It's UCI Mountain Bike World Champs week in Val di Sole, Italy. The trucks rolled in this morning and the pits are getting setup.
Schedule for the week is below (track walk and first practice on Weds), quali/seeding on Friday and race on Saturday.
Schedule (PDF)
Early weather predictions are showing rain on Friday and Saturday which will make the infamous Black Snake trail hectic, so here's hoping to a change as the week progresses.
Everything is different than a World Cup with how to watch and how to get live timing.
How to Watch World Champs from Olympics.com:
As always, races will be streamed live on the UCI YouTube, subject to geo-blocking.
In the United States and Canada, this spectacle will be streaming on FloBikes and the FloSports app. Australians can watch action unfold on Stan Sport, while those in the United Kingdom can tune into Discovery+ and TNT Sports for streaming and broadcasting respectively.
Unable to access it via UCI’s YouTube channel? We recommend checking with local broadcasters, who may have obtained the rights to air races live.
It looks like this is where live timing will be https://www.tissottiming.com/2026/mtbwch/schedule
Feel free to post up the intel you have for viewing and timing.
Rider Entry List here - https://uci-regonline.tech.uci.ch/25efbe0b-6d8d-4bba-8d89-ceaa52dcddba
96 Elite Men
41 Elite Women
82 Junior Men
37 Junior Women
Some early videos are below.
We'll get Vital Fantasy rolling soon as well, so start thinking about who you'll put your money on!
Heck yeah. Let’s see some dope paint jobs!
any chance Hardtail Guy has Raygunned himself in?
wet VDS? God runnin back-to-back smitings
brutal for junior women with training at 730am on saturday and their race runs at 845am on Saturday for their runs! junior men not much better either.
Notes on a few of the women in the 2026 Downhill World Championships:
Vali Höll:
Myriam Nicole:
Hattie Harnden:
Aletha Ostgaard (Juniors):
ok so we keep hearin this cryptic nonsense about Finn's injury, and potentially being able to get back as soon as Whistler... and then he drops this lil reply in the comments of this uci post
https://www.instagram.com/uci_mtbworldseries/p/Dcbku1BDMpp/
I was legit gonna write a comment about how the social media manager must not be following current events if they think finn is still in the race but we already got finn dunking on people making similar replies in the comments. multiple people saying he should be good (HOW good tho?) by Whistler
I still think it's a tough task even for Asa. let alone amaury or finn. But at least Amaury is not walkin in a boot right now... i understand a single race win can immediately surpass the deficit but, i dunno, just a classic racer response.
so right now race win is 200. qualy win is 50. But do they change the points on the final race? or no? Otherwise there's 500 points max on the table right now. And we're already seeing potentially smart, safe riding from Jordan to secure the title. So if he plays it more safe knowing what's below him, he's in an even better position i suppose. Just such a big buffer whereas the guys below basically need to ride their balls off...
There are no points for qualifying in the final. Race winner gets 250 points.
This remains a mystery to me. none of the arguments for it make any sense!
Also: please screenshot all IG posts!
so its just the UCI post about mens standings. but notably, a comment asks 'is finn even a possibility now?' and he responded "yes" lol
and everyones treating it like a mic drop moment which is all well and good but... walking around in a boot and being nearly 200 points down it seems dubious. classic racer response tho. i'm not doubting he can race his bike by whistler... just doubting he can compete for necessary wins after this injury. mysterious as it is
“So you’re saying there’s a chance…”
I would never bet against Finnley Iles in Whistler. I would also never bet against Jackson Goldstone in Whistler. Or those Jewett guys or psycho Pinkerton or Ronan Dunne or a Pierron or Alran or Bruni or Kolb or Coulanges or my man OO or holy shit Asa Vermette so sick!!
You gotta beat all those guys and the track and the weed guy in front of the liquor store but goddammit Finnley Iles and his fuckin boot are in 3rd place let’s gøöóõőøøø!!!
Damn I should’ve tried harder to go, it’s going to be so sick!
that's another thing. sure he's far behind on points but with the way Jackson is riding... arguably more of a title threat than a dude walking around in a boot a month before the next race. if 500 is still on the table, total, be it qualy+ or final only. thats fine Jax can total 1187 and work with a 200 point buffer against Jordan's results.
regardless, the real dark horse (well not really but he's def made up ground) is Asa. outside of the EU stretch and racing in canada/US? and only 146 points behind? would be a generational fumble if Jordan loses this tho. if i'm him i'm cruising to the line all the way to placid.
There is no cruising anymore. You can easily go 1-1 and not qualify next race, it’s all out gonzo nonstop!
Oh man all this talk about the Canucks racing at home, in Whistler, makes me so excited that I got the time off and have my room booked for the show. Finn is always a threat at home. Jackie Boy is hitting his stride and ready to throw down. And I just know Miss Gracey is right at home on the 1199 track. Having 3 actual podium threats living in the area where they all grew up and it's gonna be electric! Long live Chainsaw!
(bets the house on Asa)
yeah Jordan just cruise it. no worries. play it saaafe brotha. be smart. cruise her in what can go wrooong
Only 450 points available if you run the table the last 2 races. Weird thing and I think this may have been answered last year is that the Uci rule book says 250 for a win and 50 for a qualie win (except the last race ) but standings show 200 and 50.
Oh so we're looking at... 200+50 for whistler and then 200(+0) for Placid?
I dunno why but that sounds... Less cool. If anything final race should give more points not less. Make it dramatic idk
So weird! That’s even weirder than slapping q1 points onto finals.
I’m starting to wonder about these guys…
I'll try to remember to do the IG screen shots if/when I post something from IG. Feel free to drop a reminder if I forget.
Notes on some of the Elite men riders at Val di Sole
[Good luck picking a favorite in this week’s race!]
Gwin isn't racing worlds, didn't make the team.
One thing to remember for worlds is that the qualie race just gets you in the final but isn’t seeding. Start order is based off your current Uci ranking.
No, it's 200+50 in Whistler, and 250 for the finals in Placid (with no points in qualifying).
ok so now we're back to 500, not 450
this doesn't bode well for those trying to follow the sport, new or otherwise 😂
XCO training video
My world champs super lukewarm take: Riders should race in their rad world champs kit instead of the country kit. OR, for the love of god, let a graphics designer rework the color patterns. Some countries are cool but most look terrible. The USA spiderman suit is so lame.
Yep, it's not like we require it for 'viewing/broadcast purposes'
Put the flag as an arm band on the kit, and then have fun with it. Work the colors in or don't, doesn't matter.
Also I hope there is an unofficial 4x world champs race post DH race.
Seriously a complete & absolute fokk up by USA Cycling unless Gwin specifically opted out? Has he said anything about it?
How? The laid out the criteria for selection and other riders had better results to get selected. Should they get bumped just because it’s AG? If anything it’s one drawback for Gwin racing part time on the WC circuit
4x is listed on the schedule for Friday night - "Side Event"
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