• 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

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)