The UCI Mountain Bike World Series is looking forward to a big weekend of racing when Lenzerheide, Switzerland, hosts the first round of the UCI Downhill World Cup alongside the second round of the UCI Cross-country Olympic and Short Track World Cup.
This iconic venue has long been a stalwart of the UCI World Cup calendar, hosting an event for the seventh consecutive year in 2023. In that time, the Bike Kingdom, as Lenzerheide has become known, has grown into one of the most revered bike parks in Europe. And with a record 800 riders getting between the tapes, this weekend’s event is destined for the history books.
In the Cross-country Olympic (XCO) racing, all eyes will be on Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team), a rider who is synonymous with Lenzerheide having taken some of his most famous wins, including the 2018 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, on his home course. However, a victory this weekend would be extra special as it would cement him more XCO wins than any other rider - a win on Sunday would be his 34th.
Nevertheless, there’ll be a strong field of riders doing their best to stop him. Round one winner Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) won’t be taking the start, leaving the field wide open for the rest of the pack. Joshua Dubau (Rockrider Ford Racing Team) rocked the established order with his second place finish at the opening round and will be looking for more of the same.
In the women’s XCO, round one victor Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the favourite, but faces stiff competition from reigning UCI World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Ineos Grenadiers) and Loana Lecomte (Canyon CLLTV). Switzerland’s own Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing XC) will also be looking to turn it on for her home crowd and can never be discounted from a podium finish.
Meanwhile the opening round of the UCI Downhill World Cup will kick start its season with a new look, thanks to the addition of a semi-final race, that will determine the top 30 men and top 10 women who progress to the final.
In the women’s competition, reigning overall title holder Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) will be looking to get her 2023 campaign off to the best possible start with a win. However, Switzerland’s Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) will no doubt be buoyed by her home crowds and out for victory. Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) is a notable absence while she recovers from a concussion. However, a last minute announcement from Rachel Atherton (Continental Atherton) that she plans to race definitely has the potential to mix up the standings.
Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) will undoubtedly start the season as the man to beat, having not only won the overall last season, but also taking the win in Lenzerheide in 2022. However, staving off fellow Frenchmen Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) will be no easy task. Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) and Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) also have podium form at this venue and no-one would rule out their chances of having it again.
For the full schedule and more information on this week’s races click here.
This weekend’s action will be available to view on Eurosport, discovery+ and globally on GCN+.
