Wildcard Teams Unveiled for WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Val di Sole, Trentino

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports can confirm that 16 wildcard teams – eight cross-country and eight downhill – have been selected for round eight of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy) on June 20-22.

While all eight teams who applied for a downhill spot secured a wildcard, it was a lot more competitive in the cross-country, with eight selected from 23 applicants – a record number for the new system.

The majority of qualifying teams have already featured in the 2025 series, but there will be first appearances for two local outfits – one Gravity and the other Endurance.

Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team is a six-strong Enduro-focused team that blends the experience of Tommaso Francardo with the youth of Clarissa Carzolio – both of whom recorded top-20 finishes at the 2025 UCI Enduro World Cup in Pietra Ligure - Finale Outdoor Region (Italy). For Val di Sole, the completely Italian squad will be switching formats and attempting to beat the downhill specialists at their own game.

CS Carabinieri – Cicli Olympia meanwhile is another all-Italian team making its 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series debut in the Endurance formats. A mainstay of previous series, it is led by UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup podium finishers Filippo Fontana and Daniele Braidot.

Elsewhere, KTM Factory MTB Team and Lexware Mountainbike Team continue their 100% wildcard qualification record, while Goodman Santacruz, Rogue Racing – SR Suntour, Team High Country and Kenda NS Bikes UR Team do the same in downhill.

The wildcard system has already shown its worth in downhill, with Thibaut Daprela (Rogue Racing – SR Suntour) securing fifth in the Men’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup in the Enduro Trails of Bielsko-Biała (Poland). The flying Frenchman will be looking to seize any more opportunities he gets via his team’s wildcard spots.

The 16 wildcard teams for round 8 of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Val di Sole, Trentino are:

UCI Cross-country World Cup

1. BIXS Performance Race Team
2.  Carabinieri – Cicli Olympia
3. KTM Factory MTB Team
4.  Massi
5. Cabtech Racing Team
6.  Lexware Mountainbike Team
7. Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret
8. Trek Future Racing

UCI Downhill World Cup:

1.  Goodman Santacruz
2.   Rogue Racing – SR Suntour 
3. Team High Country
4.   Kenda NS Bikes UR Team
5. YT Racing Development
6.  The Alliance
7.   Future Frameworks 
8. Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team