Pal Arinsal will once again welcome the world’s best mountain bikers in a season marked by closely contested overall standings.

The 11th edition of the WHOOP UCI MTB World Series in Pal Arinsal was officially inaugurated today with the launch event held at La Caubella de Pal. Attending were the Mayor of La Massana, Eva Sansa; the CEO of Andorra Tourism, Betim Budzaku; the Senior Event Manager of the UCI MTB World Series, Paul Davis; and the General Director of the UCI MTB World Cup at Pal Arinsal, David Hidalgo. They kicked off the summer’s big event in Pal Arinsal, which from Thursday to Sunday will bring together the world’s top mountain bikers.

An “iconic” venue

During today’s official presentation, the Mayor of La Massana, Eva Sansa, recalled the parish and Pal Arinsal’s extensive experience hosting MTB World Cups, from the first edition in 2008 to this eleventh edition in 2026, with two World Championships in between: “We have spent 18 years investing in the organization of major international MTB competitions, convinced of their enormous potential both from a sporting and tourism perspective,” said Sansa, who explained that “several hoteliers in the parish have confirmed that they will reach 100% occupancy during these days.”

Similarly, Paul Davis highlighted the importance of the Andorran event on the international calendar and its impressive track record. “It is a pleasure to return once again to Pal Arinsal, one of the iconic venues on the international MTB stage,” said the Senior Event Manager of the UCI MTB World Series, who confessed, “personally it’s one of my favorite venues. We need to keep coming back to iconic venues to continue pushing this sport forward.”

Meanwhile, the CEO of Andorra Tourism, Betim Budzaku, recalled the body’s strong commitment to the World Cup, having been a partner since the very first edition. “Hosting this event again is a major boost for promoting the country in the cycling world, as it is a well-established competition that brings the country year after year notable visibility on the world calendar and allows us to be seen and recognized globally,” Budzaku said.

He also stressed that the event brings together more than 200 accredited media outlets from around forty countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain, thanks to the powerful communications platform of Warner Bros. Discovery. Last year, the Pal Arinsal World Cup edition reached a combined audience of 8 million viewers.

Finally, David Hidalgo reaffirmed that this is now a “fully established event and, in Pal Arinsal, we have highly experienced organizational teams.” He also noted that, for now, the weather forecast is favorable, which should encourage a larger turnout, with a projected sale of 6,000 tickets. In this regard, Hidalgo explained that this year they want to further enhance the spectator experience and bring the audience even closer to the riders. For this reason, the layout of the technical zone and the paddocks has been changed so visitors can be closer than ever to the main stars.

Tightly contested overall standings

On the competitive side, the entry lists closed with nearly 600 riders from 44 countries across all disciplines, and once again many of the top international MTB stars and favorites will be present in a season marked by tight competition in some overall standings, especially in the men’s downhill and Cross-country categories, along with some notable absences.

In Cross-country, the leaders of the XCO rankings, Luca Martin and Jenny Rissveds, and of the XCC, Mathis Azzaro and Sina Frei, will be standout names in Pal Arinsal, as well as favorites such as Adrien Boichis, Bjorn Riley and Dario Lillo in the men’s category, or Martina Berta, Savilia Blunk and Puck Pieterse in the women’s. Local rider Roger Turné will also be competing in the U23 category.

In downhill, the overall leaders Amaury Pierron and Valentina Höll will also be participating, along with Lisa Baumann, Myriam Nicole, Anna Newkirk, Finn Iles, Loris Vergier, Asa Vermette, Jackson Goldstone (current World Series champion) and Jordan Williams (winner of the last event held in Italy), among many others.

All of them, along with the other nearly 600 riders, will battle to collect as many points as possible and head into the summer break of the WHOOP UCI MTB World Series in good standing, since after the Pal Arinsal race, they won’t compete again until late August, when the World Cup round in Les Gets (France) will be held, followed by the UCI MTB World Championships in Val di Sole (Italy).

Short Track, Downhill and Olympic Cross-country finals

The organization is putting the finishing touches on the courses and their surroundings. Between today and tomorrow, the required technical inspections by the UCI and the TV production team are taking place, and tomorrow the riders will get a first look at the courses in person during the foot inspection. From Thursday onwards, all cyclists will be able to begin official training sessions in Pal from 8:30 a.m., both on the downhill and the Cross-country course.

The highlights of the World Cup, as usual, will begin on Friday, with the U23 (10:35 a.m.) and Elite (6:00 p.m.) finals of the Cross-country Short Track, where the top-ranked riders will compete in the explosive race on the 1 km circuit located in the Caubella area.

That same Friday there will also be action in the Fontanals area with the downhill qualifiers (from 12:30 p.m.), with Q1 and Q2 runs in which the riders must earn a spot in Saturday’s finals (from 11:00 a.m.). The course will once again link the Cubil peak with the finish in Fontanals, on a spectacular 1.9 km track with a 458-meter drop.

Sunday will see the last finals with the U23 (9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.) and Elite (1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Olympic Cross-country races in Caubella, on a 3.8 km circuit.

Please note that all schedules are subject to weather conditions and may be modified if necessary.

Public transportation: the most convenient way to get around

To reach the MTB World Cup facilities, the bus is one of the most efficient and convenient options. From Andorra la Vella, it is recommended to use the regular L5, L6, and L7 lines, which connect with the parish of La Massana. They offer a sustainable mobility alternative and allow easy access to the connection point with the rest of the event’s transport system.

From La Massana, attendees can choose between two options to access the competition: taking the La Massana cable car up to the station or using the special shuttle buses departing from the center of the parish, which will travel to the two main competition areas: Caubella (Cross-country events) and Fontanals (downhill).

These options will be available exclusively to holders of a valid event ticket and a Grandvalira Resorts Season Pass, both of which are required to use any of the transport services or access the facilities.

Meanwhile, the most active visitors can walk or cycle to the sports area. The organizers have set up a supervised bike parking area at both venues, located next to the paddock entrance.