How WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Wildcard Teams are decided

The opening round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series delivered a race weekend to remember, as athletes battled contrasting conditions on new courses in South Korea’s MONA YongPyong.For the likes of Asa Vermette (Frameworks/TRP), Vali Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres), Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division), Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) and Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing), Asia’s first UCI World Cup in 25 years will live long in the memory, as the quintet all got their respective 2026 seasons off to the strongest possible start.But the stories of the round run much deeper than who came out on top in the Cross-country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Downhill (DH) finals, with events in MONA YongPyong shaping the narrative of the rest of the series.To get the inside line from the athletes themselves, TNT Sport’s The B Line returns for 2026, and features interviews with some of the round’s leading protagonists, getting their opinions and insights on the weekend’s action once the dust has finally settled.HÖLL IN POLE AND PIERRON’S PODIUMIn the opening episode of the series, Emma Stewart headed to the Downhill pits to get the unfiltered reaction after an explosive start to the series that saw first-year Elite Asa Vermette win on his debut race in the class and Vali Höll prove that, regardless of the bike she’s on, she remains the clear favourite for 2026.Vermette’s teammate and five-time UCI Downhill World Cup overall winner Aaron Gwin (Frameworks/TRP) shared his thoughts on his young compatriot’s rise up the ranks and his first memories of going head-to-head with the precocious talent.The rise in competition isn’t just in the men’s field either, but Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) and Sacha Earnest (Trek - Unbroken DH) revealed that there is a level of support between riders that goes beyond the race tape.Stewart also caught up with Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) and got the inside scoop on how he managed to crash in his race run yet still finish on the podium – something the Frenchman said he wouldn’t have believed possible a few years ago.CROSS COUNTRY’S US BOOMIn the Cross-country focus, presenter Ashleigh Wilmot sat down with Gwen Gibson (Trek - Unbroken XC) and Madigan Munro (Liv Factory Racing) to discuss Munro’s first UCI XCO World Cup podium, the contrasting racing experienced between the XCC and XCO in South Korea, and the rise of US riding more generally.“The huge difference between the short track and the cross country is short track is a packed race,” explained Gibson. “You’re constantly around a lot of people. You’re navigating. It’s first lap chaos but for the entire race.The Trek - Unbroken XC rider added that the muddy nature of the XCO meant other strengths beyond pure power shone through. “Your [bike handling] skills really showed through too. It was nice that it showed all sorts of strengths. In [XCO] days like this, it’s who is mentally on it and present and makes the most out of the muddy conditions.”The pair also shared how their history as former teammates at Trek and as part of the national set-up means they have a unique bond that transcends their current teams – with Munro moving to Liv Factory Racing in the off-season.“It’s definitely different to not be spending so much time together but it makes it even more fun when we get back to the races and get to race with each other,” said Gibson. “When I came across the line and was told where [Munro] had finished, I was like ‘no way’. [It’s nice] when you see one of your friends and their trajectory and all the battles.”“We’ve both been through some highs and lows together being teammates,” added Munro. “Even [Gibson’s] short track and coming sixth. It was incredible to see her back in the fight again. We had some tough races last year.”

Pidcock arrives in strong form following a busy spring that has included Strade Bianche, Milano–Sanremo, where he finished second, and a victory at Milano–Torino, alongside stage racing appearances at the Volta a Catalunya and Tour of the Alps. His road campaign was briefly disrupted by a crash earlier in the season, but the Brit returns to a venue where he has already enjoyed success, having taken victory in the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup the last time he competed in Nové Město na Moravě in 2024.Pieterse arrives in standout form following an impressive run across the road Classics, including second place finishes at both La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, as well as podium contention at the Tour of Flanders and Milano–Sanremo Donne.  She returns to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series off the back of five victories last season, including a win in the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě.Both return to the mountain bike circuit with proven pedigree, adding significant star power to an already stacked start list.Find out where to watch all the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series action in Nové Město na Moravě HERE.

Apocalyptic conditions greeted the UCI XCO World Cup riders in South Korea as heavy rain turned the course into a mud bath, leaving races that seemed to play out in slow motion. Frei and Lillo defied the miserable weather to chalk up their maiden XCO victories.On the UCI XCO World Cup’s first visit to Asia, Frei became the 53rd women’s victor in the discipline and the 10th to triumph in Cross-country Olympic and Short track in the same week after her Friday triumph in MONA YongPyong, while Lillo joins a club of 63 other male winners.They took their wins in contrasting styles, as Lillo dominated while Frei waited until the final lap to make her move, but both riders lit up the gloomy day with beaming smiles as they crossed the finish line.Meanwhile Nicolas Halter (Thömus maxon) and Valentina Corvi (Canyon XC Racing) claimed victory in the Under 23 competitions, as the 2026 WHOOP UCI MTB World Series curtain-raiser came to a close in South Korea.FREI BESTS RISSVEDS AND MUNRO IN BATTLE ROYALEJenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) looked to have the Elite Women’s race sewn up when she shot out to a 25-second lead on the opening lap, instead she was forced to settle for second following an enthralling race-long battle against Frei and Madigan Munro (LIV Factory Racing).Rissveds immediately piled on the pressure with only Frei and Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) able to follow, as Evie Richards (Trek - Unbroken XC) missed her pedal at the start on what turned out to be a difficult day for the Brit that included a heavy crash.Soon Rissveds went completely clear and appeared set to pick up where she left off last season and run away with her third successive victory, but she hit a wall on the second lap, allowing Frei to re-establish contact after dropping Blunk.As conditions continued to cause problems behind - including domino effects whenever a rider crashed on descent - Frei, Rissveds and Munro continued to trade blows, with the latter attacking Frei as she took the bell for the final lap.Yet the Swiss rider bounced back to first overhaul Munro, who recorded the best performance of her career on the way to the podium, then Rissveds who had led every single time across the line until the one that mattered most.As Jennifer Jackson (Orbea Fox Factory Team) inched into view behind, Rissveds slipped at a crucial moment giving Frei the critical breathing space she needed to clinch her maiden XCO win – just months after breaking her hand.“Finally. It took years, but once again our staff was so amazing. We had such great bikes, so light and that was crucial in these weather conditions,” Frei said.“This winter when I was injured, I did a lot of stepper work [in the gym] so maybe it helped me because otherwise I never run! Patience was crucial for sure today, and for me it was important to try and ride my own race. The bike was working so smooth up and down and it was such a great atmosphere here.”LILLO SECURES DOMINANT MAIDEN WINWith Specialized Factory Racing’s reigning champion Christopher Blevins missing the opening XCO round with a collarbone injury suffered in training in South Korea, the Elite Men’s field was wide open and the young guns stepped up in style.The entire podium was aged 25 or under while another of the most impressive riders of the day was Finn Treudler (CUBE Factory Racing), making his first appearance in an Elite UCI World Cup.Treudler’s afternoon was derailed by a series of mechanical issues that the rookie struggled to manage, but even if he had enjoyed a trouble-free race then it would’ve been a struggle to match the peerless Lillo.Like Rissveds, Lillo built a comfortable lead of 17 seconds over Treudler in the first lap as the 22-year-old was the only rider within half a minute of the early favourite. And though Treudler kept in touch for another lap, ultimately his first chain slip cost him any shot at victory and further bike problems consigned him to a 12th-placed finish.With the men’s race significantly more impacted by equipment than the women’s, some riders including Canyon Factory Racing’s Luca Schwarzbauer elected to switch to an intermediate tyre à la Formula 1, while early Specialized Factory Racing contender Martín Vidaurre saw his challenge also ended by a premature puncture.Instead, Cannondale Factory Racing pair Luca Martin and Charlie Aldridge stepped to the fore in Treudler’s absence, toting the famous Cannondale ‘leftie fork’ that worked wonders in the mud, and rode onto the podium at 1:46 and 2:39 behind the victorious Lillo.“I don’t know what to say. At the beginning of the week, when I looked at the forecast and I saw it was rain predicted for Sunday, I already told my teammates that Sunday’s going to be my day,” Lillo said.“When I woke up in the morning it was like ‘ok, today is the day’, I was so nervous before the start. We had a plan and everything just happened.“During the race, before the last lap, I didn’t really have any emotions in me. I crossed the finish line and the feeling I have at the moment, I’ve never experienced something in my life like that.It’s really difficult to put into words, I think I need a few minutes to understand what just happened.”CORVI AND HALTER STORM TO U23 WINSValentina Corvi became the first UCI XCO World Cup winner of the 2026 season as she stormed to U23’s victory at MONA YongPyong.The Italian attacked from the off and built a 40-second lead on the opening lap that she continued to grow throughout the race, eventually finishing 3:28 ahead of Elina Benoit (Lexware Mountainbike Team) as Bailey Cioppa rounded out the podium.Returning to the category that she won by 178 points last season, Corvi stamped her authority on the race immediately with Benoit clearly the second-best rider as she looks to improve on her seventh-place overall finish in 2025.“It’s amazing, today has been a really hard race,” Corvi said. “The mud was really hard and we had to run a lot, it was really tough. I’m super happy to win this.“I just tried to make my pace, my speed and not to make mistakes in the downhill. And just keep pushing, I saw the gap was becoming really big, I’m really happy. I just enjoyed this win and I’m looking forward to the next stages.”Nicolas Halter didn’t have quite as straightforward an afternoon as Corvi, but he also led every lap en route to a 35-second victory.Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountainbike Team) rallied on the final lap to cut almost half a minute off Halter’s lead, but the Swiss rider had built up such a buffer that he still crossed the line arms aloft with no other riders in sight.Like Corvi, Schehl simply rode the rest of the pack off his wheel early on, and Canyon XC Racing’s Thibaut François Baudry was the only other rider to finish within a minute of him.“I can’t believe it yet,” Halter said. “I already felt really good in the first uphill and I knew today is a good day. I think the key today was to ride smooth. Everybody makes faults but no big faults so I think that was the key today. Full gas all the time but never in the dark red.“I just concentrated on myself, I knew the race will be long, it was pretty slow so I just tried to ride smooth all the time and then I got the gap.”Five countries were represented on the U23 podiums, a fraction of the 37 nations that were on the entry sheets across the UCI Cross-country and Downhill World Cup rounds in South Korea.However, neither Halter nor Corvi could help their teams make much impact in the mixed team standings as Specialized Factory Racing lead the way after round one, with Trek - Unbroken XC and Cannondale Factory Racing just 56 and 62 points behind.Frei, Lillo, Halter and Corvi’s victories brought an end to the opening WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series of the season but the Cross-country competitors aren’t out of action for long as the UCI World Cup returns to Nové Město na Moravě in Czechia from May 22-25.