From defending champions and mountain biking legends to up-and-coming talent and format-switching stars, these are the riders to watch across Cross-county, Downhill and Enduro in the 2025 season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series

The dust has firmly settled after a busy off-season transfer window, training blocks have been completed, and summer is just around the corner, which can only mean one thing – the return of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.

The 2025 series kicks off with a UCI Cross-country World Cup double header in Araxá - Minas Gerais, Brazil in April, before Enduro (in Pietra Ligure, Italy) and Downhill (in Bielsko-Biała, Poland) join the party in May.

The racing will take on a fresh look and feel, thanks to the introduction of career numbers. As part of the broader developments aimed at enhancing the excitement of mountain bike, this new feature allows riders who have won an Elite UCI World Cup race (XCO, DHI or EDR) to choose a unique racing number, while series leaders will compete with the prestigious number ‘1’ plate.

But who is looking strong heading into the first rounds of racing? And what numbers should fans be looking out for? Ahead of each series’ first pedal stroke, these are the riders who should be on your radar…

KORETZKY AND KELLER THE RIDERS TO BEAT IN CROSS-COUNTRY

Could this be Victor Koretzky’s (Specialized Factory Racing) year? The Frenchman (#6), had to settle for second place to Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and #11 Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) in the biggest Cross-country Olympic (XCO) races of 2024 but with both unlikely to be in attendance for all of 2025’s rounds, expect big things from the 30-year-old in both formats.

He won’t have it all his own way though. Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) will be hoping to prove that age is just a number as the G.O.A.T (#10) embarks on his 21st UCI World Cup season targeting win 37 at the age of 39. At the other end of proceedings, 2024 U23 UCI XCO World Cup overall winner Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing - Pirelli) has already shown he can mix it with the elites with a 7th place finish at the Paris Olympics.

In the women’s field, Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) is aiming to defend both her UCI XCO and Cross-country Short-Track (XCC) World Cup series titles, and few would bet against the number 1 plate replacing her career #11 at some point during the year.

The Swiss faces stiff competition from a resurgent Loana Lecomte (BMC Factory Racing), who will sport #2 on her new BMC bike, and the multi-discipline phenom, #3 Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

CAN STARS OF ENDURO CHALLENGE BRUNI AND HÖLL’S DOWNHILL DOMINANCE?

Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Valentina Höll (YT Mob) have both won back-to-back UCI Downhill World Cup overall series, and it looks like it’s going to take something special to knock the men’s #29 and women’s #11 off their perch.

Enter Richard Rude Jr (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Harriet Harnden (AON Racing - Tourne Campervans). The UCI Enduro World Cup overall title holders are both switching focus for the 2025 series and will expect to be contesting for podium spots from the off.

Elsewhere, Jackson Goldstone’s (Santa Cruz Syndicate) return from injury will see the Canadian #6 resume his hunt for UCI World Cup wins, while #57 Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea/FMD Racing) can rival anyone on her day if she can get up to speed quickly on her new Orbea downhill rig.

COMPETITION HOTS UP IN ENDURO

The absence of Rude Jr and Harnden from a minimum of four of the seven rounds of the 2025 series means that the door has been left open for other riders to seize their opportunity.

In the men’s field, #8 Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity) will duke it out with Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) in a battle for the number 1 plate, while #21 Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV) and #2 Jack Moir (YT Mob) will be hoping to find some of their race-winning form.

Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) is the out-and-out favourite in the women’s contest, but the French #9 should expect to be pushed all the way by Brit Ella Conolly, who will expect to break her podium drought in 2025.