The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is here. Nine rounds, eleven countries, and the deepest elite field in years. From a historic first visit to Asian soil in South Korea to a season-defining finale at Lake Placid, this is shaping up to be the most competitive XCO and XCC season in recent memory — and the first without Nino Schurter on the start line in nearly two decades.
Here is everything you need to know.
THE CALENDAR
R1 Race of South Korea, MONA YongPyong 1–3 May
R2 Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic 22–24 May
R3 Saalfelden-Leogang, Austria 11–14 June
R4 Lenzerheide, Switzerland 19–21 June
R5 La Thuile, Italy 3–5 July
R6 Pal Arinsal, Andorra 10–12 July
R7 Les Gets, France 20–23 August
R8 Soldier Hollow, USA 19–20 September
R9 Lake Placid, USA 2–4 October
The season opens in South Korea — the first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on Asian soil in 25 years — and closes with back-to-back American rounds. Val di Sole, a fan favourite, is absent from the World Cup calendar in 2026, instead hosting the UCI MTB World Championships at the end of August.
THE WOMEN'S SEASON: RISSVEDS AGAINST THE WORLD
Jenny Rissveds enters 2026 as the rider everyone is chasing. The Canyon XC Racing athlete produced one of the great individual seasons in XCO history in 2025 — winning the Elite Women's World Championship, taking eight World Cup rounds, and claiming both the XCC and XCO European Championship titles. She finished the series less than 100 points behind overall winner Samara Maxwell despite missing a round, and closed the campaign with two dominant victories, including a new record for the largest winning margin in the discipline.
Now, with Maxwell taking a year-long sabbatical from racing, the path to Rissveds' first elite overall World Cup title has never been clearer. The question is whether anyone can mount a consistent enough challenge across nine rounds to stop her.
Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) is the most likely candidate. The Swiss rider arrives as reigning XCC World Champion and is one of the most complete technical riders in the field. Keller has the short track speed to hurt Rissveds in XCC format and the endurance to stay competitive in XCO. On a technical European circuit she will be dangerous.
Evie Richards (Trek — Unbroken XC) comes in as the defending XCC World Cup overall winner and brings the form and confidence of a title defence campaign. The British rider thrives on punchy, technical courses and will be a podium threat across both disciplines all season.
Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech) enters 2026 with a point to prove. The young Dutch rider blends road racing power with raw MTB ability and has already shown she can win at World Cup level. A full season focused on cross-country will be a real test of just how close she is to the very top.
Haley Batten and Sina Frei (both Specialized Factory Racing) give the American squad firepower in the women's category, with both riders capable of wins on the right course. Jolanda Neff, Cannondale Factory Racing, brings experience and class — the Swiss legend has three overall World Cup titles to her name and is never far from the podium when things click.
THE MEN'S SEASON: THE POST-SCHURTER ERA BEGINS
For the first time since 2009, Nino Schurter will not be on the elite men's start line. His retirement closes a chapter in XCO history and leaves a genuine vacuum at the top — one that several riders are well placed to fill, none more so than Fabio Püntener.
Püntener (Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team) is the current world number one in the UCI men's XC rankings and arrives at Scott-SRAM having been signed mid-season last year following a series of stunning performances. Stepping into Schurter's team and inheriting that infrastructure is a significant moment. He is the clear favourite heading into South Korea.
Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) is the man who made 2025 his own, completing a historic XCO and XCC World Cup overall double — the first rider to win both disciplines' overall titles in the same season. Defending that is an enormous task, but Blevins has the fitness, the aggression in short track and the raw XCO engine to stay at the front of both competitions.
Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) is the two-time reigning XCO World Champion but his multi-discipline calendar means he will miss rounds. When he does race, expect him near maximum points. Hatherly is the kind of rider who can win anywhere on any given day — the lack of full-series consistency is the only thing standing between him and a genuine World Cup title charge.
Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) is Britain's brightest hope and one of the most exciting stories of 2025. The Cannondale rider took his first elite XCO World Cup win at Mont-Sainte-Anne and at 25 years old he is entering the phase where results should compound. Teammate Luca Martin — who won both an XCC and an XCO in his debut elite season — gives Cannondale genuine depth alongside the experience of Jolanda Neff.
Tom Pidcock's schedule will draw attention whenever he lines up. The Olympic champion races a mixed road and MTB programme which limits his World Cup appearances, but his ability to produce a race-winning performance on minimal specific preparation makes him one of the most unpredictable factors in the men's field.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is the ultimate wildcard. When the road schedule allows and he stays upright, van der Poel is capable of winning anywhere.
KEY STORYLINES TO FOLLOW
Can Rissveds go wire to wire?
Her form at the end of 2025 was unlike anything seen in women's XCO for years. If she carries that into South Korea, it could be a very long season for the chasing pack.
The first Schurter-less era.
After 17 years as the benchmark for elite men's XCO, Schurter's absence removes the reference point the entire field has raced against. Püntener, Blevins, Hatherly and Aldridge all have legitimate claims to fill that space — and the answer may not be a single dominant rider but a brutal points battle across all nine rounds.
Ghost Factory Racing's closure.
One of the most established programmes in XCO folded after 15 years in the sport. Its riders — Anne Terpstra, Nicole Koller, Caroline Bohé — have regrouped at the newly formed Lapierre PXR Racing. Whether the new structure can perform at the level Ghost once did remains to be seen.
Maxwell's absence.
Samara Maxwell won the 2025 Women's XCO overall and signed a contract extension through 2028 before announcing her sabbatical. Her absence changes the entire complexion of the women's title fight.
32-inch wheels.
The big wheel conversation is coming to XCO, whether the paddock is ready or not. Several brands have been spotted testing 32-inch prototypes and early data points to performance gains. If a manufacturer arrives at South Korea with production-ready hardware, the technology story of 2026 could be decided in round one.
THE TITLE CONTENDERS
WOMEN
Jenny Rissveds Canyon XC Racing World Champion. Eight 2025 World Cup wins. The favourite.
Alessandra Keller Thömus Maxon XCC World Champion. Elite technical rider.
Evie Richards Trek — Unbroken XC Defending XCC World Cup overall winner.
Puck Pieterse Alpecin-Premier Tech Road power, MTB speed, ambition to match.
Haley Batten Specialized Factory Racing Wins on the board, full team backing.
MEN
Fabio Püntener Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team, current world number one ranked.
Christopher Blevins Specialized Factory Racing, Defending XCO and XCC overall champion.
Alan Hatherly Giant Factory Off-Road,Two-time XCO World Champion. Selective programme.
Charlie Aldridge Cannondale Factory Racing Britain's best hope. First World Cup win in 2025 - Can he do it again in 2026?
THE SEASON STARTS NOW
Round one fires in South Korea on 1 May with XCC Elite on Friday and XCO Elite on Sunday. It is a brand new course, a brand new country for World Cup racing, and a brand new era for the sport.
XCOMTB.COM has full coverage of every round all season long — results, start lists, news and analysis. Bookmark the World Cup hub and follow us on Instagram @xco_mtb.