For three days this July, the small alpine town of La Thuile becomes the loudest place in the Aosta Valley. The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is back — and this time it’s bringing every discipline the sport has to offer.
After a debut in 2025 that delivered the steepest downhill course in World Cup history and the sport’s first-ever Enduro night stage, the 2026 edition adds Cross-Country to the program. That makes La Thuile one of only two quadruple-header events on the entire 2026 World Series calendar: Downhill, Enduro, Cross-Country Olympic, and Cross-Country Short Track, all racing across the same weekend, on the same mountain.
For us at Aosta Valley Freeride, this is home turf. We’ve been guiding riders on these trails for over fifteen years — and we know exactly what makes this weekend special, and what to do with the days on either side of it.
This is Round 7 of the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Quad-header events are rare on the calendar because hosting four disciplines at once is hard — La Thuile’s terrain is one of the few in Europe that supports all of them without compromise. The lift-served bike park gives downhill its vertical and enduro its descents; the high meadows give cross-country its climbs.
If you’re new to mountain bike racing, here’s the short version: downhill is full-gas top-to-bottom on a single course, enduro is timed descents linked by transfers across the mountain, cross-country is lap racing on a technical loop, and Short Track is a sprint-format teaser raced the night before the main event.
You’ll see all four in 72 hours.
Confirmed schedule from the official La Thuile event page:
| Day | Sessions |
|---|---|
| Thursday 2 July | Downhill and Cross-Country training |
| Friday 3 July | Cross-Country Short Track qualifying (morning) · Downhill qualifying (afternoon) · Enduro training all day |
| Saturday 4 July | Downhill finals 11:30–15:45 · Enduro stages 11:00–19:00 · Enduro Night Stage 20:30–22:30 |
| Sunday 5 July | Cross-Country Olympic finals 09:00–17:00 |
If you can only come for one day, come for Saturday. The Downhill finals into the Enduro night stage is the moment of the weekend — illuminated trails through the forest, riders dropping in under floodlights. There’s nothing else like it in mountain biking right now.
La Thuile is built for spectators. The organizers’ approach is simple: park once, walk all day. The race venue is integrated into the village and bike park, so you leave the car in the central lot and reach everything on foot.
Two public cable cars run during the event — Bosco Express and Chalet Express — and they connect the village directly to the upper trails. Use them to get up the mountain for downhill and enduro vantage points, then walk down through the spectator zones.
For ticket details and any access changes closer to the date, check the official La Thuile event page. UCI MTB World Cup events typically open on-site spectator access, but the organizers publish specifics in the weeks before the weekend.
Live streaming is on the UCI MTB World Series channels (YouTube and major social platforms) if you can’t make it in person — but trust us, on-site is a different sport.
La Thuile sits at the western end of the Aosta Valley, near the French border. It’s surprisingly easy to reach from international airports:
By road, take the A5 Turin–Aosta–Mont Blanc motorway, exit at Morgex, then follow the SS26 through Pré-Saint-Didier. La Thuile is 15 km up from there. By rail, the nearest station is Pré-Saint-Didier (9 km), with regular bus connections up the valley.
If you’re flying in just for the weekend, a private transfer or rental car is the most flexible option. If you’re combining the World Cup with a guided tour, we handle airport-to-airport logistics as part of the booking.
Watching the world’s best ride La Thuile is one thing. Riding the same valley yourself, with a guide who knows where the trails get good after the crowds leave, is another. July is peak season here, and the trails on either side of race weekend are in their best condition of the year.
Three ways to extend your trip:
The riders racing this weekend train on the same trails we guide on. You won’t ride them as fast — nobody does — but you’ll ride them with someone who knows the lines.
Plan a guided MTB trip around the World Cup →
Accommodation in La Thuile fills up months in advance for race weekend. The local tourism office handles inquiries directly. If you book a tour with us, lodging is part of the package and we secure rooms well in advance.
A practical alternative: stay in the central Aosta Valley (Aosta city, Courmayeur, or Morgex) and drive up for the race days. It’s 20–40 minutes either way, and you have a wider choice of evenings.
When is the UCI MTB World Cup at La Thuile in 2026?
July 3–5, 2026. Training sessions begin on Thursday July 2.
Which disciplines race at La Thuile in 2026?
Four: Downhill, Enduro, Cross-Country Olympic, and Cross-Country Short Track. It’s one of only two quadruple-header events on the 2026 World Series calendar.
Is spectator access free?
On-site access details are published by the organizers closer to the event. Check the official La Thuile event page in late June for confirmed information.
What’s the nearest airport to La Thuile?
Geneva Airport (GVA) is the closest at about a 2-hour drive. Turin Caselle (TRN) is the closest Italian airport, also around 2 hours.
Can I ride La Thuile bike park during the World Cup weekend?
Lift-served park access is typically restricted or limited during race days. The best approach is to ride before or after the weekend — or join a guided tour exploring the wider La Thuile bike park and surrounding Aosta Valley trails on either side of the event.
When is the Enduro Night Stage?
Saturday July 4, from 20:30 to 22:30. The signature moment of the weekend — racers descending illuminated trails through the forest after dark.
