Who to Watch Across the Disciplines
The fastest, strongest mountain bike racers in the world will converge on Lake Placid this fall for three days, September 27 through 29. These are professional cyclists who know no other way to go than to go big, and they’re all coming to the iconic Mt Van Hoevenberg for the newest North American stop in the biggest of all mountain biking events.
The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is a world-wide, multi-discipline, racing series sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), broadcast live around the world, featuring the world’s best athletes in each discipline – Cross-Country Olympic (XCO), Cross Country Short Track (XCC), and Cross Country Marathon (XCM) – featuring women’s and men’s races in each. Many of those racing will be just coming off the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
These three, thrill-packed days of mountain bike racing in Lake Placid are one part a season-long competition that’s sure to have it’s share of drama and plot twists and turns along the way. That means the actors are sure to change along the way, too. Underdogs may rise up, and top riders returning from injury will add to the excitement. So knowing a little about who they are is sure to intensify the experience of bearing witness to it all.
Who are they? Top American riders to watch out for are Christopher Blevins of Colorado and Kate Courtney of California. Blevins was the top American on the UCI XCO World Cup tour last year, finishing 29th. Courtney grew up riding at the base of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, California, the birthplace of mountain biking and is currently the top ranked U.S. Women’s rider in the UCI rankings.
The U.S. women’s team also features rising stars, Gwendalyn Gibson and Savilia Blunk, both from California as well and both major contenders finishing not only in the top 20 in last year’s overall rankings but also in the top 10 at the world championships. On the men’s side, the U.S. team’s Luca Shaw is another in the elite category, having accumulated several World Cup podium finishes and a top 10 ranking overall in the UCI World Series.
But, this is a true World Series, so there are athletes from around the world to be on the lookout for. Swiss rider Nino Schurter is certainly one of those. Nino solidified himself as the top men’s rider in the world last year after capturing his ninth XCO overall title and 10th World Championships victory. Considered by many to be greatest rider in the sport’s history, Schurter is a four-time Olympian with gold, silver, and bronze medals to his credit.
Other top men’s riders include Tom Pidcock, a British rider who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Jordan Sarrou of France, Mathias Flückiger of Switzerland, and Luca Schwarzbauer of Germany, the overall XCC points leader.
In the women’s races, French star Pauline Ferrand-Prêvot is the most highly decorated female mountain bike athlete. Another to watch is Puck Pieterse of the Netherlands, the women’s UCI World Cup winner last year in both XCC and XCO racing. Loana Lecomte (France) and Mona Mitterwallner (Austria) were second and third in XCO racing, while Alessandra Keller (Switzerland) and Evie Richards (United Kingdom) rounded out the top three in XCC points. Olympians to keep an eye on include Swiss riders Jolanda Neff, Sina Frei, and Linda Indergand, who together swept the medals at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the XCM, a 100km race, Fabian Rabensteiner of Italy and Katažina Sosna of Lithuania won overall points titles last season.
These top contenders and many more battle it out for the points and podium at in Lake Placid, and the world will be watching. So will thousands expected to turn out and make some noise on the trails at Mt Van Hoevenberg.
Though the area’s fame runs deep in winter sports, the Lake Placid region is increasingly known for its depth and breadth of easily accessible mountain biking terrain with trails perfect for everyone from expert to beginner. The first Sunday in June, Whiteface Mountain and the town of Wilmington host 50km and 100km races as well as September’s Wilmington MTB Festival. There are also several excellent trail systems around the area that attract mountain bike aficionados from across the East. Mt Van Hoevenberg itself has been home to recreational mountain biking for decades. Now this September, that reputation is sure to grow even more when the Olympic Authority hosts the UCI Mountain Bike World Series and fans watch what is sure to be an exciting series of races.