The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series kicks off in style this weekend with South Korea’s MONA YongPyong set for a historic season opener.

The venue will see the first-ever Asian UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cups in the formats’ histories, while it will host only the fourth UCI Downhill (DHI) World Cup on the continent, and the first in 25 years. If that wasn’t enough, the tracks, terrain and conditions will provide complete unknowns for the majority of the field – all of whom will be keen to make strong starts to their 2026 series.

From course information and how and who to watch, here’s all you need to know ahead of the MONA YongPyong UCI World Cup.

ENTER THE UNKNOWN

South Korea’s largest and oldest ski resort, and a venue of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, MONA YongPyong transforms in summer into a trail network worthy of hosting the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and the world’s best athletes.

Located 186km east of Seoul, the bike park offers a mix of fast, technical Cross‑country and All Mountain trails that wind through dense woodland and open terrain. For this event, a brand‑new Downhill track has been purpose‑built, combining high‑speed open piste sections with wide, off‑camber forest terrain, punctuated by a series of large jumps.

After a long off-season, these new trails are set to challenge riders in both the Endurance and Gravity fields. As a completely new venue, athletes will need to learn the respective courses from top to bottom. For many, it will also be their first time racing in Asia, and specifically in South Korea, which will involve getting to grips with different terrain and climate conditions.

Vali Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres), the defending UCI Downhill World Cup champion, welcomed the unpredictability of the venue: “It’s cool that there’s a brand‑new track that nobody could pre-practice on, it’s very rare nowadays that riders don’t get to ride the track in advance, especially for the first round of the season, so it’s going to be super exciting.”

Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing), who enjoyed a strong finish to her 2025 campaign with 8 UCI World Cup wins across XCC and XCO, also highlighted the appeal of racing somewhere new: “I’m always excited for new venues and new places. Change is good. I appreciate changes in the World Cup”.

WHEN IS THE MONA YONGPYONG UCI WORLD CUP?

The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in MONA YongPyong starts with the Women’s U23 UCI XCC World Cup at 10:35 (UTC+9) on Friday, May 1 and concludes with the Men’s UCI XCO World Cup at 15:30 (UTC+9) on Sunday, May 3.

All key timings for race weekend can be found HERE.

WHERE CAN I WATCH?

There will be several ways to watch the action unfold at Asia’s only Cross-country and Downhill UCI World Cups of the 2026 season. Mountain bike fans can enjoy live coverage of the Elite UCI XCO, XCC and DHI World Cup Finals anywhere in the world.

Europe:

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Baltics, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Ukraine – HBO Max / Eurosport
Ireland – TNT Sports
United Kingdom – HBO Max, TNT Sports
Czechia – CT Sports (Only Elite XCC, Elite Downhill and Women Elite XCO races live)
Switzerland, Liechtenstein – HBO Max (full coverage) and SRG/RSI (Only Elite XCC and XCO races live)

Asia:

Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand - Eurosport World
South Korea – Eurosport World (full coverage) and KBSN (Only Elite Downhill races live)

Oceania:

Australia – Stan Sport
New Zealand : MTBWS TV

North America:

Canada – FloSports
USA – HBO Max

South & Central America: Direct TV (LATAM) and MTBWS TV (all other territories)

Africa: MTBWS TV

For more information, visit the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series official website to check availability in your location.

The men’s and women’s Junior UCI Downhill World Cup races will also be available on HBO Max (in all available territories) and MTBWS TV via subscription. Follow the UCI Downhill World Cup qualification day on live timing and across social media.

RIDERS TO WATCH:

RISSVEDS TO RESUME DOMINANCE?

While the 2025 UCI XCO World Cup overall was won by Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team), it was her rival Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) who appeared to be in the form of her life at the season’s conclusion. With Maxwell taking a season-long sabbatical, the reigning UCI XCO World Champion and Rio 2016 gold medalist becomes an automatic favourite at every round, but it will be interesting to see if she has been able to maintain that momentum over a long, seven-month off-season.

There will be a number of riders looking to halt the Swede’s string of back-to-back wins with Evie Richards (Trek-Unbroken XC) the most likely contender. Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon) would have been an obvious pick, but the Swiss rider has decided to skip the South Korean round to recover after winning the Absa Cape Epic. Richards meanwhile finished 2025 with back-to-back UCI XCO World Cup podiums, highlighting how she has added Olympic-distance duration to her explosive XCC attributes.

BLEVINS THE RIDER TO BEAT

Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) had a record-breaking 2025 and the American will do well to match his results, which included three XCO-XCC doubles throughout the series. The reigning UCI XCO World Cup overall winner will be the rider to beat in South Korea and has shown already in his career that he tends to start seasons strongly – finishing second at the opening round in Araxá (Brazil) in 2025 and winning 2024’s curtain raiser in Mairiporã (Brazil). He will be without two of his main rivals and teammates in Asia – Victor Kortezky (Specialized Factory Racing) absent due to injuries and Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) currently racing in the Tour de Romandie. It won’t be a foregone conclusion for Blevins though, who will face competition from his other teammate and second-place finisher in last year’s overall Martín Viduarre Kossman (Specialized Factory Racing), Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing), and Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing), the Swiss young gun making his step up to the Elite ranks after dominating the Under 23s.

RICHARDS AND BLEVINS TARGETTING STRONG START IN XCC

Before Sunday’s Cross-country Olympic action, there’s Friday’s Cross-country Short Track race for riders and fans to sink their teeth into. Again, it will be the usual suspects in contention for the win and superior starting spots in the XCO – Richards and Rissveds in the women’s competition, and Blevins, Martin and Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) in the men’s – but there will be a number of other riders looking to stake their claim and capitalise on any confusion caused by a new course.

Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Haley Batten (Specialized Factory Racing) both managed it back in 2024 at Mairiporã and Araxá respectively. Prior to that, Mathias Flückiger (Thömus maxon) came out on top at the inaugural XCC in Pal Arinsal (Andorra) back in 2022.

ALL EYES ON HOW HÖLL COPES WITH NEW SETUP

Vali Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) had a successful 2025 by her high standards – adding a fourth consecutive UCI Downhill World Championship and fourth UCI Downhill World Cup overall title to her burgeoning collection. But the 24-year-old didn’t have it all her own way. Despite successfully defending her overall crown, she had to show grit, grinding out consistent top five finishes and winning just one UCI Downhill World Cup all season, which came in October’s penultimate round in Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York (USA). The off-season has also seen her switch teams to Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres – meaning a change in bike and management – so it will be interesting to see how she fares in the first Asian UCI Downhill World Cup in 25 years.

Höll’s single win in 2025 wasn’t just a reflection of her own form, but also of the rising competitiveness in the female field – the likes of Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea FMD Racing), Gracey Hemstreet (Norco x adidas Race Division) and Marine Cabirou (Canyon DH Racing) ready to pounce on any mistake from the Austrian.

GOLDSTONE VS BRUNI RETURNS FOR ROUND TWO

Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Loïc Bruni’s (Specialized Gravity) battle for the 2025 UCI Downhill World Cup overall turned into an absolute epic – the Canadian securing his first title when defending champion Bruni was unable to start the final race run of the season due to injury. With Bruni back to full fitness, fans can expect their duel to resume from the off in Saturday’s finals, although there is added competition this year that means we might have more than a two-horse race on our hands.

Max and Till Alran (COMMENCAL/MUC OFF by Riding Addiction) and Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing/TRP) are some of the most exciting riders to make the step up from the Junior ranks. It’s also worth keeping an eye on Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - DH) – the Australian showing he’s a quick learner on new courses with a win at Lake Placid Olympic Region’s Downhill debut, and in good form having recently been crowned Oceanian Continental Champion.

WILDCARD TEAMS

The following wildcard teams have also been confirmed to compete in MONA YongPyong:

UCI Cross-country World Cup: Bike Team Solothurn, Trinity Racing, Lexware Mountainbike Team, Rouvy, BH-Wallonie MTB Team, UNNO Factory Racing and Massi.

UCI Downhill World Cup: Outlaw Intense Racing, Crestline Speedshop, Team High Country, Pivot Factory Racing, The Alliance Racing and Stoic Racing.

Most of them featured throughout the 2025 series, but Outlaw Intense Racing, Crestline Speed Shop, Stoic Racing and UNNO Factory Racing will all make their UCI World Cup debuts. The debutants are all predominantly youth-focused and their riders will be competitive in the Junior (Downhill) and Under-23 (Cross-country) ranks.

Pivot Factory Racing will field a more experienced five-rider lineup that includes the 2026 American UCI Continental Champion Roger Viera, New Zealand national champion Jenna Hastings, multi-time top 10 UCI World Cup finisher Bernard Kerr, and exciting North American prospect Dylan Maples. Elsewhere, the likes of Team High Country and The Alliance Racing will look to build on their regular top 10 finishes in the Junior ranks from 2025.

Racing gets underway in MONA YongPyong on Friday with the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup. Full schedule and event details are available here.

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