Although three of the six titles were last awarded in the Olympic region of Lake Placid, New York (USA), there are still three series up for grabs: Cross-country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Downhill. And there couldn't be a better location: Mont Sainte Anne (Canada) will host its 30th edition of the UCI World Cup, a record.
Let's take a look at everything you need to know about the Mont-Sainte-Anne stage of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, presented by Events.com , including when the events will take place Cross-Country Olympic (XCO), Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Downhill, who will compete and how to watch them.
WHEN?
The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Mont-Sainte-Anne will kick off with the Women’s UCI XCC Under 23 World Cup at 09:45 (UTC-4) on Friday 10 October and conclude with the Men’s UCI XCO Elite World Cup at 15:30 (UTC-4) on Sunday 12 October.
Below are the main times for the race weekend. All times are UTC-4 (BST+5/CEST +6):
Friday 14th October
- 12:30 – UCI DH World Cup | Qualification 1 Women Elite
- 13:00 – UCI DH World Cup | Qualification 1 Men Elite
- 14:00 PM – UCI Downhill World Cup | Junior Women's Qualifiers
- 14:20 PM – UCI Downhill World Cup | Junior Men's Qualifications
- 15:05 – UCI DH World Cup | Qualification 2 Women Elite
- 15:30 – UCI DH World Cup | Qualification 2 Men Elite
- 9:45 – UCI World Cup Cross-country Short Track | Women U23
- 10:35 – UCI World Cup Cross-country Short Track | Men U23
- 16:20 – UCI World Cup Cross-country Short Track | Elite Women
- 17:00 – UCI World Cup Cross-country Short Track | Elite Men
Saturday October 11
- 11:30 – UCI DH World Cup | Junior Women Finals
- 12:00 – UCI DH World Cup | Junior Men Finals
- 13:00 – UCI DH World Cup | Elite Women Finals
- 14:10 PM – UCI DH World Cup | Elite Men Finals
Sunday October 12
- 09pm – UCI XCO World Cup | Women U00
- 11:00 – UCI XCO World Cup | Men U23
- 13:30 – UCI XCO World Cup | Elite Women
- 15:30 PM – UCI XCO World Cup | Elite Men
WHERE CAN I WATCH?
In Italy the only way is discovery+, Eurosport.
RUNNERS TO WATCH
In the downhill, only 72 points separate Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) in the overall standings, and whoever wins has a good chance of taking the title.
Super Bruni has the edge in terms of points and experience, but the Canadian has closed the gap on the Frenchman thanks to a better finish in the Lake Placid Olympic region (fourth to sixth), has home advantage and boasts a 100% record at Mont-Sainte-Anne as an elite rider, winning his last race there at the end of 2023. Even if Goldstone wins on Sunday, Bruni could still be a real heartbreaker and deny the 21-year-old a debut title. stepping onto the podium and taking his fifth overall title. The challenge could also be the closest in history for the overall title, which currently dates back to 2010, when Gee Atheron defeated Greg Minnaar by just seven points.
In terms of recent form, Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – DH) will aim to replicate the yours first UCI World Cup victory last Saturday , Luke Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) rallied from a two-second deficit at the second split to finish second just 0,7 seconds behind Meier-Smith, Henri Kiefer (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) has scored back-to-back podiums in the last two races and the Bike Kingdom winner-Lenzerheide (Swiss) Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) looked poised to fly up Whiteface Mountain before a mistake in the second sector cost him the chance to win two consecutive victories. Shaw, Pierron and Lori's vergier (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) are all vying for third place in the series.
The women’s overall standings may have been decided in the Lake Placid Olympic Region, but the stakes are still high. Valentina Hell (YT Mob) recorded the first perfect weekend of 2025 in the women's field, winning his fourth series. The Austrian will be looking to add a 13th UCI World Cup victory to her collection at Mont-Sainte-Anne and cap off a turbulent year on a high.
Her closest rival in the standings, Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race Division), will look to bounce back in front of his home crowd after a poor showing south of the U.S.-Canada border, while Tahnee Seagrave (Orbea/FMD Racing) can overtake the 20-year-old in the standings if the results are in her favor.
Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) is another cyclist to keep an eye on. The Frenchwoman was the best in the Lake Placid Olympic region and has been unlucky with some serious crashes in qualifying and the final this year, but the 35-year-old clearly has good race pace and is aiming for her first victory of the year.
Alongside the downhill are XCC on Friday and XCO on Sunday, while both women's series are yet to be decided.
Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) is leading the short track standings, but both Alexandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) that Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) can overtake the British rider if the results are favorable. All three have shown stellar form recently, so expect a close battle all the way to the finish line in Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Rissveds will also be one of the favorites in Sunday's elite women's UCI XCO World Cup: The Swede has won four of her last five Olympic-distance races, including the UCI XCO World Championships and last Sunday's final in upstate New York. But the 31-year-old probably waited too long to reach Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Factory Racing) in the overall standings: the New Zealander's 183-point lead is virtually unassailable, barring a disaster.
Maxwell herself is also one of the favourites to take her third UCI XCO World Cup victory in 2025, while Richards and Keller will likely battle it out for the podium.
Meanwhile, Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) He won both the XCO and XCC men's titles last weekend with two sprint victories over his teammate Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing).
The American can afford to take it easy north of the border, but few would bet against him attempting to secure the series' fourth XCO-XCC double. Boichis will also be present at Mont-Sainte-Anne, while Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) e Martin Vidaurre Kossman (Specialized Factory Racing) currently occupy second place in the XCC and XCO standings respectively.
But to ruin Specialized's party there is Luke Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing), capable of challenging for second place in both series. The Frenchman hasn't quite reached the same heights as Pal Arinsal (Andorra) and Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France), after being forced to skip the UCI MTB World Championships due to Covid, but Sunday's eighth-place finish shows he's headed in the right direction.
The races will start on Friday, October 10th in Mont-Sainte-Anne.
The full program and event details are available HERE .
