After seven months, 10 countries and 16 rounds of the 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, this weekend sees the final UCI World Cup events of the season and the conclusion of the Cross-country and Downhill formats. 

While the Downhill titles were decided last time out in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes (France), there are still three overall titles on the line in the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup. It couldn’t be in a more fitting location either – Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada, hosting its record 29th UCI World Cup. 

We look at everything you need to know about the Mont-Sainte-Anne round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, including when the Downhill, Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-country Olympic (XCO) events are scheduled to take place, who is racing and how to watch. 

WHEN?

The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Mont-Sainte-Anne starts today with the Women’s U23 UCI XCC World Cup at 16:30 (UTC-4) and concludes with the Men’s U23 UCI XCO World Cup at 16:00 (UTC-4) on Sunday, October 6. 

Below are the key timings for race weekend. All times are UTC-4 (EDT/BST-5/CEST-6): 

Thursday, October 3

• 16:30 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women U23
• 17:05 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men U23

Friday, October 4

•  12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Elite
•  12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Elite
• 13:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior
• 13:45 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior
• 14:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Women Elite
• 15:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Semi Finals Men Elite
• 16:30 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite
• 17:05 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite

Saturday, October 5

• 11:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior
• 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior
• 13:15 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite
• 14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite

Sunday, September 29

• 9:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women U23
• 11:15 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite
• 14:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite
• 16:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men U23

WHERE CAN I WATCH?

You can watch all the action from the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round in Mont-Sainte-Anne wherever you are in the world. Both the men’s and women's UCI Downhill World Cup Junior races will be broadcast live on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel, while the Elite finals will be shown on one of the below channels or streaming services. For the UCI Cross-country World Cup, Elite Men’s and Women’s UCI XCC and XCO World Cups tune in to one of the below channels or streaming services: 

North America

• Canada – Flosports and RDS
• USA  – Max

South & Central America

• Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela – Claro (XCC / XCO) and Staylive (DHI)
•  Belize, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname – Staylive
• Puerto Rico – Max

Asia

• Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan – Staylive
• China – Zhibo.tv (DHI), Staylive (XCC / XCO)
• Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand – Eurosport

Oceania

• Australia – Stan
• New Zealand – Staylive

Africa:

• Angola, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopoa, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, South Africa, Eswatini, São Tome and Principe, St Helena and Ascension, Senegal, Sierra y Leon, Seychelles, Socotra, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia: SuperSport
• All other African territories: Staylive

Europa

• Austria – discovery+
• Belgium – HBO Max, Eurosport 1
• Czech Republic – Max, Eurosport 1 and CT Sport/CT Sport Plus (only XCC/XCO)
• Denmark – Max, Eurosport 1
• France – Max, Eurosport 1, L’Équipe TV (DHI Live and XCO delayed)
• Germany – discovery+, Eurosport
• Greece – Eurosport
• Hungary – Max, Eurosport 1
• Ireland – discovery+, Eurosport 1, TNT Sports 2 (XCC / DHI) and TNT Sports 3 (XCO)
• Italy – discovery+, Eurosport 1
• Netherlands – HBO Max, Eurosport 1
• Norway – Max, Eurosport 1
• Poland – Max, Eurosport 1
• Portugal – Max, Eurosport 1
• Romania – Max, Eurosport 1
• Slovenia – Max, Eurosport 1
• Spain – Max, Eurosport 1
• Sweden – Max, Eurosport 1
• Switzerland – Staylive, SRF and RSI la Due (only XCC/XCO)
• United Kingdom – discovery+, Eurosport 1, TNT Sports 2 (XCC / DHI) and TNT Sports 3 (XCO)

Rest of world – Staylive

RIDERS TO WATCH

While last weekend's venue was a completely new experience for the Endurance contingent, some will know the Mont-Sainte-Anne course like the back of their hands. Prior results can therefore come to the fore when predicting who is going to do what on finals day. 

In the UCI Downhill World Cup, the newly crowned series winners Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Vali Höll (YT Mob) have two wins each in Mont-Sainte-Anne, so will be firm favourites even without a title on the line. 

Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) will be trying to out-do his team-mate in front of a partisan home crowd, while veteran Aaron Gwin (Gwin Racing) could equal Steve Peats’ record four wins at the venue if the American can find some race pace at only his second UCI World Cup of the season. 

For the women’s field, Höll’s biggest opposition is likely to come from Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) and Tahnée Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD). Both have tasted success in Canada in the past and appear to be close to their best after a few patchy years by their own high standards. 

If Mont-Sainte-Anne was a sandwich, then the Endurance action would be the bread to the Gravity filling – the UCI XCC World Cup taking place on Friday, with the UCI XCO World Cup on Sunday. 

With XCC points contributing to the XCO overall tally, both the Men’s and Women’s XCO series could be decided in Friday’s effective qualifying for Sunday's grid position. 

In the women’s, Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) only has to finish 34th to secure the XCC-XCO series double, while Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing) has to win to claim the men’s XCO title. 

Keller is likely to focus on finishing rather than first place so others may contest for the win, so expect to see UCI XCC World Champion Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli), last weekend’s winner Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) and 2023 XCC winner in Mont-Sainte-Anne Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) battling it out at the front.

Hatherly meanwhile will have stern competition from the UCI XCC World Champion Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing), Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Filippo Colombo (Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team).

An extra day’s rest than usual means that all of the above could be in contention when the final UCI XCO World Cup races takes place on Sunday, but there are a number of others who could be vying for top spot on the podium.

Loana Lecomte (Canyon CCLCTV) looked in good form in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid and won in Mont-Sainte-Anne in 2023, while Candice Lill has been one of the most consistent riders all season.

In the men’s XCO, last year’s winner Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) won’t be racing in Mont-Sainte-Anne, but one man with five wins to his name at the venue is. Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team) might not be able to add to his nine overall series wins, but the 38-year-old isn’t done yet. And after a disappointing result in Mt Van Hoevenberg – Lake Placid, where a front puncture saw him drop from the lead group to finish 25th, expect the Swiss star to go all out to end his 16th season in the Elite class on a high.

Racing gets underway today, Thursday October 3rd, in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada. Full schedule and event details are available HERE.