Let's take a closer look at who will be competing for each team and highlight the key athletes to watch this season.
Source: press release
The 20 teams that will form the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Endurance lineup have been confirmed, with some of the sport's biggest names set to compete at all nine stops on the UCI World Cup calendar. Cross-country Olympic (XCO) and Cross-country Short Track (XCC) of 2026.
Pilots like Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing), Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing), Alan Hatherley (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – XC), Evie Richards (Trek – Unbroken XC), Alexandra Keller (Thömus Maxon), Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech) all have a guaranteed place on the starting line.
FACTORY AND DEVELOPMENT TEAMS SECURE 2-YEAR LICENSE
The top 10 teams in the 2025 UCI results have been awarded two-year licenses to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, and the list features some great factory teams and plucky outsiders who found themselves at the winner’s table after relying on wildcards last time out.
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Specialized Factory Racing dominated the scene last year and it will be difficult for its athletes to match their success in 2026. Christopher Blevins had a record-breaking year, taking the Elite Men's UCI XCO-XCC World Cup double, while Victor Koretzky He recovered from a mediocre season by defending his UCI XCC World Champion title. The team is packed with firepower: Martin Vidaurre Kossman e Adrien Boichis are both highlighting their potential, while Haley Batten , Sina Free e Laura Stigger they all won at the Elite level.
The second best place in 2025 was taken by Decathlon Ford Factory Racing thanks to the consistency on the podium of Samara Maxwell, overall winner of the Elite Women's UCI XCO World Cup. The team will be without the New Zealander for 2026. The 24-year-old has announced she will take a sabbatical from racing – but Savilia Blunk e Joshua Dubai They are consistently top 10 on their days and are ready to take a step forward.
A team aiming for success in 2026 is the Canyon XC Racing Home of the UCI XCO World Champion Jenny Rissveds , the Swede was in great form towards the end of last season and will be hoping to pick up where she left off when the racing gets underway with the opening race at MONA YongPyong (South Korea). Teammate Luke Schwarzbauer has shown signs of great enthusiasm, and the pair will be joined by the reigning UCI XCO U23 World Cup winner Valentina Crows , who will continue to compete in the U23 category this year.
Another team that showed promising form towards the latter stages of the 2025 series was Cannondale Factory Racing : Charlie Aldridge achieved his first UCI XCO World Cup victory in Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) and Luke Martin He achieved two victories (one XCC, one XCO) in his first elite season. The Swiss icon Yolanda Neff completes the team, which aims to regain the champion status from American rivals Specialized.
Elsewhere, the UCI XCC world champion Alexandra Keller leads the Swiss team Thömus maxon together with his compatriots Mathias Fluckiger e Lars Foster , while the Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team gets a youthful boost with Ella Macphee e Gustav Pedersen that come together to Simone Avondetto e Luke Braidot in the elite ranks.
The Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team a new phase begins after the withdrawal of Nino Schurter, with a consolidated and competitive team composed of Philip Columbus , Fabio Punter e Bjorn Riley, ready to carry the team forward and consistently score points. The pillars of the elite Simon Andreassen e jennifer jackson (Orbea Fox Factory Team) instead hope to give their all in the team's second season.
The last two teams with a 2-year license are Cube Factory Racing di Finn Treudler , overall winner of the UCI XCO-XCC U23 World Cup, and previous wildcard entrant Bixs Race Team , who confirmed Ramona Forchini e Marcel Guerrini to begin their first season as a UCI World Series team.
BIG NAMES AND FRESH OUTFITS AMONG THE 1-YEAR LICENSED TEAMS
The biggest name among the teams with annual license is the Giant Factory Off-Road Team – XC , UCI XCO World Champion team Alan Hatherly, winner of two consecutive titles. The South African's multi-disciplinary calendar prevents him from consistently racking up points for the team throughout the season, but when he competes in the UCI World Cup, he is very likely to contribute near-maximum points.
Evie Richards of Trek – Unbroken XC will look to defend his overall UCI XCC World Cup title, while Vlad dascalu returns for the American team.
Also, like in the Gravity selection , a team ranked in the top 15 will not return to the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series: Ghost Factory Racing, which is closing its doors after 15 years of activity. It won't be the last time we'll see its athletes, as Anne Terpstra, Nicole Koller e Caroline Bohe they are now part of the team Lapierre PXR Racing , a hybrid between the 2025 Ghost and Lapierre Racing teams, which also sees Anthony Cooper e Tobias Lillelund keep their seats.
Other teams to automatically secure WHOOP UCI World Series Team status were Origine Racing Division di Mathis Azzaro e the KMC Nukeproof MTB Racing Team .
STARS AMONG THE WILDCARD SELECTIONS
In addition to the top 15 ranked teams, the UCI has made five full-season wildcard spots available to the remaining UCI mountain bike teams.
The five wildcard places went to established teams Alpecin-Premier Tech, BH Coloma Team, BMC Factory Racing e Liv Factory Racing , Besides Mondraker Factory Racing XC , who will be fielding in his second season.
This guarantees starting places for multidisciplinary stars Mathieu van der Poel e Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Premier Tech), as well as previous UCI World Cup winners Jordan Sarrou e Loana lecomte (BMC Factory Racing).
The full list of teams that have secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status is as follows:
2-year license
1. Specialized Factory Racing
2. Decathlon Ford Racing Team
3. Canyon XC Racing
4. Cannondale Factory Racing
5. Thömus Maxon
6. Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team
7. Orbea Fox Factory Team
8. Cube Factory Racing
9. Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team
10. BIXS Race Team
1-year license
11. Trek – Unbroken XC
12. Origin Racing Division
13. KMC Nukeproof MTB Racing Team
14. Giant Factory Off-Road Team – XC
15. Lapierre PXR Racing
Wildcard (1-year license)
16. BH Coloma Team
17. Liv Factory Racing
18. Mondraker Factory Racing
19. BMC Factory Racing
20. Alpecin-Premier Tech
La The 2026 UCI Cross Country World Cup will kick off on May 1st in MONA YongPyong (South Korea) , marking the first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event on Asian soil in 25 years. From there, the season will begin the European leg in Nové Město Na Moravě (Czech Republic), before heading to Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburg (Austria), Lenzerheide (Switzerland), La Thuile – Valle d'Aosta (Italy), Pal Arinsal (Andorra), and Les Gets – Haute-Savoie (France). The riders will then cross the Atlantic to close out the season in Soldier Hollow, Midway, Utah (USA), and the Lake Placid Olympic Sites, New York (USA).
