2026 WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES IN LOUDENVIELLE – PEYRAGUDES, FRANCE
Jackson Goldstone.
28 May 2026 – After the first European round of the 2026 UCI World Cup for mountain bike’s endurance formats, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series returns this Saturday and Sunday with a Gravity feast as the UCI Downhill and UCI Enduro World Cups take to the trails of Loudenvielle – Peyragudes (France).
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 30
•10:00-17:00 – UCI Enduro World Cup
•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
Sunday, May 31
•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
WHERE 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. Both the men’s and women’s UCI Downhill World Cup Junior races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the 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 / Eurosport
• Belgium – HBO Max, Eurosport, VRT, RTL
• Czechia – HBO Max, Eurosport, CT Sport
• France – HBO Max, Eurosport, La Chaîne L’Équipe
• Ireland – TNT Sports
• United Kingdom – HBO Max, TNT Sports
Asia:
Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand – Eurosport World
Oceania:
• Australia – Stan Sport
• New Zealand – MTBWS TV
• Samoa – Eurosport World
North America:
• Canada – FloSports
• USA – HBO Max / MTBWS TV
MTBWS 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 TV
Africa: MTBWS TV
All other territories: MTBWS TV
RIDERS TO WATCH
The 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.
Loic Bruni
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.
Vali Höll
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).
Gracey Hemstreet
Racing gets underway on Saturday, May 30 in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes.
Full schedule and event details are available HERE.
For more information on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series visit www.ucimtbworldseries.com