Rudeau returns to rival Lukasik, Courdurier confirms her mixed-format plans and Connolly ready for title defence

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.

After a record-breaking 2025 season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the UCI Enduro World Cup returns in May, with updated regulations, rankings and qualification pathways as the world’s top riders line up on a new calendar in pursuit of overall honours.The season opens with two one-day races in Loudenvielle–Peyragudes (France) and Saalfelden Leogang–Salzburgerland (Austria), before moving into a sequence of two-day events beginning in Val di Fassa–Trentino (Italy). Following this, riders will head to La Thuile–Valle d’Aosta (Italy), which marks the halfway point of the season and features the return of the night stage, before two-day racing resumes in Aletsch Arena–Bellwald, Valais (Switzerland) and Morillon, Haute-Savoie (France).After dominating last season, overall winners, Slawomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Ella Conolly, will be back between the race tapes, aiming to defend their titles. Both claimed their first UCI Enduro World Cup wins and proved they had developed a taste for it, each finishing the year with three race victories in addition to the overall title. Replicating that success will not come easily, however, with a deep and competitive field ready to challenge, including Alex Rudeau, Lief Rodgers, Elly Hoskin and Simona Kuchynková (Cube Action Team), all of whom established themselves as genuine contenders over the course of last season.Fans can follow the action throughout the year with comprehensive coverage at every round, including detailed course previews featuring the route and its key sections; practice day and race day video highlights on the official YouTube channel, key race moments on social media, live timings on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website and a highlights programme broadcast on TNT Sports and Eurosport a week after the event. This season, former Enduro rider and Enduro World Series (EWS) Under 21 Champion Elliott Heap joins the team as a presenter for all video content, bringing valuable first-hand race experience and in-depth insight and analysis.Amateur riders will once again get their chance to test themselves on the same trails - and now on the same days - as the sport’s elite through the Enduro Open. In Loudenvielle–Peyragudes, Saalfelden Leogang–Salzburgerland, Val di Fassa–Trentino, Aletsch Arena–Bellwald, Valais, and Morillon, Haute-Savoie, participants will drop in just hours before the professionals and then wait at the finish line to compare their times directly with them on the same terrain under the same conditions. New age categories, as well as a pairs category, have also been introduced to create more competitive and rewarding racing by grouping riders into narrower bands. Registrations for all rounds are now open.NEW FOR 2026The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports have introduced updates to the regulations, rankings and qualification pathways for the UCI Enduro World Cup. These changes aim to align Enduro with the Downhill and Cross-country formats, ensuring consistent regulations within the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series while expanding opportunities for riders to compete at UCI World Cup level. From 2026, Enduro riders will earn UCI Ranking points instead of Global Ranking points, aligning the format with the wider cycling ecosystem. UCI ranking points will be awarded at all Enduro races on the UCI International Calendar.The introduction of the UCI Enduro ranking system creates a second pathway into the UCI Enduro World Cup, with the top 50 men and top 50 women in the rankings at the time of entry earning automatic qualification.The Global Ranking list used for 2025 qualification has been frozen, with the top 300 men and top 75 women (as of 31/12/2025) securing automatic qualification for the full 2026 UCI Enduro World Cup season.Other ways to qualify for the UCI Enduro World Cup include:Any rider registered with a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team or UCI Mountain Bike TeamCurrent UCI World Champions, Continental Champions and National ChampionsThe Top 50 Men and Top 50 Women in the UCI EDR Individual RankingEach National Federation also receives additional quota places to use at their discretion – three per Elite category and four per Junior category - allowing them greater flexibility to select and enter riders alongside those who qualify through standard allocation criteria.More information on the full UCI Regulations can be found here.The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series season kicks off on 1 May in MONA YongPyong, (South Korea) with cross-country and downhill action. The UCI Enduro World Cup and Enduro Open begin in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France) on 28 May.

Every year, Earth Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the future of our planet, on global sustainability and on the actions that individuals and organisations can take to protect the environments in which we live and work.Today, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports is pleased to share an update on its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) roadmap for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, an initiative that has been steadily developed since WBD Sports Europe was appointed global promoter of all major UCI Mountain Bike World Cups in 2023.Last season was marked by a host of key milestones, including WBD Sports’ commitment to the UCI Climate Action Charter and the official launch of the Women in Mountain Bike program. In 2026, these efforts will ramp up even further with a concrete roadmap designed to align all championship stakeholders around a shared ambition: to leave no trace, but to leave a legacy.A FRAMEWORK FOR A LASTING LEGACYLeave No Trace, Leave a Legacy sits at the heart of the CSR roadmap, developed to encompass the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ initiatives at every level.Recognising that mountain biking is part of the future of the mountain regions and therefore shares a responsibility for their protection, the program aims to safeguard outdoor ecosystems, strengthen local communities and create a positive, long-lasting legacy.The roadmap focuses on trail stewardship, prioritising the protection, maintenance and regeneration of the trails and ecosystems that host the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, while recognising the vital role outdoor communities play in the social and economic life of mountain regions.Beyond on‑site actions, it also seeks to embed sustainability into the wider culture of elite mountain biking, leveraging the influence of athletes to drive and inspire meaningful change that reaches well beyond the series.LAUNCH OF THE LEGACY AWARDOne concrete action launching this year is set to become a key barometer for stakeholder engagement: the first edition of the Legacy Award. Designed to recognise impactful initiatives, share best practices, encourage innovation and leadership and inspire the wider ecosystem, this award will play a central role in bringing the CSR roadmap to life.Riders, teams and local organising committees will be invited throughout the season to submit evidence of their own CSR initiatives in order to be considered for the Legacy Award. All submissions will be reviewed by a jury -to be announced- which will assess each entry and select the winner.The Legacy Award recipient will be presented and celebrated at the end of the season as part of the new WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Awards Ceremony, taking place in Lake Placid on 4 October. More information will be shared in due course.A COLLABORATIVE APPROACHTo drive the day‑to‑day work across all CSR‑related areas, a dedicated CSR Committee has already been established. Its role is to reinforce the importance of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ CSR roadmap at all levels and actively involve all stakeholders in this journey.Led by Anja Rodenbroker, Women in Mountain Bike Ambassador for WBD Sports, and Gautier De Stoppani, CSR Strategy Project Leader at WBD Sports Europe, the CSR Committee brings together representatives from all Local Organising Committees, along with one representative per format (Endurance and Gravity). It serves as the main forum to discuss, coordinate and amplify CSR initiatives developed across the series.In support of the ambitious goals set out in the CSR roadmap, the newly created Committee will also collaborate on the development and rollout of a new tool, TrailGuard. Designed to structure, centralise and automate the collection of CSR-related information, this new platform aims to make evaluation processes and reporting more efficient and consistent across the series.