There’s still plenty to be decided as the world’s best mountain bikers head to Lake Placid Olympic Sites, New York (USA) for the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series finale.
If the penultimate UCI Cross-country and UCI Downhill World Cups are any indication, a nail-biting finish awaits at Lake Placid Olympic Sites this weekend, with the UCI Downhill World Cup joining the Endurance formats at the New York State venue for the second consecutive season.
It could also be a positive omen for its home riders. In 2025, Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) confirmed his UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup and UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup overall titles at the venue. Could Elite Men UCI Downhill World Cup series leader Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing/TRP) do the same this weekend?
A FITTING SERIES FINALE
Located 285 miles north of downtown Manhattan and a stone’s throw from the Canadian border, Lake Placid might be best known for winter sports, but the site has a growing network of off-road trails perfect for mountain biking, centrred around Mt Van Hoevenberg and Whiteface Mountain.
The former is the location of the cross-country course, which is littered with rock gardens, a slalom course and a section that mimics the venue’s Olympic bobsled run.
Whiteface Mountain, meanwhile, is the setting of the downhill track. Roughly 2km in length, the machined course is packed full of steep, technical terrain and requires precise bike handling and fearless determination to come out on top.