<\/p>\n
The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series finale runs Oct. 2-4 with short track on Friday, XCO on Saturday and downhill wrapping up the entire season Sunday. The cross-country races take place at Mt. Van Hoevenberg while the downhillers head to Whiteface Mountain.<\/p>\n
Jenny Rissveds heads into Lake Placid with a healthy 220-point advantage over Sina Frei in the women\u2019s XCO standings, but with 330 points still available, it\u2019s not over yet.<\/p>\n
Rissveds could wrap up the XCO overall during Friday\u2019s short track. She just needs to scores 30 more points than Frei, the title is hers before Saturday\u2019s XCO even starts.<\/p>\n
But Frei leads Rissveds by 100 points in the XCC standings and a podium Friday guarantees Frei the overall. Rissveds needs to win and have Frei finish fourth or worse to have a shot at taking it away.<\/p>\n
Rissveds has done well here in the past: she won both the XCC and XCO at Lake Placid last year.<\/p>\n
Of course one person we\u2019ll all be watching closely is Jenn Jackson. After a summer off due to a broken patella<\/a>, she\u2019s back and doing well. She placed 9th in XCO in Utah a couple weeks back.<\/p>\n On the men\u2019s side, Luca Martin\u2019s XCO overall is essentially settled. Adrien Boichis, the only rider who could challenge him, has switched over to road racing for the end of the season. Martin had an incredibly consistent year that included five consecutive World Cup podiums and two wins.<\/p>\n The XCC title is another story.<\/p>\n Martin leads Mathis Azzaro by 96 points among the riders competing in Lake Placid. A podium guarantees Martin the title. Azzaro needs to win and Martin needs to finish outside the top three.<\/p>\n So Friday\u2019s short track should be worth watching. And we\u2019re here for whatever Cole Punchard decides to do. The scrappy Canadian placed 2nd in Utah a couple weeks back and is always an exciting rider to watch.<\/p>\n It\u2019s old news that Valentina H\u00f6ll has already wrapped up the women\u2019s downhill overall. But that doesn\u2019t mean she isn\u2019t in it to win it. Her victory in Whistler was her sixth World Cup win of 2026.<\/p>\n Behind her, things are still up for grabs. Gloria Scarsi currently sits second overall with Harriet Harnden and Canadian Gracey Hemstreet close behind. Six women are still mathematically capable of finishing second, although Scarsi, Harnden and Hemstreet are the main contenders.<\/p>\n For Hemstreet, that makes Sunday\u2019s final one last opportunity to cap off an already massive season.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the men\u2019s downhill. And this one should be good. Asa Vermette\u2019s incredible winning run in Whistler moved the first-year-elite into the overall lead ahead of Jordan Williams. Amaury Pierron remains mathematically alive too, making it a three-rider title fight.<\/p>\n Vermette leads Williams by 96 points and can finish as low as fourth regardless of what Williams does and still take the overall.<\/p>\n Williams\u2019 best route is straightforward, although not particularly easy: win the race and have Vermette finish fifth or worse. Pierron\u2019s route is considerably more complicated. He needs to win, Williams needs to finish fourth or worse and Vermette needs to finish 10th or worse.<\/p>\n After what Vermette did in Whistler, he\u2019ll be the guy everyone is watching.<\/p>\n But this is racing and one never knows how things are going to shake out. No doubt Jackson Goldstone, Finn Iles and the Jewett brothers would love to throw a couple wrenches into the mix too.<\/p>\n All times below are Eastern.<\/p>\n Women U23 XCC \u2014 9:20 a.m. Women U23 XCO \u2014 9 a.m. Junior men DH final \u2014 11:30 a.m. Obviously the best way to watch this event is in Lake Placid.<\/p>\n For those of us that can\u2019t make it, you\u2019ll need a FloBikes<\/a> subscription. And unfortunately the only live streaming that will happen is of the elite men and women races. Unless of course the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel<\/a> decides to live stream the junior races (always worth checking!).<\/p>\n *Affiliate links present. Canadian Cycling Magazine may receive commissions.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n
Martin has one title, but another is still up for grabs<\/h2>\n
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Gracey Hemstreet is still fighting for second<\/h2>\n
Asa Vermette has the advantage<\/h2>\n
Lake Placid World Cup schedule<\/h2>\n
Friday, Oct. 2 \u2014 XCC<\/h2>\n
Men U23 XCC \u2014 10:10 a.m.
Women elite XCC \u2014 11:45 a.m. (televised on Flobikes)
Men elite XCC \u2014 12:35 p.m. (televised on Flobikes)<\/p>\nSaturday, Oct. 3 \u2014 XCO and downhill qualifying<\/h2>\n
Men U23 XCO \u2014 11 a.m.
Downhill elite Women Q1 \u2014 12:30 p.m.
Downhill elite Men Q1 \u2014 1 p.m.
Women elite XCO \u2014 2 p.m. (televised on Flobikes)
Downhill elite Women Q2 \u2014 3 p.m.
Downhill elite Men Q2 \u2014 3:30 p.m.
Men elite XCO \u2014 4 p.m. (televised on Flobikes)<\/p>\nSunday, Oct. 4 \u2014 downhill finals<\/h2>\n
Junior women DH final \u2014 12:15 p.m.
Women elite DH final \u2014 1 p.m. (televised on Flobikes)
Men elite DH final \u2014 2:10 p.m. (televised on Flobikes)<\/p>\nHow to watch in Canada<\/h2>\n