2025 Team Rumors

sspomer wrote:

here's the email PR about team listTHE 2025 WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES TEAMS With just over a month remaining until the start...

here's the email PR about team list

THE 2025 WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE 
WORLD SERIES TEAMS

 

With just over a month remaining until the start of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) are proud to announce the official list of 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams.
 

A total of 40 teams, spanning both Endurance and Gravity formats, have secured premier division status.
 

This guarantees their participation in every round of the series within their respective formats, positioning them at the forefront of the sport’s elite competition.

After two seasons under the WBD Sports umbrella, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is set to undergo some of the most significant changes in the sport’s history since the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup was first introduced in 1991.
 
These major developments aim to enhance the competitiveness of each UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, making the races more thrilling for both fans and riders while establishing a clear development pathway to the highest level of mountain biking.
 
For the 2025 season, new entry requirements were introduced. All teams were required to register with the UCI to be classified as either a UCI Mountain Bike Team or a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team (previously known as UCI MTB Elite teams).
 
A total of 101 teams from 22 countries across four continents registered for the upcoming season. Of those, 40 teams across both Endurance and Gravity have secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status, ensuring their participation in every round of their respective formats:

 

Click the image to download a high-resolution version

How else can teams take part in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series?
 
For teams that haven't secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status, there are eight Wildcard spots available per format at each UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. These Wildcard teams will be chosen at the discretion of the UCI and WBD Sports, considering factors such as UCI team rankings and the profiles of their individual athletes. More details on the eligibility criteria can be found in the UCI Regulations.
 
How about privateers and individuals?
 
Individual riders are still eligible to enter a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round based on the following criteria:

Champions: Any current Olympic Champion, UCI World Champion, Continental Champion or National Champion.

Cross-country: any Elite athlete ranked in the top 100 or any U23 athlete ranked in the top 200 based on the last UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) Individual Ranking dated before the event entry closing date of the round.

Downhill: any Elite athlete ranked in the top 50 or any Junior athlete ranked in the top 100 based on the last UCI Downhill (DHI) Individual Ranking dated before event entry closing date of the round.

There are also five ‘Golden Tickets’ up for grabs for the top-five riders in any Elite or U23 race (Cross-country) or Elite or Junior race (Downhill) at any round of a Continental Series (although the rider can’t be registered with a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team). The Golden Ticket enables the rider to enter one round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series during the same season.
 
Starting in 2026, the top five riders from each category’s final standings in any of the previous season’s Continental Series will also qualify to compete in all rounds of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, provided they are not already registered with a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team.

jonkranked wrote:

WHOOP THERE IT IS

sspomer wrote:

here's the email PR about team listTHE 2025 WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES TEAMS With just over a month remaining until the start...

here's the email PR about team list

THE 2025 WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE 
WORLD SERIES TEAMS

 

With just over a month remaining until the start of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) are proud to announce the official list of 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams.
 

A total of 40 teams, spanning both Endurance and Gravity formats, have secured premier division status.
 

This guarantees their participation in every round of the series within their respective formats, positioning them at the forefront of the sport’s elite competition.

After two seasons under the WBD Sports umbrella, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is set to undergo some of the most significant changes in the sport’s history since the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup was first introduced in 1991.
 
These major developments aim to enhance the competitiveness of each UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, making the races more thrilling for both fans and riders while establishing a clear development pathway to the highest level of mountain biking.
 
For the 2025 season, new entry requirements were introduced. All teams were required to register with the UCI to be classified as either a UCI Mountain Bike Team or a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team (previously known as UCI MTB Elite teams).
 
A total of 101 teams from 22 countries across four continents registered for the upcoming season. Of those, 40 teams across both Endurance and Gravity have secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status, ensuring their participation in every round of their respective formats:

 

Click the image to download a high-resolution version

How else can teams take part in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series?
 
For teams that haven't secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status, there are eight Wildcard spots available per format at each UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. These Wildcard teams will be chosen at the discretion of the UCI and WBD Sports, considering factors such as UCI team rankings and the profiles of their individual athletes. More details on the eligibility criteria can be found in the UCI Regulations.
 
How about privateers and individuals?
 
Individual riders are still eligible to enter a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round based on the following criteria:

Champions: Any current Olympic Champion, UCI World Champion, Continental Champion or National Champion.

Cross-country: any Elite athlete ranked in the top 100 or any U23 athlete ranked in the top 200 based on the last UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) Individual Ranking dated before the event entry closing date of the round.

Downhill: any Elite athlete ranked in the top 50 or any Junior athlete ranked in the top 100 based on the last UCI Downhill (DHI) Individual Ranking dated before event entry closing date of the round.

There are also five ‘Golden Tickets’ up for grabs for the top-five riders in any Elite or U23 race (Cross-country) or Elite or Junior race (Downhill) at any round of a Continental Series (although the rider can’t be registered with a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team). The Golden Ticket enables the rider to enter one round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series during the same season.
 
Starting in 2026, the top five riders from each category’s final standings in any of the previous season’s Continental Series will also qualify to compete in all rounds of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, provided they are not already registered with a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team.

roostintootin wrote:

Aaron Gwin, Crestline?? 

roostintootin wrote:

Aaron Gwin, Crestline?? 

bulletbass man wrote:

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My...

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My guess would be the North American rounds and the ones he think he can do the best at in Europe that are relatively close together.  But he said he still had a pretty full race schedule so my guess is he will be doing a fair number of domestic races in addition to the tn national.

bulletbass man wrote:

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My...

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My guess would be the North American rounds and the ones he think he can do the best at in Europe that are relatively close together.  But he said he still had a pretty full race schedule so my guess is he will be doing a fair number of domestic races in addition to the tn national.

schwaaa31 wrote:

But how does he qualify for WC’s if he isn’t on a team that has enough points? Does he have to win National Champs or get...

But how does he qualify for WC’s if he isn’t on a team that has enough points? Does he have to win National Champs or get enough points on his own somewhere? I haven’t followed the new rules enough to figure it out. 

bulletbass man wrote:

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My...

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My guess would be the North American rounds and the ones he think he can do the best at in Europe that are relatively close together.  But he said he still had a pretty full race schedule so my guess is he will be doing a fair number of domestic races in addition to the tn national.

schwaaa31 wrote:

But how does he qualify for WC’s if he isn’t on a team that has enough points? Does he have to win National Champs or get...

But how does he qualify for WC’s if he isn’t on a team that has enough points? Does he have to win National Champs or get enough points on his own somewhere? I haven’t followed the new rules enough to figure it out. 

dantecusolito wrote:

Gwin Racing can probably get a wildcard to any race they want to go to. By my count there are only 10 non-world series teams registered...

Gwin Racing can probably get a wildcard to any race they want to go to. By my count there are only 10 non-world series teams registered for DH compared to the 5 wildcard slots available, and a few of those teams are development teams for elite teams, which I think means they don't need wildcard slots, and riders can instead be pulled up by the big team for a few races. 

bulletbass man wrote:

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My...

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My guess would be the North American rounds and the ones he think he can do the best at in Europe that are relatively close together.  But he said he still had a pretty full race schedule so my guess is he will be doing a fair number of domestic races in addition to the tn national.

schwaaa31 wrote:

But how does he qualify for WC’s if he isn’t on a team that has enough points? Does he have to win National Champs or get...

But how does he qualify for WC’s if he isn’t on a team that has enough points? Does he have to win National Champs or get enough points on his own somewhere? I haven’t followed the new rules enough to figure it out. 

bulletbass man wrote:

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My...

Maybe things will change, but he said in one of his msa interviews that he was only planning on racing some of the world cups.  My guess would be the North American rounds and the ones he think he can do the best at in Europe that are relatively close together.  But he said he still had a pretty full race schedule so my guess is he will be doing a fair number of domestic races in addition to the tn national.

schwaaa31 wrote:

But how does he qualify for WC’s if he isn’t on a team that has enough points? Does he have to win National Champs or get...

But how does he qualify for WC’s if he isn’t on a team that has enough points? Does he have to win National Champs or get enough points on his own somewhere? I haven’t followed the new rules enough to figure it out. 

dantecusolito wrote:

Gwin Racing can probably get a wildcard to any race they want to go to. By my count there are only 10 non-world series teams registered...

Gwin Racing can probably get a wildcard to any race they want to go to. By my count there are only 10 non-world series teams registered for DH compared to the 5 wildcard slots available, and a few of those teams are development teams for elite teams, which I think means they don't need wildcard slots, and riders can instead be pulled up by the big team for a few races. 

Stewyeww wrote:

I saw a post somewhere outlining the Crestline teams season, I can't remember where but they aren't taking it easy, events almost every weekend throughout the...

I saw a post somewhere outlining the Crestline teams season, I can't remember where but they aren't taking it easy, events almost every weekend throughout the season.

saskskier wrote:

Remi Gauvin on Specialized? Kinda looks like an SJ15. (sorry for the crappy pics. Screen shots from his IG stories today)

Remi Gauvin on Specialized? Kinda looks like an SJ15. 

(sorry for the crappy pics. Screen shots from his IG stories today)

parnifel wrote:

..looks like Kate Courtney is getting along just fine with her new sponsors and direction. Good on her…

https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/grasshopper-adventure-series-2025/huf…

 

Brian_Peterson wrote:

Maybe calling her own shots is what she needs right now.. Hopefully, this turns into a good season for her!

saskskier wrote:

Remi Gauvin on Specialized? Kinda looks like an SJ15. (sorry for the crappy pics. Screen shots from his IG stories today)

Remi Gauvin on Specialized? Kinda looks like an SJ15. 

(sorry for the crappy pics. Screen shots from his IG stories today)

piggy wrote:

Seems the Dunbar UCI team has become Forbidden Dunbar Racing.

https://www.uci.org/team-details/20641

sspomer wrote:

i thought WC teams were already confirmed but whoop just sent this email saying these are the confirmed teams for 2025. maybe it's redundant, but posting...

i thought WC teams were already confirmed but whoop just sent this email saying these are the confirmed teams for 2025. maybe it's redundant, but posting regardless.

WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES TEAMS FOR GRAVITY CONFIRMED FOR 2025 SEASON 

With the announcement of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) officially confirmed the Gravity teams that have secured top-tier status for the 2025 season. 

We focus on the 20 teams selected for all rounds of the UCI Downhill World Cup and UCI Enduro World Cup.

March 10th 2025 – The 20-strong roster that will form the first division of Gravity racing in mountain biking has been confirmed, and it’s packed full of big factory teams, plucky underdogs and the most exciting talent from the worlds of Downhill and Enduro.

As well as reigning WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series overall winners and past and present rainbow jersey holders, the start list for every round will feature up-and-coming stars and legends of the sport.

Simon Burney, Head of Sport for Cycling Events at WBD Sports Europe, said: “The introduction of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status ensures fans get to watch the best in the business battle it out at each round, and witness nail-biting racing where every hundredth of a second counts.”

BIG NAMES AND EXCITING NEW ADDITIONS IN DOWNHILL FIELD

With the UCI points of the four highest-ranked riders of each team determining the UCI team rankings, the 2024-2025 off-season transfers took on even greater importance.

Top-ranked team Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction strengthened their already talented roster, adding the UCI Downhill World Champion Loris Vergier to a star-studded line-up which includes multiple UCI Downhill World Cup winners Myriam Nicole and Amaury Pierron.

The Andorran manufacturer faced stiff competition for the top spot from YT Mob, who signed European Champion and UCI World Cup winner Andreas Kolb. The Austrian joins a team that already features the almost unstoppable and reigning WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series overall winner (Women Elite - Downhill), Valentina Höll and UCI World Cup winner and reigning Irish National Champion Oisin O’Callaghan.

Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team’s signing of 2024 UCI Downhill World Cup overall series runner-up Marine Cabirou meant that the German outfit was the only other team to break the 3,000-point barrier. The Frenchwoman will be hoping to go one better in 2025, as will new teammate Troy Brosnan, who edged Amaury Pierron to second in the overall standings last year as a result of his famous win in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.

The man to beat though remains 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series overall winner (Men Elite - Downhill), Loïc Bruni, who will once again be flanked by Finn Iles and Jordan Williams in the Specialized Gravity Team.

One rider who has shown he can get the upper hand over Bruni on his day is Ronan Dunne. The Bielsko-Biała UCI Downhill World Cup winner will once again line up for Mondraker Factory Racing, alongside Dakotah Norton and new teammate Greg Williamson.

Elsewhere, veteran Danny Hart will be completing his 18th elite season as part of Norco Race Division. Trek Factory Racing DH meanwhile has a new-look squad fronted by Matt Walker and Lachlan Stevens-McNab.

Some new teams also made the automatic WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Series Team cut. Tahnée Seagrave has linked up with Spanish manufacturer Orbea to launch Orbea/FMD Racing and is joined by Martin Maes – the only rider on the circuit who has won a UCI Downhill World Cup and a UCI Enduro World Cup; while 2020 UCI Downhill World Champion Reece Wilson is spearheading one of the most interesting additions to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series pits – AON Racing - Tourne Campervans. The Flying Scotsman isn’t going alone either, with Monika Hrastnik and UCI Enduro World Cup overall winner Harriet Harnden on board.

Finally, Santa Cruz Syndicate just scraped into the automatic selection spots. The Steve Peat-managed outfit will be hoping for more successful seasons from Laurie Greenland, Nina Hoffmann and a fully recovered Jackson Goldstone.

Other teams to secure the automatic WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status were Giant Factory Off-Road Team - DH, Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres, Axess Intense Factory Racing, Frameworks Racing/5Dev and MS-Racing.

ICONIC ATHLETES AND ENDURO OUTFITS CELEBRATE WILDCARD SPOTS

The five season-long wildcard spots were all given to teams with previous experience at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and ensured that some of Downhill and Enduro’s biggest names would still be in the start hut at every Gravity round in 2025.

The most established team was Scott Downhill Factory, which slipped to 16th in the rankings despite the points total of new signing and 2024 UCI Downhill World Cup winner in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes Benoît Coulanges.

Continental Atherton was another name to celebrate the wildcard system after losing Andreas Kolb’s points. But with Rachel Atherton registered to ride, could we see the return of one of Downhill’s most iconic athletes to the podium this season?

Two of the five wildcard spots were taken by teams with big ambitions. Richie Rude’s Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team is committing itself fully to Enduro and Downhill for 2025 and added 2020 UCI Downhill World Champion Camille Balanche to their 10 rider-strong line-up. Pivot Factory Racing will also dabble in both, with Morganne Charre hoping to add to her two UCI Enduro World Cup wins from 2024.

Jess Blewitt and Max Hartenstern’s Cube Factory Racing secured the final wildcard spot.

SHAKE UP IN ENDURO FAVOURITES FOR 2025

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams selections lean towards Downhill, but five teams will also be represented at UCI Enduro World Cup rounds. Fans can expect a shake-up in the favourites for 2025 though.

That’s because the reigning WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series overall Enduro winners Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Harriet Harnden (AON Racing - Tourne Campervans) are both set to focus on Downhill – opening the door for other riders to come to the fore.

In the men’s field, UCI Enduro World Cup winners Jack Moir (YT Mob), Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory), and Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity), combined with Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team’s Slawomir Lukasik and Ryan Gilchrist will be fighting for the title.

Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing), meanwhile, will be a firm favourite in the women’s competition but will be pushed all the way by Ella Conolly, and Mélanie Pugin.

The full list of Gravity teams to secure WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status are: 

1.     AON Racing - Tourne Campervans (SLO)
2.     Axess Intense Factory Racing (GBR)
3.     Canyon CLLCTV Factory team (GER)
4.     Commencal/Muc-Off By Riding Addiction (FRA)
5.     Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres (FRA)
6.     Continental Atherton (GBR)
7.     Cube Factory Racing (GER)
8.     Frameworks Racing /5Dev (USA)
9.     Giant Factory Off-Road Team - DH (USA)
10.   Mondraker Factory Racing DH (ESP)
11.   MS-Racing (AUT)
12.   Norco Race Division (CAN)
13.  Orbea / FMD Racing (GBR)
14.  Pivot Factory Racing (GBR)
15.   Santa Cruz Syndicate (USA)
16.   Scott Downhill Factory (FRA)
17.   Specialized Gravity (FRA)
18.   Trek Factory Racing DH (USA)
19.   Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team (USA)
20.  YT Mob (GER)

 

For more information on the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, visit www.ucimtbworldseries.com

 

MEDIA CONTACTS

Laura Cueto
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports 
laura.cueto@wbd.com

Neus Ramos
Press Officer
cycling.media@wbd.com

 

About Warner Bros. Discovery Sports  

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports Europe represents WBD’s portfolio of sports brands, channels, and platforms in Europe. It collectively engages 130 million people every month, reaching fans and broad audiences in more than 200 markets and in 20 languages across all platforms where consumers are spending time: free-to-air TV, pay-TV, streaming, online and social. WBD Sports Europe includes the much-loved consumer brands Eurosport and TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, as well sports programming and content on WBD’s free-to-air TV networks and streaming on Max* and discovery+. They connect audiences with the greatest sporting events in the world. This includes being the Home of the Olympics Games in Europe; tennis’ Grand Slams; cycling’s Grand Tours, more than 1,000 live cycling broadcasts per year, the UCI Track Champions League, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series; the PGA TOUR year-round in some markets; The Ocean Race; the Snooker World Tour; the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship; the FIM Speedway GP, Speedway of Nations and Speedway World Cup; every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup event. WBD Sports Europe completes a full 360° offer with its Events management and promotion division, which oversees 35+ events across four global championships each year and has achieved the ISO20121 certification for sustainability of event management practices.

*​​Max is available in France, Poland, the Nordics, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe. In Belgium and the Netherlands, Warner Bros. Discovery’s enhanced streaming service is branded HBO Max. discovery+ is the streaming service in Austria, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

About the UCI

Founded on April 14, 1900, in Paris, France, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms and for all people: as a competitive sport, a healthy recreational activity, a means of transport, and also just for fun. The UCI manages and promotes the 11 cycling disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, cyclo-cross, trials, indoor cycling, cycling esports, gravel and snow bike. Five of these are featured on the Olympic Games programme (road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle), two in the Paralympic Games (road and track), and four in the Youth Olympic Games (road, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle). For more information: www.uci.org