Anniversary World Cup during Anniversary Year

25 Years of Epic Bikepark Leogang, the 15th UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on home soil – and a weekend that celebrated both anniversaries in more than worthy fashion. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2026 in Saalfelden Leogang delivered everything that defines World Cup racing from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon: fierce competition, emotional victories, over 20,000 fans, and an atmosphere that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

On the Track – Spectacle Under Challenging Conditions
Friday's action kicked off with the Cross-Country Short Track, where Sina Frei (SUI) claimed victory in a gripping three-way battle with compatriot Alessandra Keller and Jenny Rissveds (SWE), while Simon Andreassen (DEN) took his first Short Track UCI World Cup win under difficult weather conditions.
 
Saturday brought the best of sunshine, but the downhill riders still had to contend with the aftermath of heavy rainfall earlier in the week. With FC Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany watching from the sidelines, the Elite Men went first. Canada's Finn Iles mastered the slippery Speedster Line to perfection, claiming the top spot for the second time in his Elite career after 2022. Amaury Pierron (FRA) finished second, and new Epic Bikepark Leogang Ambassador Henri Kiefer (GER) sent the home crowd into a frenzy with third place. The crowning finale of the day came from the Elite Women, who raced after the men at a UCI Downhill World Cup for the first time: Vali Höll secured her third home victory – following 2023 and 2024 – in front of a roaring crowd, ahead of Marine Cabirou (FRA) and Anna Newkirk (USA).
 
On Sunday, World Champion Jenny Rissveds (SWE) dominated the Cross-Counry Olympic race with nearly a minute's advantage over Puck Pieterse (NED) and once again Alessandra Keller (SUI). In the men's race, Adrien Boichis (FRA) took the win ahead of Luca Martin (FRA) and Bjorn Riley (USA).
 
Running in parallel, the UCI Enduro World Cup took place across Austria's largest bike-region Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn – with victories going to Winnie Goldsbury (NZL) and overall World Cup champion Slawomir Lukasik (POL).
 
"It has been an amazing week and it feels like the crowd has been really good today, bigger than I think I have ever seen at Leogang. I am just over the moon, I can not believe it!" – Finn Iles
 
"It feels like déjà vu. Last year Saalfelden Leogang was my season kick-off and now it is again. The vibe here is unreal. I love it. I love Leogang and this event. It's awesome that the blue sky came out and the atmosphere is this good." – Henri Kiefer
 

In the Stands – Over 20,000 Fans Giving Everything
820 athletes from 43 nations, over 20,000 spectators – and an atmosphere like no other. On Downhill Saturday alone, more than 15,000 fans lined up along the course to cheer on local heroes Vali Höll, Andi Kolb, and Henri Kiefer. Scheduling the women's race as the day's grand finale did nothing to thin out the crowd – quite the opposite. In her winner's interview in front of the thunderous crowd, Höll put it bluntly: "Women's Sport is f****** amazing."

 
Just how much Leogang means to teams and athletes alike is clear from the voices out of the pits:
 
"Here in Saalfelden Leogang, we always find a really good vibe, a really good track, and a really good crowd. It's always a great pleasure to come here! This weekend without Loic was a big challenge for the other riders. In the end, they performed super well with Finn winning, what is not going to be his last win this year for sure." – Laurent Delorme, Team Manager Specialized Gravity
 
"It's always a pleasure to come to Saalfelden Leogang, because we know the organization is going to be super solid and the tracks – whatever weather – are always impeccably maintained. You can see how the bike park concept has evolved enormously around the world – and Leogang has clearly been one of the pioneers: making the right calls, offering maximum variety on the trails and continuously developing a product that keeps getting better. The race here is without doubt a massive spectacle. I stood on the start line in the Eliminator final here in 2003 – the passion was already huge back then. It's fantastic to see how dynamic Leogang has remained as a venue." – Fabien Barel, Team Manager Canyon DH Racing
 

Behind the Scenes – 500 People, One Perfect Event
For everything to run smoothly, it all must come together behind the scenes. Alongside months of preparation, over 500 people were deployed across the event weekend – including 350 volunteers, without whom an event of this scale simply wouldn't be possible.
 
"The weather conditions were particularly challenging this year, but the races worked brilliantly – also thanks to the adjustments made to the XCO course. The team performance from our staff and the many volunteers were outstanding. Thank you and congratulations to everyone! The atmosphere, especially on Saturday, was pure goosebump territory." – Kornel Grundner, CEO Leoganger Bergbahnen and event organizer of WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series
 
"This weekend impressively demonstrated how strongly Saalfelden Leogang has developed in recent years. Despite challenging weather conditions, we were able to deliver racing at an absolute world-class level thanks to targeted investment – particularly in the cross-country course. Especially with an eye towards the 2028 World Championships, we're setting new benchmarks here and have developed what is arguably one of the best and fairest courses in the world under difficult conditions. My heartfelt thanks go to our team, the many volunteers, landowners, partners and sponsors, and the State of Salzburg – none of this would be possible without this strong spirit of collaboration." – Marco Pointner, CEO Saalfelden Leogang Touristik and event organizer WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series