The penultimate round of the 2026 Hero UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup is here. We preview the infamous Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon, where 118 kilometers of brutal German singletrack threatens to completely upend the series leaderboards.
Author: Emily Taylor
A masterclass in sheer horsepower and tactical patience. Spain’s David Valero Serrano conquers his HERO Dolomites debut on a massive 36-tooth chainring, while Italian Marathon Champion Claudia Peretti puts on a wire-to-wire climbing clinic in the Alps.
A 330-kilometer death march packing 9,000 meters of relentless elevation gain across Italy, Switzerland, and France. The Randonnée du Mont Blanc is returning for its second edition, offering riders a strictly unsupported, clock-free voyage into deep, existential suffering.
A pure game of chicken against the bunch. Watch the official video highlights from Stage 3 of the 2026 Giro Next Gen as a speculative early-morning breakaway defies a hard-charging peloton on the road to Villa d’Agri di Marsicovetere.
A final-day alpine coup. Isaac Del Toro completely obliterates the GC field on the relentless slopes of the Plateau de Solaison, securing back-to-back high-mountain victories to snatch the overall Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes title and lay down an ominous marker for July.
A brutal penultimate-stage mountain heist. Isaac Del Toro delivers a spectacular solo triumph after hunting down a long-range raid by Juan Ayuso, while Luke Tuckwell grimly clings to a collapsing yellow jersey lead over Matteo Jorgenson ahead of the final showdown.
A Red Bull tactical nuke. Maxim Van Gils takes the summit-finish victory at Crest-Voland while 21-year-old Australian neo-pro Luke Tuckwell upends the GC, stripping the yellow jersey from Alex Baudin.
The Belgian maestro finishes off the work. Team Visma | Lease a Bike executes a flawless leadout train on the fast road to Villars-les-Dombes, delivering Wout van Aert to a convincing sprint victory while Alex Baudin keeps his grip on yellow.