Biking
Western Canadian fans will be excited to hear that Whistler, BC, will be a stop on the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup calendar. This, however, comes at the expense of a legendary venue in Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec.
Whistler Bike Park will host its first-ever World Cup event on September 25 through 27 but it will be strictly downhill. This means there will be no enduro or cross-country events hosted on Canadian soil next season.
Whistler has long been regarded as one of the premier mountain bike destinations in the world, and it is quite surprising that it has never hosted any World Cup MTB events. With a vertical drop of nearly 5,000 feet and over 50 miles of trails, Whistler Bike Park is second to none in terms of terrain.
This exciting news, however, comes as legendary Mont Sainte Anne venue is dropped from the World Cup circuit. Mont Sainte Anne has been hosting UCI World Cup events since the early 1990s and has hosted the most events of any venue. Known as one of the toughest courses on the tour, Mont Sainte Anne will be missed for its technical terrain that challenged even the most experienced riders.
Although Mont Sainte Anne will be left off next year’s calendar, East Coast fans will still have a stop at Lake Placid, New York, on October 2 through 4. The Lake Placid stop was introduced in 2024 when it hosted cross-country races at Mt. Van Hevenberg. Downhill events have also been added for both this year and next year and will be held at Whiteface Mountain.
While Mont Sainte Anne’s absence marks the end of an era, Whistler’s debut on the UCI World Cup circuit is a milestone for the sport. Combined with Lake Placid’s recent arrival on the calendar, the changes signify a shifting North American landscape for World Cup racing. Whether Mont Sainte Anne will return in future seasons remains uncertain, but its legacy as one of the most challenging and celebrated venues endures.
