South Korea hosts Downhill World Cup
- South Korea will host the opening 2026 UCI Downhill World Cup round at Mona YongPyong on May 1-3, the series’ first Asian stop in 25 years. - The nine-round downhill calendar starts in PyeongChang, with elite and junior downhill races on May 1 before stops in France, Austria and Switzerland. - The opener expands the series into Asia and adds a new venue before Whistler returns in September. (uci.org)
South Korea opens the 2026 UCI Downhill World Cup season at Mona YongPyong in PyeongChang from May 1 to May 3. (uci.org) (ucimtbworldseries.com) The stop is the first UCI Downhill World Cup race in Asia in 25 years, and the first Asian World Cup rounds for Olympic cross-country and short track. (ucimtbworldseries.com) (uci.org) UCI lists elite and junior downhill races in YongPyong on May 1, alongside qualifying for the elite fields at the season opener. (uci.org) Pinkbike’s preview says the new South Korean track mixes open ski-piste sections with wooded technical terrain, after a top-to-bottom course preview surfaced days before round one. (pinkbike.com) (bikemag.com) The 2026 downhill calendar has nine rounds, down from 10 in 2025, with YongPyong opening a season that ends in Lake Placid on October 2-4. (pinkbike.com) (uci.org) Other downhill stops are scheduled for Loudenvielle, Leogang, Lenzerheide, La Thuile, Pal Arinsal, Les Gets, Whistler and Lake Placid. (pinkbike.com) Whistler returns in late September as a new addition to the 2026 series, while Val di Sole drops off the World Cup calendar because it will host the Downhill World Championships in late August. (pinkbike.com) The opener also starts the title defense for 2025 overall winners Jackson Goldstone and Vali Höll, who were confirmed by the series as last season’s World Cup champions. (ucimtbworldseries.com) Pinkbike reported that riders including Goldstone, Loïc Bruni, Luca Shaw, Höll, Gracey Hemstreet and Tahnee Seagrave discussed the South Korea opener in a Warner Bros. Discovery Sports press conference last week. (pinkbike.com) The season now begins on a brand-new course at an Olympic venue, with the first race weekend set to show how quickly the field adapts. (ucimtbworldseries.com) (pinkbike.com)
