second in the first three rounds of the series. His teammate Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (Specialized Factory Racing) kept the wins coming for the American team in Val di Sole, though, and continued the Chilean’s own strong form. Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) can’t be written off either – the G.O.A.T winning four times at the venue, including his 2015 rainbow jersey.
SAME AGAIN IN THE SHORT TRACK?
Pieterse’s and Blevins’ records in the Short Track this year read 100% wins from races entered. Looking beyond the dominant pair is therefore very hard, particularly when the traditional XCC specialists have shown chinks in their armour.
For Pieterse, she will be targeting a record-equalling seventh win in the format, which will take her level with the reigning UCI XCC World Champion, Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli). The Brit has been out of sorts since Nové Mesto Na Moravě, skipping Val di Sole through illness, but will be looking to bounce back on the course where she claimed her rainbow jersey.
Blevins, meanwhile, could become the first Elite rider (man or woman) to win the first six XCC rounds of the series, and his most realistic challenger is Koretkzy, who, like Richards, won in Pal Arinsal last year. The pair won’t have to contend with Pidcock, though, in the short format – the Brit and two-time UCI XCC World Cup winner is not eligible because he’s not in the top-40 ranked riders based on UCI points.
WOMEN’S DOWNHILL CONTEST IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT
The women’s downhill series has never been more competitive, with four different winners from the opening five rounds, and seven riders standing on the podium so far this season.
The biggest surprise has been Valentina Höll’s (YT Mob) form – the Austrian without a UCI World Cup win for more than a year – but with Pal Arinsal the scene of her last downhill victory at the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, that winless streak could get reset this Saturday. Despite not standing on the top spot yet this year, the reigning overall winner remains the most consistent performer – her second place in La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta (Italy) her third of the season.
Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race Division) meanwhile has tasted success twice this year, and was back on the podium last weekend in La Thuile with third, while Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) took her first win since Pal Arinsal in 2023 at the new Italian UCI World Cup venue – the German aiming for her first-ever back-to-back victories.
Others in contention include Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea/FMD Racing) and Marine Cabirou (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team). One rider who won’t be is Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing/5Dev), who is out following surgery to her hand – the American ruled out until after the summer break.
GOLDSTONE EYES WIN RECORD
Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) has been in dominant form, adding a fourth consecutive win to his run in La Thuile and equalling Aaron Gwin’s (Gwin Racing) record from 2012. The Canadian looks unstoppable, converting fastest qualifying times into victories at the last two rounds, and will be eyeing a fifth straight ‘W’ in Andorra. Although he finished 57th in his only Elite finals run on the Pal Arinsal course back in 2023, difficult conditions on the day mean he’s going into this weekend with a relatively clean slate.
The man currently looking most likely to break Goldstone’s run is Loris Vergier (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction). The Frenchman finished second in La Thuile and has won twice on the Pyrenees course, including at last year’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – although his last UCI World Cup win, which was in Andorra, came more than 1,000 days ago.
Others to look out for include Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction), who amazingly recovered from a broken collarbone to finish 10th in La Thuile, and Thibaut Daprela (Rogue Racing - SR Suntour) – the wild card qualifier clinching his first and only UCI World Cup win at Pal Arinsal back in 2023.
Racing gets underway in Pal Arinsal – Andorra on Friday with the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup.
