Nové Město na Moravě Delivers Unforgettable Fan Experience at WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series

We look at everything you need to know about the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, presented by FACOM, including when the Enduro and Downhill events are scheduled to take place, who is racing, and how to watch.WHEN? The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes, France starts with the UCI Enduro World Cup at 10:00 (UTC+2) on Saturday, May 30 and concludes with the Men’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup at 14:10 (UTC+2) on Sunday, May 31.Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC+2 (EDT+6/BST+1/CEST):Saturday, May 3010:00-17:00 – UCI Enduro World Cup12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Women Elite13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Men Elite14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior14:20 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Women Elite15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Men EliteSunday, May 3111:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite14:10 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men EliteWHERE CAN I WATCH?There will be several ways to watch the Gravity-packed action unfold at France’s first WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series event of the 2026 season.For the UCI Enduro World Cup, there will be a course preview featuring the route and its key sections, practice day and race day highlights on the official YouTube channel, key race moments on social media and live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website.For the second UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, you can watch the finals live anywhere in the world.The men’s and women’s Junior UCI Downhill World Cup races will be available on HBO Max (in all available territories) and MTBWS TV via subscription. Elite finals will be shown on one of the below channels or streaming services. Pre-show starts at 12.45 CET (UTC+2), so set a reminder to join Ashleigh Wilmott, Josh Carlson and Ric McLaughlin live from the Pyrenees:Europe:Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Baltics, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine – HBO Max / EurosportBelgium - HBO Max, Eurosport, VRT, RTLCzechia – HBO Max, Eurosport, CT SportFrance - HBO Max, Eurosport, La Chaîne L’ÉquipeIreland – TNT SportsUnited Kingdom – HBO Max, TNT SportsAsia:Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand - Eurosport WorldOceania:Australia – Stan SportNew Zealand - MTBWS TVSamoa - Eurosport WorldNorth America:Canada – FloSportsUSA – HBO Max / MTBWS TVMTBWS TV has now launched in the US, so fans will be able to watch the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series live on the streaming service. Racing will also still be available to watch on HBO Max.South & Central America: MTBWS TVAfrica: MTBWS TVAll other territories: MTBWS TVFollow the UCI Downhill World Cup qualification day on live timing and across social media.RIDERS TO WATCHThe Lourdon Bike and Trail Park has become an integral part of the competition calendar for the series’ Gravity riders, and has delivered exciting, unpredictable racing since it made its UCI World Cup debut in 2023.In the Men’s UCI Enduro World Cup, Sławomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) will be hoping to get the defence of his overall title off to the strongest possible start. Albin Cambos is another to watch – the Frenchman beating 2024 UCI Enduro World Champion Alex Rudeau last weekend to claim the French national title.The women’s Enduro field will see Ella Conolly commence her defence of her first UCI Enduro World Cup overall title. The Brit has fond memories of the Pyrenean venue from 2025, when Loudenvielle-Peyragudes hosted her maiden UCI Enduro World Cup win – an achievement that sparked her dominant hat-trick of victories.Simona Kuchynkova (Cuba Action Team) and Nadina Ellecosta (Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team) remain Conolly’s closest rivals, while Isabeau Courdurier’s return between the race tape will be interesting to watch – the Enduro G.O.A.T coming back to the sport after taking a year out to start a family.In Downhill, all eyes will be on Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing/TRP) to see if the 19-year-old can repeat his dominant performance from the season opener in MONA YongPyong (South Korea). The American became the first rider to win qualifying and finals on their Elite Men’s Downhill debut, and if he is victorious in Loudenveille-Peyragudes he will become only the 7th man to win the opening two rounds of the season – joining a select club including Steve Peat (2001), Gee Atherton (2013) and Amaury Pierron (2022).Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) will be on a mission to stop him and looking to mark his 100th career start in style in front of a partisan home crowd. Reigning overall champion Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) will also be hoping to make amends after a poor start in South Korea – the Canadian finishing down in 26th – and knows what it takes to win in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, having stood on the podium’s top spot in 2025. Other riders to watch include Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) and another recent graduate to the Elite ranks, Max Alran (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction).Things appear to be a bit clearer cut in the women’s field, where Vali Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) got her season off to a strong start in South Korea and already seems up to speed on her new bike.Höll’s fellow podium finishers in MONA YongPyong – Gloria Scarsi (MS-Racing) and Myriam Nicole (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) – will go into the second round of the series buoyed by their promising results. It will be a momentous weekend for Nicole too, who will start her 94th UCI World Cup – overtaking Sabrina Jonnier as having the most UCI Downhill World Cup starts of any woman in history. She could also break her winless streak, which stretches back to the 2024 UCI World Cup in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes.Elsewhere, Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) will be targeting the top end of the leaderboard, while there’s more to come from Harriet Harnden (AON Racing).Racing gets underway on Saturday, May 30 in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes. Full schedule and event details are available HERE.

With the course confirmed, start list finalised and off seasons completed, all that’s left for the athletes to do is get between the race tape and duke it out to be crowned the first UCI Enduro World Cup winner of the year.But before they dropped into their practice runs, Elliott Heap caught up with a number of the stars from this year’s field in the first virtual press conference of 2026. From reflections on 2025 success to an insight in which rounds they’re looking forward to most in the UCI Enduro World Cup , here’s what some of the sport’s best riders had to say…CONNOLLY AND LUKASIK REFLECT ON 2025 SUCCESSElla Connolly and Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) dominated proceedings in 2025, picking up three UCI Enduro World Cup wins each and three podium finishes to secure their respective titles.It was also a season where the pair stepped out of the shadows of their rivals, propelling themselves to the top of a UCI Enduro World Cup top spot for their first times in their careers before repeating this feat.“I felt pretty relaxed going into last season, and just curious to see where I was,” said Connolly. “I carried that mindset throughout the season, focusing on getting the most out of myself at each race rather than getting too caught up in the results. I think that made a real difference.”Lukasik too looked to take the pressure off himself, and the results speak for themselves: “Last year was pretty smooth for me. I was really relaxed and enjoyed the racing. I didn't think about the results at any time; I just kept going, and it was really fun to do all the races for the whole year with the team.”HOSKINS SHARES OFF-SEASON PROGRESSWhile Connolly is the favourite to defend her title, the Brit won’t have it all her own way if Elly Hoskin can help it. The Canadian had a breakout debut Elite season of her own in 2025, winning two UCI Enduro World Cups and the rainbow jersey at the UCI Enduro World Championships. And ominously for her rivals, she has had an injury-free off-season.“This off season it's been really awesome,” she said. “It’s the first one since I've started racing the UCI World Cup that I haven't had any injury going into it, so I was finally able to ski, which was really awesome. I did a lot of that at home and lots of biking; I also had a little bit of racing leading into this trip [to Europe], and I’m feeling really good.”COURDURIER CONFIRMS MIXED-FORMAT AMBITIONSOne rider who could rival anyone on her day is Isabeau Courdurier. The legendary Enduro rider announced her retirement from the sport to start a family at the end of 2024, but the race tape has been calling and she has announced a mixed-format schedule for 2026.“This season, the first big challenge is that I'm mixing up; I'm going to race Downhill as well as Enduro,” she said. For the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, presented by Facom, the Frenchwoman will be lining up alongside the likes of Vali Höll (Commencal by Schwalbe Les Orres) and another mixed-format fan Harriet Harnden (AON Racing).“I prepared as much as I could with the circumstances, having a baby in October, and getting back to training as early as I could, so we are prepared enough to survive going down this track.”The first time that Enduro fans will see her return to the format will be in Val di Fassa, Trentino (Italy), which will be used in preparation for the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Championships in Finale Ligure (Italy) in October. “I will be back racing Enduro in Canazei, with hopefully more time on the bike, and then my big goals will be at the end of the season.”RUDEAU TARGETS OVERALL TITLEIt’s not just the women’s field that is shaping up to be super competitive in 2026, with Alex Rudeau confirming that he will be going bar-to-bar with Lukasik at every round of the 2026 series. The 2024 UCI Enduro World Champion isn’t going to make up the numbers, either.“I'm back doing full series this year,” he said. “My main goal is to try to win the overall; I'm really happy to be back and try to push for these goals.”RODGERS HIGHLIGHTS HIS DETERMINATION TO COMPETE AT THE SPORT'S PINNACLELief Rodgers might not be a household name yet, but the Canadian had a memorable 2025, completing a full UCI Enduro World Cup season for the first time and finishing on the podium at the season finale in Morillon, Haute Savoie (France). He did all of this without the backing of a big team, and his off-season highlights how the life of a privateer is worlds away from those at the sport's pinnacle."Off season this year was really good. I did as much riding and training as I could, and also I was working 30 hours a week as a plumber. It was pretty similar to what I did last off season, and the year went well" he said.This year, he continues his David vs Goliath story, and has his sights set on even more success. "My results last year changed some of my expectations for this season. I have some big goals this year. I'd like to get on the podium a lot more this year, while also working on the process and getting the mental game dialed too."

The dust hasn’t even settled from the Endurance excitement in Nové Město Na Moravě (Czechia) and the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is back with the return of the UCI Downhill and Enduro World Cups at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, presented by FACOM.The former will commence the Downhill European season after its opener in South Korea a month ago, while the latter sees the Enduro format’s curtain raiser – the first time that the Pyrenean venue has hosted the first round of the year.The Louron Valley spot made its UCI World Cup debut in 2023 and has hosted the Enduro World Series since 2021. It’s easy to see why it’s become a staple of the season too. Located within the French Pyrenees’ top riding spot, Loudenvielle - Peyragudes is a year-round riding heaven, offering more than 500km of trails and a fast and furious pro-line downhill track that descends 540m in 2.4km.PEARL OF THE FRENCH PYRENEESLoudenvielle - Peyragudes is the premier location for mountain biking in the whole of the French Pyrenees. Located near the border with Spain and a stone’s throw from Andorra, its tight and tree-lined trails have become a favourite of the world’s Gravity-leaning riders.The ‘DH World Cup’ trail was created especially for the 2023 UCI Downhill World Cup by the local Lourdon Bike and Trail Park team and French downhill icon Romain Paulhan. Melding man-made features with the hillside’s natural contours, the result is one of the most exciting courses on the whole UCI Downhill World Cup circuit.The venue’s Enduro stages meanwhile take in the best trails of the Louron Valley. The UCI Enduro World Cup will see athletes take on five stages as part of a 49.3km course featuring 2,150m of descent (and 103m gain) during the race stages and 1,262m of ascent (and 1,300m of lifts) during liaisons. Three stages remain from last year’s edition, with Tourteres returning from the 2024 edition, and a UCI Enduro World Cup debut for Coumaou.WILDCARD ENTRIESThe following wildcard teams have been confirmed to compete at the Loudenvielle-Peyragudes UCI Downhill World Cup: Crestline Speed Shop, Outlaw Intense Racing, Pivot Factory Racing, Team High Country, The Alliance, and Stoic Racing.All teams featured in the 2026 series opener in MONA YongPyong where wildcard highlights included Dylan Maples’ (Pivot Factory Racing) 14th in the Elite Men’s Finals and Alex Mallen’s (Outlaw Intense Racing) fifth in the Junior Men’s finals.VERMETTE AND HÖLL HOLD THE ACESWe’re only one race into the 2026 UCI Downhill World Cup series, but there already appears to be contrasting battles for the overall title.Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing/TRP) made a statement in South Korea, finishing first in qualifying and finals to score maximum points in his first Elite UCI Downhill World Cup. The 19-year-old is part of an exciting crop of graduates from the Junior ranks and it’s clear that the likes of Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) might face even more competition in the battle for the overall title.Mr consistent Bruni is set to make a milestone 100th start in Loudenvielle. The Frenchman was second best four weeks ago and can be expected to podium as a minimum in the Pyrenees – having won at the venue in its UCI debut in 2023. Goldstone meanwhile will be hoping to make amends for a disappointing showing in South Korea, but the Canadian will take confidence from the fact that he had a similar start to the series in 2025 (finishing 20th in Biełsko-Biała, Poland) and still won the overall.Elsewhere, Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) is looking in good form – finishing third despite a crash in his final’s run – and there’s more to come from Max and Till Alran (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) who progressed to the Elites alongside Vermette in the off-season.The women’s competition isn’t a foregone conclusion, but Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) has already opened her account for the year and once the Austrian starts winning, it can be hard to catch her. The reigning overall title holder has never finished lower than second in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes either (winning in 2023), so things look ominous for her rivals this weekend.Her biggest challengers for top spot are Myriam Nicole (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction), Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) and Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea FMD Racing). Nicole had a solid start to her season by taking third place and will have extra confidence knowing that she has won in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes before (2024) with the full backing of the French crowd, whilst Hemstreet will look to get back to competitive ways after a slightly disappointing start in South Korea. Seagrave could still be in contention, but after an incident in qualifying at MONA YongPyong, she will assess how she feels before deciding whether to start in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes.ŁUKASIK AND CONOLLY THE RIDERS TO BEAT IN UCI ENDURO WORLD CUP OPENERAfter a long off-season, the UCI Enduro World Cup is finally returning this weekend and will be kicking off the six-round series in style in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes.The Pyrenean venue has never hosted the curtain raiser but has always delivered unpredictable racing. It therefore should deliver an exciting start to a competitive series where every place and point will count come August’s finale in Morillon, Haute-Savoie (France).In the men’s field, Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) will want to make a statement as he starts his defence of his overall title. The Polish rider finally picked up his first UCI Enduro World Cup in 2025 after a number of nailbiting second places, and once he had won one, the victories started flowing – securing three en route to his debut overall win.He won’t have to contend with teammate and rival Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) in the Pyrenees, with the American focused on the UCI Downhill World Cup this weekend. He will, however, face stiff competition from some fast Frenchmen in Alex Rudeau and recently crowned national champion Albin Cambos.Privateer Ella Conolly meanwhile is the favourite in the women’s field – the British rider dominant in last year’s edition on her way to a debut overall title. She might not have such a comfortable advantage this time out though. Isabeau Courdurier’s return to the sport after a season out is enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine, while Simona Kuchynkova (Cube Action Team), Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) and Nadine Ellecosta (Abetone Vittoria Nencini Sport Factory Team) have all proven to be worthy adversaries for Conolly on their day.Racing gets underway in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes on Saturday with the UCI Enduro World Cup and the UCI Downhill World Cup qualifiers. Full schedule and events details are available here.