The wait is over. After a long off-season, the 2026 WHOOP UCI MTB World Cup fires into life this weekend at Mona Yongpyong in the PyeongChang region of South Korea — and it's a historic one. This is the first time an XCO and XCC World Cup has ever been held on Asian soil, making Round 1 of 2026 one for the record books before the racing has even started.
A Brand New Venue
Mona Yongpyong sits in the PyeongChang region, best known internationally for hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics. The mountain bike course is a completely new layout on the World Cup calendar. From early images, the circuit combines fast wide track sections with tighter passages through trees, and features a long artificial rock garden that points to a generally fast course favouring continuous overtaking and a constant fight at the front. Expect the first proper read on its character during training on Friday morning local time.
Race Schedule — XCC & XCO
All times in Korea Standard Time (KST, UTC+9). UK viewers subtract 8 hours for BST.
Friday 1 May — XCC Short Track
10:35 KST (02:35 BST) — XCC Women Under 23 11:25 KST (03:25 BST) — XCC Men Under 23 17:15 KST (09:15 BST) — XCC Women Elite 18:05 KST (10:05 BST) — XCC Men Elite
Sunday 3 May — XCO Olympic
09:00 KST (01:00 BST) — XCO Women Under 23 11:00 KST (03:00 BST) — XCO Men Under 23 13:30 KST (05:30 BST) — XCO Women Elite 15:30 KST (07:30 BST) — XCO Men Elite
The Women's Race — Rissveds vs The Field
World Champion Jenny Rissveds arrives at Mona Yongpyong as the clear favourite, having been in the form of her life towards the end of last season. The Canyon XC Racing rider carries the rainbow stripes into a brand new season and onto a brand new continent — and the pressure will be on the rest of the field to stop her from dominating from round one.
The most credible challengers are familiar names. Specialized Factory Racing's trio of Haley Batten, Sina Frei and Laura Stigger all have elite-level wins to their names, and Specialized dominated proceedings in 2025. Evie Richards (Trek - Unbroken XC) lines up as Britain's leading hope in the elite women's field — the former World Champion is always dangerous on a fast, flowing circuit. Teammate Nina Graf adds further depth to what is one of the strongest women's teams on the circuit.
Cannondale Factory Racing's Jolanda Neff completes a squad looking to wrestle top-dog status back from their rivals at Specialized. With Neff, Rissveds, Richards and the Specialized trio all on the start list, the women's XCO on Sunday morning is the race of the weekend.
Keep an eye on Loana Lecomte (BMC Factory Racing) too — the Frenchwoman has the ability to shake up any race she enters, and Anne Terpstra (Lapierre PXR Racing) brings experience and punchy racing that suits fast courses.
The Men's Race — A New Era Without Schurter
2026 is the first season in nearly two decades without Nino Schurter on the start line, and the men's field feels genuinely wide open as a result. Christopher Blevins had a record-breaking 2025 season, taking the Men Elite UCI XCO-XCC World Cup overall double for Specialized Factory Racing. The American arrives as the man to beat, but defending that kind of dominance across a nine-round season on a new continent is never straightforward.
World number one Fabio Püntener inherits Schurter's seat at Scott-SRAM and starts first on the road at Mona Yongpyong. The Swiss rider will be desperate to make a statement in his first season as team leader on what should be a circuit that suits his aggressive racing style.
Charlie Aldridge carries the British flag in the elite men's field for Cannondale Factory Racing. Aldridge picked up his first UCI XCO World Cup win in Mont-Sainte-Anne last season and will be looking to build on that breakthrough in 2026. Teammate Luca Martin also impressed in his first elite season, securing two wins — one XCC, one XCO. Both riders will be ones to watch.
Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) is a perennial dark horse who has the experience to read a new circuit quickly, while Simon Andreassen (Orbea Fox Factory Team) and Jofre Cullell Estape (BH Coloma Team) are consistent top-10 threats.
How to Watch
UK: Live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Europe: Eurosport and HBO Max carry live coverage across most of Europe. French viewers also have La Chaîne L'Équipe, Czech viewers Česká televize, and Swiss viewers SRG SSR as free-to-air options.
Australia: Live on Stan Sport. Canada: FloSports.
USA: HBO Max.
If your country isn't listed or you're travelling, MTBWS TV — the series' own streaming platform — covers the majority of the world. Check the full broadcaster list at ucimtbworldseries.com/where-to-watch.
Full start lists for all four XCC categories are live on the Race of South Korea race page on XCOMTB.COM. XCO start lists will be added as soon as they're confirmed.