Wilier-Vittoria, Pal Arinsal - Andorra, UCI MTB World Series Round 6 - Preview

Before the summer break, one final — and brutally tough — World Cup round awaits the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team. From July 11 to 13, the sixth stop of the UCI MTB World Series will take place in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, widely considered one of the most demanding races of the entire season. And with poor weather expected on Friday, conditions are likely to be even more challenging.

Riders are already familiar with the venue, as it hosted last year’s World Championships, where the coveted rainbow jerseys were up for grabs. The Pal Arinsal bike park is nestled in the heart of the Pyrenees, just a short distance from the Andorran-Spanish border, and offers more than 60 km of trails spread across 30 different lines. The Andorran courses are among the hardest all year — blending sunbaked singletrack descents with short, punchy forest climbs, all made tougher by the high altitude.

Once again, Wilier-Vittoria will line up with a full squad: European Champion Simone Avondetto, Italian Champion Luca Braidot, and Juri Zanotti will take on the elite men’s races; Sofie Heby Pedersen will represent the team in the elite women’s field; while in the U23 categories, Italian Champion Elian Paccagnella and Gustav Heby Pedersen — currently second overall in the XCC standings and third in XCO — will be joined by Ella MacPhee, who continues to lead the overall XCO standings in the U23 women’s category.

WHERE TO WATCH THE ANDORRA WORLD CUP?

CLICK HERE to find out which channels/platforms are broadcasting the World Cup in your country. Here are the local start times for the XCC and XCO races, so you won’t miss a single pedal stroke from the Wilier-Vittoria riders!

Friday July 11th

• 09:45 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women Elite (S.Pedersen)

• 10:25 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men Elite (Avondetto, Braidot, Zanotti)

• 11:20 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Women U23 (MacPhee)

• 12:00 – UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup | Men U23 (G.Pedersen, Paccagnella)

Sunday July 13th

• 09:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women U23 (MacPhee)

• 11:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite (S.Pedersen)

• 13:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite (Avondetto, Braidot, Zanotti)

• 15:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men U23 (G.Pedersen, Paccagnella)