The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is less than a month away and all 40 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams and riders have been confirmed for what’s set to be a thrilling 14-round season.
But amongst the new team line-ups and kit reveals, lies another set of key updates to spotlight: the UCI International Elite Numbers and a brand-new way to present and celebrate the overall leaders throughout the season.
UCI INTERNATIONAL ELITE NUMBERS: HOW THEY WORK AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT
Introduced at the start of last season as part of a broader set of reforms across the sport aimed at helping teams build greater value, career numbers were brought in to add a sense of legacy to the competition. They help strengthen rider identities, bring fans closer to the athletes, and are quickly becoming an integral part of each WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round, making it easier to spot at a quick glance who’s battling it out at the front of an Endurance race or laying down an impressive race run in the Gravity formats.
Only Elite riders who had earned the privilege by winning a round of their respective UCI World Cup (Cross-country Olympic, Cross-country Short Track, Downhill or Enduro) were invited to select a UCI International Elite number (2–999). Ahead of the 2025 season, riders were ranked in order based on the number of UCI World Cup wins in their respective formats, with the rider with the most wins getting to select their number first.
As the 2025 series played out and riders picked up their first UCI World Cup wins, they were also rewarded with getting to choose their career numbers, as seen with Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) selecting 5 in the UCI Enduro World Cup or Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) picking 17 in the UCI Downhill World Cup. Cross-country rider Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) also selected the number 321 after his first UCI World Cup win at the 2025 season finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
WHO GETS TO USE THE NUMBER ONE PLATE?
While there are 998 potential numbers for riders to choose from, the number 1 plate is reserved for the current leader of each format’s UCI World Cup standings. In the instance where the rider leading the series also has a unique career number, the number 1 plate will supersede the career number.
In a change from past seasons when overall leaders wore a distinct red or green number 1 jersey depending on the format, this year’s leaders will continue to race in their standard team kits or UCI World Champion, Continental Champion or National Champion jerseys but with the number 1 added.
In addition to this, overall leaders will be presented with a commemorative number 1 plaque during the podium ceremonies. This update is designed to maximise visibility for teams and enhance their brand building opportunities throughout each event.
THE FULL LIST OF CAREER NUMBERS
DOWNHILL
Men
2. Loris Vergier (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction)
3. Troy Brosnan (Canyon DH Racing)
4. Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction)
5. Danny Hart (Norco X adidas Race Division)
6. Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate)
7. Aaron Gwin (Frameworks / TRP)
8. Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing DH)
9. Benoit Coulanges (Scott Downhill Factory)
11. Reece Wilson (AON Racing)
13. Greg Minnaar (Norco X adidas Race Division)
15. Matt Walker (Trek - Unbroken DH)
17. Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity)
18. Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – DH)
22. Rémi Thirion (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – DH)
23. Laurie Greenland
25. Martin Maes (Orbea / FMD Racing)
29. Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity)
51. Thibault Dapréla
66. Andreas Kolb (Santa Cruz Syndicate)
88. Alex Fayolle
99. Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity)
100. Oisin O’Callaghan (Trek - Unbroken DH)
256. Samuel Blenkinsop
Women
4. Camille Balanche
7. Myriam Nicole (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction)
11. Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres)
12. Marine Cabirou (Canyon DH Racing)
17. Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division)
57. Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea / FMD Racing)
81. Eleonora Farina (MS-Racing)
96. Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate)
CROSS-COUNTRY
Men
3. Lars Forster (Thömus maxon)
4. Samuel Gaze (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
5. Titouan Carod (BMC Factory Racing)
6. Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing)
7. Ondřej Cink (Cube Factory Racing)
8. Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing)
9. Jordan Sarrou (BMC Factory Racing)
10. Nino Schurter
11. Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – XC)
12. Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing)
18. Martin Viduarre (Specialized Factory Racing)
24. Mathias Flückiger (Thömus maxon)
69. Simon Andreassen (Orbea Fox Factory Team)
84. David Valero Serrano (Klimatiza Orbea Team)
321. Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing)
444. Luca Braidot (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team)
Women
2. Loana Lecomte (BMC Factory Racing)
3. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
4. Anne Terpstra (Lapierre PXR Racing)
5. Jolanda Neff (Cannondale Factory Racing)
6. Yana Belomoina (Massi)
7. Kate Courtney
9. Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing)
11. Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon)
13. Evie Richards (Trek-Unbroken XC)
25. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing)
27. Rebecca Henderson (Orbea Fox Factory Team)
59. Mona Mitterwallner (Mondraker Factory Racing XC)
69. Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing)
666. Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Factory Racing Team)
ENDURO
Men
2. Jack Moir
4. Richie Rude Jr (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team)
5. Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team)
8. Charles Murray
11. Matthew Walker
21. Jesse Melamed
22. Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – DH)
25. Martin Maes (Orbea / FMD Racing)
133. Alex Rudeau
Women
3. Simona Kuchynkova (Cube Action Team)
4. Ella Conolly
7. Elly Hoskin
8. Isabeau Courdurier
9. Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing)
44. Harriet Hardnen (AON Racing)
88. Rebecca Baraona
