Les Gets is once again getting ready to become the world capital of mountain biking. From August 20 to 23, 2026, the Haute-Savoie resort will host another round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, a must-see event for downhill and cross-country enthusiasts.
For four days, the best riders on the planet will meet on the iconic trails of Les Gets to offer an XXL show in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. The program includes: Cross-country Short Track (XCC), Downhill (DHI), and Olympic Cross-country (XCO), with races scheduled from Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 23.
The resort, which has been a global mountain biking reference for over 30 years, promises a unique atmosphere combining high-level sport, entertainment, exhibitor village, and festivities throughout the weekend. The event will be completely free and open to the public.
After the successes of previous editions, Les Gets is expected to once again attract thousands of spectators eager to admire the international stars of the circuit on some of the most technical and spectacular trails on the UCI calendar.
Four days of competition and spectacle
The festivities will begin on Thursday, August 20, with a day mainly dedicated to downhill and cross-country training. The serious business will start on Friday with the first finals.
The program will then be divided around three major days:
- Friday, August 21: cross-country short track finals;
- Saturday, August 22: major downhill finals;
- Sunday, August 23: Olympic cross-country finals.
Access to the event is announced as free, excellent news for everyone who wants to discover top-level mountain biking without necessarily being specialists in the discipline.
Friday: the short track kicks off
The first day of finals will be dedicated to XCC, the cross-country short track. This particularly dynamic discipline takes place on a short circuit and generally involves very intense races where gaps remain minimal.
Under-23 riders will open the day with the women’s final at 10:35 AM, followed by the men’s final at 11:25 AM according to the detailed program published by Les Gets.
But the big event will come late afternoon. The elite women’s final will start at 5:15 PM, before the elite men’s final at 6:05 PM. The award ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 6:40 PM.
Perfectly kicking off this big mountain biking weekend.
Saturday, August 22: time for the spectacular downhill
This is probably the day that will attract the most thrill-seeking fans. On Saturday, August 22, the world’s best downhill specialists will compete on the Les Gets track.
Jumps, roots, rock gardens, fast corners, and particularly technical sections make up this discipline where riders move at impressive speeds.
After the junior finals starting at 11:30 AM, it’s time for the elites:
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: elite women’s final
Then will come the eagerly awaited moment of the day:
2:10 PM – 3:45 PM: elite men’s final
The men’s award ceremony is scheduled from 3:45 PM.
Sunday: Olympic cross-country to finish in style
The last highlight of the weekend: the Olympic cross-country. Sunday, August 23 will begin with the U23 categories. The women will start at 9:00 AM, followed by the men at 11:00 AM.
Attention will then turn to the two elite races.
The XCO women’s final will take place from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM.
At 3:30 PM, the men will set off for a race scheduled until 5:00 PM, before the final award ceremony of this 2026 edition.
With its demanding climbs, technical descents, and sections where positioning plays a decisive role, the XCO offers a very different spectacle from the previous day’s downhill.
Mathieu Van der Poel expected at Les Gets?
This edition could also be marked by the presence of a huge world cycling star: Mathieu Van der Poel. According to information published on August 11 by Le Dauphiné Libéré, the Dutchman is expected to race at Les Gets in his first cross-country mountain bike race of the 2026 season. He would notably use this World Cup round to prepare for the World Championships scheduled a few days later in Val di Sole, Italy.
His presence would obviously be one of the big attractions on Sunday. Van der Poel already knows Les Gets as he finished sixth in 2025.
The proximity of the World Championships should more generally help to raise the level of this round: for the best riders, Les Gets represents one of the last big confrontations before the global event.
Les Gets, a mountain biking land
If the World Cup regularly returns to the resort, it is obviously no coincidence. Les Gets has maintained a special relationship with mountain biking for several decades. Its Bike Park, downhill tracks, and numerous routes attract practitioners from all over Europe each summer.
But the resort also has solid experience with international competitions. It hosted the Mountain Bike World Championships in 2004, then again in 2022, during an edition fondly remembered by the French public.
Since then, Les Gets has established itself as one of the emblematic sites on the international calendar.
A grand mountain biking celebration accessible for free
One of the main assets of this 2026 edition is also its accessibility. The organization announces in fact free access to the competitions, from Thursday to Sunday. It will thus be possible to come watch the training sessions then the various finals without buying a traditional ticket.
For spectators, the experience is not limited to just watching the starts and finishes. Moving along the trails allows discovering different technical sections and truly measuring the speed and commitment of the riders.
On Saturday, the downhill should once again offer the most spectacular atmosphere, while Sunday will allow following the tactical confrontations of the cross-country.
The schedule of the main highlights
- Thursday, August 20
- DHI and XCO training throughout the day.
- Friday, August 21 – Short Track
- 10:35 AM: U23 women’s XCC final
- 11:25 AM: U23 men’s XCC final
- 5:15 PM: elite women’s XCC final
- 6:05 PM: elite men’s XCC final.
- Saturday, August 22 – Downhill
- 11:30 AM: junior women’s DHI final
- 12:00 PM: junior men’s DHI final
- 1:00 PM: elite women’s DHI final
- 2:10 PM: elite men’s DHI final.
- Sunday, August 23 – Olympic Cross-country
- 9:00 AM: U23 women’s XCO final
- 11:00 AM: U23 men’s XCO final
- 1:30 PM: elite women’s XCO final
- 3:30 PM: elite men’s XCO final.
Practical information
Event: WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series – Les Gets
Dates: from Thursday, August 20 to Sunday, August 23, 2026
Location: Les Gets, Haute-Savoie
Disciplines: downhill DHI, Olympic cross-country XCO, and cross-country short track XCC
Fee: free access to competitions
Audience: all public.
The detailed program, which may evolve, can be consulted on the official Les Gets World Cup page as well as on the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series website.
A weekend not to be missed for mountain biking fans
Just a few days before the World Championships, the Les Gets round promises to be one of the major sporting events of this late summer in Haute-Savoie.
Between the impressive speed of the downhill, the explosive short track races, and the confrontations in Olympic cross-country, the program will showcase several faces of competitive mountain biking.
And with free access and the possible presence of Mathieu Van der Poel, the trails of Les Gets are expected to attract a large crowd from August 20 to 23, 2026.
