After an Italian double bill in Val di Fassa - Trentino and La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series crosses from the Alps to the Pyrenees with the UCI Downhill and UCI Cross-country World Cups taking to the trails of Pal Arinsal - Andorra.
We look at everything you need to know about the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, including when the Cross-county Short Track (XCC), Cross-country Olympic (XCO) and Downhill events are scheduled to take place, who is racing, and how to watch.
WHEN?
The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Pal Arinsal - Andorra starts with the Women U23 UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup at 10:35 (UTC+2) on Friday, July 10 and concludes with the Men UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup at 15:30 (UTC+2) on Sunday, July 12.
Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EDT+6/BST+1/CEST):
Friday, July 10
12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Women Elite
13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Men Elite
14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior
14:20 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior
15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Women Elite
15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Men Elite
10:35 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women U23
11:25 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men U23
18:00 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite
18:50 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite
Saturday, July 11
11:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior
11:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior
12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite
13:40 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite
Sunday, July 12
09:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women U23
11:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men U23
13:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite
15:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite
WHERE CAN I WATCH?
Fans around the world will have plenty of ways to follow the action from Andorra. The UCI Downhill World Cup* and the Elite UCI Cross-country World Cup races are available to watch live worldwide on one of the below channels or streaming services:
Europe:
Albania, Armenia, Austria, Baltics, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Ukraine – HBO Max / Eurosport
Andorra: HBO Max, Eurosport and RTVA
Belgium: HBO Max, Eurosport and RTLplay.be (only selected races)
Czechia: HBO Max, Eurosport and Czech TV (only selected races)
France: HBO Max, Eurosport and L’Équipe (only selected races)
Ireland: TNT Sports
Spain: HBO Max, Eurosport and RTVE
Switzerland, Liechtenstein: HBO Max, Eurosport, SRF/RSI (only selected races)
United Kingdom: HBO Max, TNT Sports
Asia:
Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand - Eurosport World
Oceania:
Australia – Stan Sport
New Zealand - MTBWS TV
Samoa - Eurosport World
North America:
Canada – FloSports
USA – HBO Max / MTBWS TV
Central America: MTBWS TV
South America: MTBWS TV
Africa: MTBWS TV
All other territories: MTBWS TV
In markets where MTBWS TV is available, fans can now watch the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series live and on demand, anytime and anywhere on the new MTBWS TV app. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
*The UCI Downhill World Cup Qualification Day can be followed on live timing and across social media. Live timing will be available via the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and app, alongside a new live blogging feed. The men’s and women’s Junior UCI Downhill World Cup races will be available on HBO Max (in all available territories) and MTBWS TV via subscription. The Elite finals will be shown on one of the above channels or streaming services.
RIDERS TO WATCH
XCC TITLE CONTENDERS LOOK TO STRIKE BEFORE THE SUMMER BREAK
In the UCI XCC World Cup, it’s hard to look beyond Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) in the men’s race. The Frenchman followed up his debut UCI XCC World Cup win in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) with his second in La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta (Italy), getting the edge on compatriot Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) both times. While Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) still leads the standings, his 55-point advantage looks precarious.
The women’s field is more unpredictable with Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) becoming the fourth different winner in five rounds after her victory in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta. Her two fellow podium finishers last week, Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) and Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) are riders to watch, as is Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon), who is still without a win in rainbow bands as the 2025 UCI XCC World Champion.
MARTIN AND RISSVEDS, THE RIDERS TO BEAT IN XCO
On Sunday, the men’s XCO race could follow a similar pattern to the XCC, with another Frenchman Luca Martin, arriving as the standout rider to beat. The Cannondale Factory Racing rider is in red-hot form, winning back-to-back UCI XCO World Cups, and has shown he can perform at altitude in Andorra, finishing second in last year’s XCO there, just behind Olympic champion and Andorra resident, Tom Pidcock. Others to watch out for include Boichis, who picked up his third consecutive UCI XCO World Cup podium in La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta; Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division); UCI XCO World Champion Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC); and Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team).
Although Rissveds is running away with the women’s overall UCI XCO World Cup and will maintain her lead into the summer break, save a shock result in Pal Arinsal, Martina Berta’s (Origine Racing Division) win in La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta shows that the Swede has a growing number of competitors vying for the top spot in the Olympic-distance format. Berta became the fourth different winner of the series in Italy, joining Frei, Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) and Rissveds. Elsewhere, Savilia Blunk is getting closer every week, while the likes of Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Keller are always a threat.
PIERRON AND HÖLL IN CONTROL IN COMMENCAL’S BACKYARD
In the middle of the Cross-country bread is the Downhill filling of a jam-packed Andorran sandwich. In the men’s competition, things are hotting up with a four-way battle for the title race. Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) currently holds a slim 12-point advantage over Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity). The two-time UCI Downhill World Cup overall winner sits in first place despite not recording a win in 2026, but victory in Pal Arinsal will taste even sweeter if he can do it in his team’s home race.
It’s not a foregone conclusion with Iles recording two third place finishes on the course (2023 UCI World Cup and 2024 UCI World Championships), although the Canadian’s 20th place in La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta might have knocked the wind out of his sails after his back-to-back wins. Iles’ teammate and the winner in Italy, Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) is a further 19 points back in the overall, while round one winner Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing / TRP) is only 65 points off of top spot and was the only rider within a second of Williams’ winning time in La Thuile.
For the women, Valentina Höll’s (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) maximum points in Italy means that it’s almost a matter of when, rather than if, she will win a fifth overall title. Her lead over second-place Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) already stands at 363 points, and with four rounds to go, it’s hard to see her relinquishing her advantage.
If that wasn’t ominous enough for the competition, Höll is targeting her fifth UCI World Cup win of the season in Pal Arinsal – which would be a personal record – and she has the best record of the current field on this circuit, including two wins (2022 UCI World Cup and 2024 UCI World Championships). If it isn’t Höll, then teammate Baumann looks poised for the top step, while the only other rider to win in 2026 – Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing / TRP) – will be looking to bounce back strongly after failing to get out of qualifying in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta.
Racing gets underway on Friday, July 10 in Pal Arinsal - Andorra. Full schedule and event details are available HERE.
