MTB World Champs: Val di Sole - August 2021

It’s that time of the year again: from 25-29 August, the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships are going down at Val di Sole (Trentino, Italy).

E-MTB cross-country and four-cross take centre stage on Friday 27th August before the elite and U23 cross country races on Saturday 28th August. As usual, the downhill races will be the grand finale: the legendary Black Snake is sure to make for an epic showdown.

A flurry of challenging climbs, thrilling descents and technical sections: that’s cross-country racing. The athletes compete on a 4 km loop with 190 meters of elevation gain around the Val di Sole Bike Park in Daolasa di Commezzadura. From rock gardens and root fields to fast-paced sections, this circuit has everything it takes to guarantee high-adrenaline racing. Mastering the new technical key sections will take all the skill the pro riders can muster. Last but not least, the new setup of the finish area offers fans a perfect view of the action.

Spectacular overtakes and risky jumps are par for the course on day three. Four-cross is known as one of the most all-action and unpredictable MTB disciplines. This year marks the sixth 4X world championship race in Val di Sole.

What makes 4X so special? It’s a short head-to-head race where four riders start together and bomb down a 400 m track characterised by jumps, banked corners, and plenty of obstacles.

The circuit runs alongside the notorious Black Snake downhill track. In addition to three long and challenging double jumps, the track also features a very technical middle section with several jumps where the riders can try to overtake each other.

Created by Pier Paolo ‘Pippo’ Marani, this track celebrated its 20th anniversary in the 2018 season, and its charm remains undiminished. The Blake Snake challenges the laws of gravity and physics, traversing that thin line between love and hate for many DH specialists, as any mistake makes you pay.

On Sunday, August 29, the Black Snake will once again be the arena for the most important downhill race of the season, when the superstars of the international downhill scene will face this ultimate challenge. The Canyon CLLCTV will be represented by a team of pros including Troy Brosnan (AUS) and Tahnée Seagrave (GBR). Their weapon of choice will be the Canyon Sender CFR – the ultimate downhill race bike for the ultimate downhill race.

The track is legendary and poses an extreme challenge for even the most cold-blooded downhill veterans. Anyone who has seen or ridden this terrain can confirm that it is one of the steepest and roughest courses in the world. Over a stretch of only 2.4 km, it covers 540 meters of elevation loss at an average of 22% and up to 40% gradient. This sheer wall of technical rock and root sections leads the pros down to ‘Pippo Jump’ for some final airtime.

Find the starting times of your favourite riders, the full race schedule, as well as official results on the UCI website. You can also watch part of the finals live, including the cross-country and downhill showdowns, on the RedBull TV stream.