Latvia’s Martins Blums goes over a jump during the UCI Mountain Bike event at Mount Van Hoevenberg in 2024. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)
LAKE PLACID — The UCI Mountain Bike World Series is set to return this weekend, expanding from one venue last year — Mount Van Hoevenberg — to two venues this year, adding the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center.
The three-day event, which kicks off on Friday, Oct. 3 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 5, will feature men’s and women’s UCI World Cup races in both endurance and gravity disciplines, including Cross-country Short Track and Cross-country Olympic at Mount Van Hoevenberg and Downhill at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington.
Those wanting to see the biking action — either in person or virtually — have the options to watch with an HBO Max subscription or at the site with the purchase of a ticket. That can be purchased at tinyurl.com/mv4tw6fs.
Friday’s admission is free. However, General Admission on Saturday and Sunday is $10 each day. There is also a gondola access add-on at Whiteface Mountain for $20, and a lift access add-on for $10.
There is also paid parking for the event, which is $20 at each site, or $40 for two-days worth at Mount Van Hoevenberg.
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Schedule
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The competition schedule will kick off on Oct. 3 with the downhill qualifier at Whiteface, with the first race starting at 12:30 p.m. and the final one at 3:30 p.m.
Over at Mount Van Hoevenberg, on that day, short track racing will start at 9:45 a.m. with the U23 women, as the U23 men will follow at 10:35 a.m. With a break for training and other small events, the action will pick back up at 4:20 p.m. with women’s racing and at 5 p.m. for men’s racing.
Saturday’s action all takes place at Whiteface as the elite men’s and women’s champions are crowned following the men’s and women’s Junior finals. The junior riders start with a women’s race at 11:30 a.m. and a men’s race at noon. The elite competition kicks off with a women’s race at 1 p.m., followed by the men’s at 2:10 p.m.
Sunday will see the elite men and women and the U23 riders on the XCO course at Mount Van Hoevenberg. The U23 women and women will have races at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively. The weekend will wrap up with elite women at 1:30 p.m. and elite men at 3:30 p.m.
Throughout the weekend, there will be family-friendly activities apart from the racing. This includes kids’ activities at both venues on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will also be several autograph sessions and live music.
Barkeater Trails Alliance will also host a Friday Night Bike Jam from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Olympic Speedskating Oval on Oct. 3. From 7 to 8:15 p.m. that day, there will be a film screening of “It Will Be Different For You,” a documentary about retired biker, Lea Davison, who will be there at the Lussi Ballroom at the Lake Placid Conference Center to answer questions. Davison will also be at some autograph sessions during the week.
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More information
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Lake Placid one of several stops on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series tour, which opened April 3 in Arax, Minas Gerais, Brazil and concludes Oct. 9 to 12 at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec. This weekend will feature some of the world’s best elite, U23 and junior riders battling for podium finishes and valuable points in the overall standings.
Cross-country races return to an updated version of the demanding course introduced last year at Mount Van Hoevenberg, while Whiteface Mountain unveils its new Downhill course — traversing roughly two kilometers of steep, technical terrain designed for high-speed descents that require both precision and fearless determination.
This marks the second year of a three-year partnership between ORDA and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, the global promoter of the series. Lake Placid made its debut on the UCI World Series calendar last year with cross-country racing at Mount Van Hoevenberg.
Last year, Specialized Factory Racing’s Victor Koretzky clinched both the XCO and XCC victories, while teammates Laura Stigger and Sina Frei secured the top two spots in the women’s XCC and XCO. This year’s race is expected to feature an all-star cast of returning champions, rising stars and legends of the sport.
Among the top contenders this year are: Valentina Hll, the 24-year-old reigning UCI Downhill World Champion; Loc Bruni, a five-time UCI World Champion; Alessandra Keller, the reigning UCI XCO and XCC World Cup champion; Haley Batten, who won an Olympic silver medal during last year’s Paris Games, the best finish ever by an American rider; Christoper Blevins, an Olympian, who opened this season, winning three of the four races; and Riley Amos, who finished seventh at the Paris Olympics.
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