WORLD CUP PREVIEW
Round four of the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, will kick off this Friday, starting with Downhill Qualifications and the Cross-country Short Track. Saturday will consist of Downhill Finals while the weekend will close out with the Cross-country Olympic format on Sunday.
All events, except for downhill qualifications, will be available to watch in Canada on FloSports and in the United States on HBO Max. DH qualifications will have live timing and social media coverage.
Here is the full schedule. All times are in CEST— so for our BC readers, subtract nine hours if you want to watch live.
Friday, June 19:
- 12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Women Elite
- 13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Men Elite
- 14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior
- 14:20 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior
- 15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Women Elite
- 15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Men Elite
- 10:35 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women U23
- 11:25 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men U23
- 18:00 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite
- 18:50 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite
Saturday, June 20:
- 11:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior
- 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior
- 13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite
- 14:10 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite
Sunday, June 21:
- 09:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women U23
- 11:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men U23
- 13:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite
- 15:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite
There is a very strong North American contingent on the World Cup right now— so here are some of our top riders to watch for in round four:
DH:
In the Elite Women’s Downhill field, American Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing) and Canadian Gracey Hemstreet (Norco x Adidas Race Division) have been riding really strong; Newkirk was 3rd and Hemstreet was 6th in Leogang. Hemstreet will likely be keen to prove herself again after her two world cup wins last year.
In the Elite Men’s Downhill field, all eyes will be on Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) after his win last week. However, there are many other riders that shouldn’t be forgotten. American Richie Rude (Yeti Fox Factory) showed good form in Leogang, finishing 7th. American Ryan Pinkerton (Mondraker Factory) was 2023 junior world cup overall champ, and 10th last weekend. Canadian Bodhi Kuhn (Norco x Adidas Race Division), who won a junior world cup in 2023 is racing well. And then American Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing) and Canadian Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) are always ones to watch (duh).
In the Junior Women’s field, American Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH) is a top pick as she will be fresh off her second place in Leogang. Canadians Tayte Proulx-Royds (Polygon) and Cameron Bragg (Stoic) both pulled off top 10s last weekend, so keep an eye out for them as well.
In the Junior Men’s race, Canadian Ryder Wilson (Team High Country) and Americans Boston Bryant (Outlaw Intense) and Luke Mallen (Outlaw Intense) all finished in the top 15 in Leogang and will be looking to move up in the field.
XC:
In the U23 Cross-country scene, the North American women have really been crushing it lately. American Makena Kellerman has won two short track world cups so far this season, and American teammate Bailey Cioppa has had some short track top 10s. Additionally, Canadian Ella MacPhee (Willier Vittoria) had a phenomenal season last year, finishing third in both the XCC and XCO overall, and has had multiple top 10s and top 5s so far this season. Finally, Canadian Rafaelle Carrier (Trinity) recently aged up to u23, and has had some top 10s.
In the u23 Men’s category, American Daniel English (Trinity) rode to 8th last weekend but unfortunately had a crash in training— so he will not be on the start line this week. American Jack Spranger and Canadians Ian Ackert (Pivot OTE) and Mika Commaniuk have been steadily moving up to establish a North American presence.
The Elite Women’s field is stacked this season, with Americans Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford), Madigan Munroe (Trek Unbroken), and Gwendalyn Gibson (Liv Factory) all finishing in the top 10 in last weekend’s XCO. Canadian Jennifer Jackson (Orbea Factory) has also been a frontrunner recently, but she unfortunately crashed and fractured her patella in Leogang so we won’t be seeing her for a bit.
In the Elite Men’s category, American Bjorn Riley (Scott Sram) will be one to watch after his third place result last weekend. American Riley Amos (Trek Unbroken) has also shown good form so far, and American Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory) will be returning for his first race since breaking his collarbone. Canadians Cole Punchard (Cannondale Factory) and Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road) will also be returning to the start line.
Let us know who you are rooting for this weekend in the comments!
Madeleine Pollock is a multi-discipline racer and rider hailing from North Vancouver, British Columbia. She currently lives in Brevard, North Carolina for most of the year while she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in English and Communication from Brevard College and racing on their varsity cycling team. Maddi shares her love for bikes through being a mentor with Ride Like a Girl and by working on the sales team at Obsession: Bikes. In addition to being an NSMB contributor, Maddi currently serves as the Copy Editor of the Brevard College student newspaper, The Clarion.