After a six-week summer break, the cross-country and downhill contingents of the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series return to action this weekend with a delicious double header in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France).
The French Alps venue is one of the most iconic in mountain bike’s history and has been welcoming the Gravity format on and off since 1996. It’s been a staple of the UCI World Cup since 2019, including the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, and is renowned for its passionate, partisan French crowd. Next year, it’s also due to host the rainbow jersey races once again as part of Haute-Savoie’s 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships.
Located in the heart of the Portes de Soleil mountain resort, close to the Swiss border, both formats take place at the Les Gets bike park. The park has 128km of trails across 23 different tracks and three ski lifts to help riders experience everything the park has to offer.
The UCI Downhill World Cup takes place on the venue’s Mont-Chéry UCI World Cup track – a 2.2km course that features 571m of descent and a maximum gradient of 43.8°.
The UCI Cross-country World Cup races, meanwhile, take on a custom trail that has its start/finish straight at the resort’s main hub. The UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup course is 3.55km long (140m elevation gain), while the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) course is 1km long (43m elevation gain).
Beyond the racing, Les Gets has a packed schedule of fan activities and entertainment throughout the week. The festivities get underway on Thursday, 20 August, with the Team Presentation at the Village Fan Zone in front of Les Gets Town Hall.
Fans can also take part in a treasure hunt around the venue alongside WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series mascot Roki, attend autograph sessions with WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series stars or enjoy the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series trophy exhibition throughout the weekend.
Open from Friday to Sunday, the Village Fan Zone will offer something for visitors of all ages, from souvenir medal-colouring workshops for children and an immersive virtual reality MTB experience to a personalised event photobooth. Live music, entertainment, film screenings, concerts and a host of other activities will ensure there is plenty to enjoy away from the racetracks.
WILDCARD TEAMS SET TO JOIN THE ACTION IN LES GETS
Before diving deeper into the main storylines and key riders to watch this weekend, here are the wildcard teams that have been confirmed to compete in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie
UCI Downhill World Cup: Crestline Speed Shop, Outlaw Intense Racing, Pivot Factory Racing, Team High Country, The Alliance, Stoic Racing.
UCI Cross-country World Cup: KTM Factory Team, Lexware Mountainbike Team, Massi, Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret, SUNN Factory Racing, Thömus Akros - Youngstars, UNNO Factory Racing, Bike Team Solothurn.
Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountainbike Team) remains the standout wildcard contender, with the German carrying an impressive nine-race winning streak across the Men’s U23 UCI XCO and XCC World Cups. In Downhill, wildcard teams also made their mark in Pal Arinsal - Andorra, where Bode Burke (Crestline Speed Shop) secured a second place in Men’s Elite qualifying before suffering a DNF in the finals. On the women’s side, Jenna Hastings (Pivot Factory Racing) delivered the best wildcard result with a fifth-place finish in the Women’s Elite race.
RISSVEDS CLOSES IN ON OVERALL CROWN, MAXWELL MAKES COMEBACK
It’s been a memorable season in the rainbow jersey for Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing), and as the Swede prepares to wear the 2025 UCI World Champion’s colours for the final time at Les Gets, another victory could leave her with one hand firmly on the overall title with two rounds remaining.
Rissveds arrives in France full of confidence after claiming maximum points in Andorra with a dominant XCC-XCO double. As one of the most successful riders ever to race in Les Gets, where she also completed the double in 2025, she knows exactly what it takes to triumph on the iconic French Alps course.
Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) remains Rissveds’ closest challenger in the overall standings, while Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) will look to carry her outstanding form through the summer break. The Italian backed up her maiden UCI XCO World Cup victory in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta (Italy) with a runner-up finish in Andorra and will be eager to continue her momentum.
Another major name returning to the spotlight is Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech). Jointly tied with Rissveds as the most successful rider in Les Gets, Pieterse lines up for her fifth UCI World Cup appearance of 2026 after a summer that saw her claim the Queen of the Mountains polka dot jersey at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Meanwhile, Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Factory Racing) makes a highly anticipated return to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. The reigning overall UCI XCO World Cup champion is back on the start line after a ten-month sabbatical and will be keen to make an immediate impact in one of the season’s most prestigious rounds.
VAN DER POEL RETURNS AS MARTIN AND BOICHIS RENEW TITLE FIGHT
Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) endured a rare setback in Pal Arinsal, with the overall UCI XCO World Cup leader finishing 22nd and missing out on a top-two result for the first time this season. Despite the disappointment, the Frenchman remains firmly in control of the standings on 1,419 points.
However, his lead over compatriot Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) was cut to 130 points after Boichis delivered one of the standout performances of the weekend, finishing second in the UCI XCC World Cup before claiming victory in the UCI XCO World Cup.
Les Gets could provide the perfect opportunity for Martin to bounce back. The French venue was the site of his breakthrough UCI XCO World Cup victory in 2025, and he will be eager to rediscover that winning form on home soil. Yet with Boichis continuing to impress across multiple disciplines, the battle for the overall crown is far from settled.
Adding even more intrigue to the weekend is the return of Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech). The Dutch superstar swaps the road for the mountain bike as he begins his build-up to next week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy), where he will aim to complete a unique set of rainbow jerseys across cross-country, road cycling and cyclocross.
Fresh from winning the final stage of this year’s Tour de France, van der Poel will make his first mountain bike race appearance of 2026 in Les Gets. The 31-year-old is also beginning to turn his attention towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games, making his return to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series one of the biggest storylines of the weekend.
RISSVEDS, FREI AND VAN DER POEL HEADLINE XCC ACTION
Adrien Boichis’ consistency in the short track has allowed the Frenchman to establish a commanding lead in the UCI XCC World Cup standings, despite competing in only five of the six rounds so far this season. Yet all eyes will be on one rider in Les Gets: Mathieu van der Poel.
The most successful men's short track rider in history returns to the format for his first UCI XCC World Cup appearance since 2021. Chasing an 11th career victory, the Dutch superstar also has the chance to become the first male rider to win more than one UCI XCC World Cup race in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie.
Boichis is unlikely to make life easy for van der Poel, however. The current overall leader has been one of the standout performers of the season, while Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) and Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) have both demonstrated they have the speed and explosiveness required to win in the fast-paced format.
The Women's Elite race promises to be equally compelling. Just 30 points separate Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) and Jenny Rissveds at the top of the standings, with both riders having claimed two victories apiece in 2026. Momentum, however, appears to be on Rissveds’ side. The Swede won in Les Gets last season and will be aiming for a third successive UCI XCC World Cup victory almost exactly a decade after her unforgettable Olympic gold medal triumph in Rio on 20 August 2016.
Among those looking to disrupt the battle at the front are Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech), both capable of challenging for victory on their day. Meanwhile, reigning UCI XCC World Champion Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon) boasts the strongest record of any rider on the Les Gets short track course, having amassed one win, two runner-up finishes and a third place at the French venue.
HÖLL ON THE VERGE OF OVERALL GLORY IN LES GETS
Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) is enjoying the most dominant season of her career and arrives in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie in formidable form ahead of the final three UCI Downhill World Cup rounds and next week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
The Austrian has won five of the first six rounds this season, surpassing her own record for the most victories in a single campaign. Another win in Les Gets would see her move onto 17 Elite UCI World Cup victories, drawing level with Sabrina Jonnier as the third most successful female downhill rider in history.
Victory on Saturday would also secure Höll’s fifth overall UCI Downhill World Cup title with two rounds still remaining. Even if she falls short of the top step, she could still wrap up the crown this weekend provided she maintains a lead of at least 500 points over her nearest rival in the standings.
The rest of the field may take some encouragement from one statistic: despite her dominance elsewhere, Höll has never won an Elite UCI World Cup race in Les Gets, with a third-place finish in 2025 standing as her best result at the Haute-Savoie venue. Ready to capitalise on any opportunity are the only other winners on the circuit this season, Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing / TRP), Höll’s teammate Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres), and local favourite Marine Cabirou (Canyon DH Racing). With one victory and two runner-up finishes in Les Gets, Cabirou boasts the strongest record of any Elite Women rider at the venue.
The Women’s Junior category is also set to make history this weekend, with 41 riders entered for qualifying, the largest field since the category was introduced in 2017. The impressive number reflects the remarkable growth of women’s downhill racing in less than a decade.
Among those to watch is Cassandre Peizerat, who will race as a guest rider for COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction. The 17-year-old Frenchwoman may come from an alpine skiing background, but she has already proven her ability to excel on two wheels, finishing third in Les Gets in 2025 and claiming another podium in La Thuile earlier this season. As part of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series regulations, teams are allocated two guest rider entries per season, with any points scored by those riders contributing to the Team Standings.
10-WAY TUSTLE FOR MEN’S DOWNHILL TITLE
If 2025 was a two-horse race between Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), then this series is turning into a 10-horse one with three rounds to go and only 393 points separating series leader Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) and 10th placed Till Alran (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction).
With Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) ruled out through injury, Williams will look to keep Specialized’s momentum going after the team’s four wins from the opening six rounds. But with no one rider dominating with consistent results, it’s set to go to the wire with plenty of twists and turns still to come.
There are a number of riders out to spoil the Specialized party. Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) is the most successful current rider at the venue, and will have the backing of the iconic partisan home crowd as he targets his third win in Les Gets, while last year’s winner Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing DH) is set to make his first start of 2026 after recovering from an injury that has ruled him out so far this season.
Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing / TRP) is another to watch – the American already tasting success in his first Elite season and a winner at the venue in the Junior class in 2024 – while Jackson Goldstone could still make a late surge to defend his title if he pulls together another winning record like that seen in 2025.
Racing gets underway in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie on Friday with the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup. Full schedule and events details are available here.
