Blevins breaks records and Richards shows resolve to win overall XCC titles

A VENUE WITH DEEP UCI WORLD CUP HISTORYAcross its 25 years, Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland has become a regularly visited venue in international mountain biking. It has hosted 14 UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, along with the 2012 and 2020 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and is set to be host once again in 2028.Its opening season places the venue’s longevity into perspective. When the bike park began operations in 2001, Nicolas Vouilloz and Anne‑Caroline Chausson claimed UCI Downhill World Championship titles in Vail/Beaver Creek, Aaron Gwin had yet to make his UCI World Cup debut and future local favourite Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) was still months away from being born.The region has seen substantial growth since those early days. What began with a small collection of tracks has expanded into 21 lines and trails, or 30 including the Riders Playground, added in 2013 as a beginner‑friendly area. Rider numbers have increased on a similar scale - from 16,700 uplift rides in the first year to around 270,000 per summer season today.Across that time, Leogang has hosted countless major events and delivered some of the most memorable moments in both downhill and cross‑country competition, across its 120 kilometres of lines and trails.ANNIVERSARY EVENTS IN 2026To mark its 25‑year anniversary, the region will host a dedicated celebration weekend from 24–26 July, featuring community activities and riding programmes. The venue will also continue its focus on growing participation through initiatives such as the Ladies Shred Events, offering camps, coaching and workshops aimed at supporting and encouraging women and girls in mountain biking.The broader Saalfelden Leogang events calendar also sees the 7th edition of the Bike Festival Saalfelden Leogang, from 2–4 October.For the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Leogang remains an important and familiar stop. In its anniversary year, the venue will host another quadruple header from 11–14 June, with Downhill, Cross‑country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Enduro all set to feature.25 years after first opening, Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland continues to play a significant role in the international racing landscape and will once again welcome the world’s best riders this June.

The start of the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series might still be five months away, but there’s plenty of action for fans to sink their teeth into during the off-season transfer window.Although the number of moves has been a bit less than last year – where rider’s UCI points could help determine a team’s WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status – there has still been plenty to digest and analyse, with new announcements coming almost every day.Here are the transfer headlines ahead of the 2026 series.DOWNHILLThe most anticipated transfer of the 2025-26 off-season has been the destination of Vali Höll. After YT Mob disbanded at the end of the 2025 season following YT Industries’ insolvency, the reigning overall series champion found herself without a team. However, after months of speculation, it was finally confirmed that she will join the French-based Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres squad for 2026.In the same context, her compatriot Andreas Kolb has secured a new home as well, joining 2025 men’s Elite overall winner Jackson Goldstone at Santa Cruz Syndicate, with Brit Laurie Greenland appearing to make way for the Austrian pinner; Oisin O’Callaghan move to Trek Unbroken DH and enduro-turned-downhill rider Kasper Woolley head to MS-Racing.Another team making moves during the off-season are Mondraker Factory Racing DH. The Spanish factory team resigned Ryan Pinkerton on a three-year deal, while Oli Clark has been rewarded with a move from MS-Racing after a solid season in the Junior ranks, which included a UCI World Cup win at Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria).Clark will be filling Dakotah Norton’s shoes with the American joining season-long wildcard team Scott Downhill Factory for 2026 and looking to revive the Swiss manufacturer’s fortunes on the world stage. New Zealander Jess Blewitt has also made the switch from Cube Factory Racing.Finally, one of the biggest transfers is Aaron Gwin’s move to Frameworks Racing / TRP. The icon and five-time overall champion has led his own Gwin Racing team for the last two years but moves to the US-based team alongside Anna Newkirk and Asa Vermette, where it is hoped he will contribute competitive results while also acting as a mentor for the rest of the young team.ENDUROImpact of the YT Mob closure wasn’t limited to Downhill, with Jack Moir and Christian Textor both competing for the outfit in the UCI Enduro World Cup. While Textor had announced his retirement at the end of the 2025 season, Australian Moir has only just announced his own – calling time on a successful career that spanned both Downhill and Enduro.They aren’t the only two riders who won’t be present in the new series with 2026’s second-place finisher Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV) also partially stepping back from racing – the Canadian announcing that he won’t be at every round of the new season.CROSS-COUNTRYThe biggest headline of the Cross-country off-season has been the news from Samara Maxwell. The 2025 UCI XCO World Cup overall champion announced a contract extension with Decathlon Ford Racing until 2028 before confirming that she will take a season-long sabbatical in 2026 instead of defending her title.The other main story is the closure of Ghost Factory Racing after 15 years in the sport. The German team was the home of Anne Terpstra, Nicole Koller and Caroline Bohé, but all can be expected to be snapped up by other teams with announcements forthcoming.Elsewhere, Nina Graf has moved from Lapierre Unity Racing to Trek - Unbroken XC after some impressive top 10 performances in 2025, while Madigan Munro and Gunner Holmgren will leave the American factory team. Tyler Orschel has joined KMC Nukeproof MTB Racing Team – the Canadian privateer joining Bart Brentjens’ team after almost stepping away from the sport at the end of the 2025 series.Looking to the Under-23 ranks, Men U23 UCI XCO and Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup champion Finn Treudler has had his contract extended with Cube Factory Racing to 2028 as he makes the step up to the Elites.

Michelin has a long and storied history in mountain biking, so it made perfect sense when the iconic French manufacturer became a major, long-term partner of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in 2024.But the world’s premier mountain biking racing contest is much more than an activation and marketing opportunity for the world’s leading tyre manufacturer. In fact, each of the race rounds acts as a test bed, where it ideates, creates, and refines its products over the cut-and-thrust nature of a race weekend.Its partnership with Origine Racing Division is a prime example of this relationship. The newly launched team worked closely with Michelin throughout the season, developing a range of cross-country tyres that were put through their paces by up-and-coming talent, such as Mathis Azzaro.The results speak for themselves too – Azzaro finishing fourth and seventh in the XCO and XCC standings overall in 2025, recording six podium places along the way and a bronze medal at the 2025 UCI Cross-country Short Track World Championships.Here, Michelin’s racing program manager Vincent Ledieu explains how the partnership with a UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team led to the development of new race-focused cross-country prototypes.THE ORIGIN OF THE PARTNERSHIPMichelin has been an ever-present at the pinnacle of mountain biking since the sport’s early days, so it was an obvious choice when Origine Racing Division founder Maxime Marotte was looking for a tyre partner to help elevate his new outfit to the top level.“In 2024, Maxime Marotte decided to create his own team after many successful years competing at the highest level in Olympic Cross-Country,” says Vincent Ledieu. “At Les Gets, we were shown the first outline of this ambitious project, and Maxime confirmed to us at Mont-Sainte-Anne, in the Michelin truck, that the team would be launched.“Maxime told us about an exciting roster of riders full of potential. The Origine team also announced that their goal is to develop top-level equipment (bike, drivetrain) as well as young talent (such as Mathis Azzaro).”A PERFECT FITMarotte’s ambitious project struck a chord with Vincent Ledieu, and it matched Michelin’s own development-focused goals.“Our mission at the highest level of competition is to meet the needs of our teams through continuous development of our tyres,” he says. “Competition is a laboratory for Michelin, and our teams are our partners for developing, thinking outside the box, and testing technologies all year long, across several continents.“Maxime came to know Michelin well when he was racing for the BH team. It was during those years that he experienced this ‘development program’, and that is certainly why he thought of us.”A STRONG STARTMichelin wasted no time and delivered prototypes featuring new designs and casings to the team and its riders during the 2024-25 off-season. There has been constant dialogue ever since, with feedback helping to refine the tyres at every stage of their development.“Three tread patterns have been tested, validated, and used in UCI World Cup races. The team has also tried different casing variants and tread compounds,” says Vincent Ledieu.“After a year of intense riding, we have jointly validated a strong-yet-lightweight casing for the most demanding XCO races. A compound has also been approved that offers a good balance between pedaling efficiency and grip in wet and muddy conditions. In addition, we now have a new portfolio of tread designs to give the team the best possible tools to adapt to the terrain and weather conditions they may encounter throughout the season.”But the process isn’t limited to the current range of cross-country tyres, and it’s a continuous development cycle that will influence designs and trends for years to come.“A year of work and technical feedback not only allows us to validate technologies, it also lets us plan ahead,” he explains. “We have already identified improvement areas in our design to give the team better chances in certain conditions. For example, performing well in Short Track is increasingly important for starting the XCO race on the front row, naturally increasing the chances of fighting for a podium. This is why, in 2026, we will work on tyre solutions that allow even better performance in XCC events and in XCO races with less technical terrain.”FUTURE GOALSOrigine Racing Division is clearly just getting started, with riders like Mathis Azzaro and Martina Berta targeting even greater things in 2026. And Michelin will be with the team every pedal stroke of the way, helping them achieve their ambitious targets.“Michelin wants to continue developing and collaborating with the Origine team to give them an even greater chance of reaching their podium goals in 2026,” says Vincent Ledieu. “The Origine team is one of the pillars of our ambition to provide our customers with top-level cross-country tyres. Follow the team, follow us at the UCI World Cups, and you’ll discover for yourself what we’re working on.“But above all, we are looking forward to seeing our team shine in the races and reach podiums throughout the season. The consistent performance of the Origine team and its steady rise throughout the 2025 season give us hope for great results in 2026 – our shared goal is to win.”