World Cup Preview
The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup returns to La Thuile, Italy, this weekend with Enduro, Downhill, and Cross-country on the menu, as opposed to only gravity events in 2025. Taking place in the breathtaking Italian Alps, the courses are sure to challenge riders (and spectators) with a mix of natural alpine technicality, flowy bike park terrain, and steep slopes.
Notably, the new Cross-country courses will offer riders a chance to ingrain their names in the history books; time will tell as to who will be the first to conquer the exciting new venue. “It’s new for mostly everyone so it is cool to all be learning the lines at the same time. It’s nice to have fresh terrain to suit different riding styles as well,” says Wilier Vittoria’s Ella MacPhee.
Additionally, after its debut in 2025, La Thuile is hosting another after-dark Enduro stage called Nightfall. 23 floodlights will guide riders down the 600m-long stage using the same technology as Formula 1’s night races.
Finally, the downhill course is what the UCI is calling the “by far the steepest course on the circuit.”
Squamish’s own Ella MacPhee rides for Wilier Vittoria.
Ella taking on some rowdy roots on the La Thuile XCO course.
World Cup racer Ella MacPhee’s take on the new XC courses
We caught up with Wilier Vittoria’s Ella MacPhee after her pre-ride to get some intel on the Cross-country courses. Ella hails from Squamish, B.C., and in 2025 she won the u23 XCO in Nove Mesto and finished third in the u23 XCO and XCC overalls. So far this season she has had numerous top five and top 10 finishes, and has become a name to watch for near the front!
The XCO course features a bunch of long climbs, and a mix of natural tech and bike park flow for a 3.42 km lap. The XCC course is 714m long and starts with a punchy climb that leads into a tight and windy descent. Ella pre-rode the track on Thursday and was kind enough to share some of her thoughts with us!
How would you describe the tracks?
Ella: The track is super natural and technical. It is a lot like the terrain we would see in B.C. just a bit looser with such dry conditions. The end is more man-made with some very fun jumps and a rock garden into the tech zone.
What do you like about it?
Ella: I really like how natural it is because it feels like there is a lot of line choice. Even as training goes on, new lines keep developing which makes it exciting. The more I ride the course and find my flow the more I like it.
What do you find challenging?
Ella: Letting go of the brakes with such steep and loose terrain definitely takes some confidence! There is a steep long downhill into a rock garden where you want to go fast but have to make a tight loose corner before another technical section, so staying in control is key! All the roots on the downhills under a thin layer of dust really keep you on your toes as well since you can’t lose focus at all.”
Are there any make or break sections?
Ella: I think consistently picking off the technical sections will be key. There is a long open climb right off the start then not much passing afterwards, so positioning will be important. With so many technical sections there could be many pinch points so trying to move up in the pack before them will be key!
Thanks for the intel, Ella, and good luck this weekend!
Checkout Rae Morrison’s XCO course preview below:
Nightfall returns as Stage 4 for 2026
Despite critics on social media initially calling La Thuile’s Nightfall stage “a waste of money,” fans and riders alike seemed to enjoy the 2025 La Thuile Enduro World Cup stage that took place under floodlights after dark. It is back on the calendar this year and will the fourth and final stage of the day, beginning at 8:30 p.m.
There will be 23 floodlights that claim to have “shadow eliminating technology” from F1 night races along the 370 m track.
With only four stages on the calendar, two of the four are very long. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect for each stage:
Stage 1: Touraisse
- Length: 4.42 km
- Elevation: +84m / -874 m
Stage 2: Belface
- Length: 1.43 km
- Elevation: +124 m / -525m
Stage 3: Cambogia
- Length: 3.58km
- Elevation: +67 m / -826m
Stage 4: Nightfall
- Length: 0.37km
- Elevation: +8 m / -117 m
Last year’s after-dark stage drew a massive crowd. Photo credit: UCI
The length of the course may be shorter than some of the race weekends, but the stages are going to be rowdy.
Steep and deep on LT Hell
The downhill course was named La Thuile Hell for its -27% average gradient and 641m drop in elevation. According to the UCI, it has a mix of 40% machined and 60% natural terrain while passing from alpine to bike park topography.
The course hasn’t changed a whole lot from 2025, so it will be interesting to see how the race plays out. North American racers did really well last year: American Aletha Ostgaard won in Junior Women and American Asa Vermette was second in the Junior Men, while Canadian Gracey Hemstreet was third in Elite Women and Canadian Jackson Goldstone won Elite Men.
See Jackson Goldstone’s practice POV below:
An action-packed schedule
Here’s the full race schedule for the weekend. All times are in Central European Time, so subtract nine hours for our BC readers if you want to watch live. All events—except for downhill qualifications—will be available to watch in Canada on FloSports and in the United States on HBO Max. DH qualifications will have live timing and social media coverage.
Friday, July 3:
- 12:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Women Elite
- 12:55 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 1 Men Elite
- 14:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Women Junior
- 14:20 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification Men Junior
- 15:10 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Women Elite
- 15:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Qualification 2 Men Elite
- 10:35 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women U23
- 11:25 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men U23
- 17:30 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite
- 18:20 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite
Saturday, July 4:
- 11:30 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Junior
- 12:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Junior
- 13:00 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Women Elite
- 14:10 – UCI Downhill World Cup | Finals Men Elite
- 11:00 – UCI Enduro World Cup | All Categories
- 20:30 – UCI Enduro World Cup Night Stage | All Categories
Sunday, July 5:
- 09:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women U23
- 11:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men U23
- 13:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite
- 15:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite
Madeleine Pollock is a multi-discipline racer and rider hailing from North Vancouver, British Columbia. She currently lives in Brevard, North Carolina for most of the year while she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in English and Communication from Brevard College and racing on their varsity cycling team. Maddi shares her love for bikes through being a mentor with Ride Like a Girl and by working on the sales team at Obsession: Bikes. In addition to being an NSMB contributor, Maddi currently serves as the Copy Editor of the Brevard College student newspaper, The Clarion.