The international mountain biking calendar hits its most scenic and arguably most punishing stop this weekend. On Saturday, June 13, the HERO Südtirol Dolomites will officially host the fourth round of the 2026 HERO UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup in Selva Val Gardena.
With the overall World Cup rankings still completely fluid, the incredibly demanding high-altitude trails of the Dolomites are perfectly positioned to force a major shakeup in the standings. Here is a look at who is lining up to suffer on Saturday and how you can watch the action unfold.
The Men’s Field: A Battle of Legends and Current Leaders
The elite men’s race is shaping up to be a tactical battle between the current World Cup hierarchy and sheer course experience.
All eyes are firmly fixed on Spain’s David Valero Serrano (Klimatiza Orbea Team), who rolls into Val Gardena wearing the overall leader’s jersey following a massive victory at the Naturland Andorra round. He will have zero room to breathe, however, as Wout Alleman sits dangerously close behind him in second place overall.
They will both have to contend with Colombian mountain biking royalty. Leonardo Paez (LeeCougan Basso Factory Racing) is effectively a permanent fixture on this specific podium, having won the Selva race an absurd eight times. Local Italian contenders Samuele Porro (Klimatiza Orbea Team) and Stefano Goria are also locked in and hunting for a home-soil result.
The Women’s Field: Defending the Top Spot
In the women’s race, the target is squarely on the back of Switzerland’s Anna Weinbeer (KTM Spada powered by Brenta Brakes). Weinbeer currently tops the overall rankings after thoroughly dominating the first half of the season.
Her defense of the leader’s jersey will be immediately tested by a stacked start list featuring heavy hitters like Natalia Fischer (Extremadura Ecopilas) and Claudia Peretti. The field also features the return of Rosa Van Doorn from the Netherlands, who recently shook off the rust in Andorra after taking a prolonged hiatus to recover from an injury.
Weekend Schedule and Broadcast Details
The organizers are stretching the event into a full-weekend festival, kicking off with the HERO Charity Night on Thursday, June 11. For fans actually on the ground in Italy, a public press meeting featuring top riders like Valero Serrano, Paez, Weinbeer, and Fischer will be held on Friday at 16:00.
If you aren’t currently standing in a picturesque Italian valley, you can track the elite races remotely.
- Live Broadcast Time: 10:00 to 12:30 (CEST) on Saturday, June 13.
- Where to Watch (English): The official UCI YouTube channel.
- Where to Watch (Italian): SKY SPORT UNO and SKY Sport Max.
- Live Tracking: Real-time timing and GPS tracking for the elite fields will be hosted on the official HERO World Cup website.
If we say it’s the best race ever, maybe they’ll let us have the highlights for Cyclry TV too?
