The reigning UCI Downhill World Champion and UCI World Cup overall winner headed to Italy’s new UCI World Cup venue to put its trails to the test. 

After the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar was unveiled, attention turned to the latest new addition to the UCI World Cup circuit – La Thuile, Italy. 

Located in the Aosta Valley in northwest Italy, the spot is home to one of the most stunning backdrops in the world of mountain biking – Mont Blanc, the Rutor massif, Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn all rubbing shoulders on the horizon. But if riders and fans can peel their eyes away from the stunning natural skyline, they’ll find an equally amazing network of trails and routes at their feet that spread for 170km over the alpine mountainsides.

The La Thuile bike park sits at its heart. Renowned for its Enduro offering and the venue for several Enduro World Series events between 2014-2021, it was clear it had the credentials to cut it on the world stage. And with 1,200m of lift-assisted descent on offer, it was the obvious place to build a UCI World Cup-worthy downhill course. 

Construction was undertaken by a local team led by track manager Enrico Martello and Swiss specialists Trailworks (whose work includes Bike Kingdom, Lenzerheide, Switzerland), and work on the trail started in June 2024. By October, it was ready for the first runs – giving course builders time to finesse things before it makes its UCI World Cup debut in July.

The testers enlisted knew a thing or two about riding too – reigning UCI World Champion Loris Vergier and 2024 UCI World Cup overall winner Loïc Bruni invited alongside up-and-coming athlete Mylann Falquet to put the track through its paces.

The trio rode from dawn until dusk, taking a UCI World Cup-style approach where the first runs were focused on specific lines and sections before finishing with a complete, non-stop race run to lay down the first timing markers on the course. They also undertook a track walk to provide even more insight and feedback on what was working well and what could be improved.

"It's not every day that you get to ride and work on a freshly built track, with good dirt and jumps to hit for the first time. It's thrilling, we’re privileged," said Loïc Bruni. “We want to use all our experience and insight to make sure the track debuts in the best possible condition". 

"We worked today with the future evolution of the track in mind,” added Loris Vergier. “Run after run, and especially during the races, rocks and roots will quickly emerge. This will increase the technical challenge, offering multiple line choices and guaranteed spectacle." 

The track represents La Thuile’s character – it’s technical, steep and fast. It mixes 40% machined and 60% natural terrain as it passes through dense alpine forests packed with rocks, roots and other technical features before it opens up into a fast, flowing white-knuckle ride down towards the finish line. 

Its standout section is ‘Shanghai’, which alternates a series of banked, artificial berms with natural sections, while the road gap – a 5.5m-high ramp complete with a 13.5m gap – is sure to become a rider and fan favourite.

Vergier certainly seemed impressed, concluding: "It’s one of the best tracks we’ve ever had".