First UCI World Cup Race of the 2026 season!

Race week for the first UCI World Cup of the season was here.

I was super excited to be back racing analogue bikes alongside friends from all around the world. Mountain biking is an incredible sport—it brings together people from every background, and we all get to share epic experiences on two wheels.

Monday's training session consisted of descending intervals. Not quite the kind of descending I first thought either! The interval times got shorter as the session progressed—it wasn't downhill intervals unfortunately.

I got the session done early as temperatures were already climbing, and the last thing I wanted before race week was heat stroke.

The afternoon was spent cleaning and checking over the bike before cooling off in the icy river and finishing the day with some yoga.

Tuesday was opener day—a session designed to wake the body up and get the muscles firing ahead of race week.

After the session and a good breakfast, a big group of us headed out to walk Stage 4, the only stage that had changed from the previous year. We had to hike both up and down the track as we had no way of getting everyone to the top.

The stage was looking dry, dusty and steep, with fresh loose sections and some incredibly tight corners. Everyone was excited to ride it in practice.

Back at the van I grabbed some lunch, did a bit of work for Tradextra, and later that evening we managed to catch a lift up the hill to walk Stage 5. Although unchanged from two years ago, it was good to refresh the memory.

Wednesday started with a mini photoshoot. The organisers wanted headshots of all the riders in team kit, so I pulled on my Swift Racing shirt, braided my hair—my signature race style—and headed off.

Thankfully there was no makeup this year. Last season they gave us the full treatment, which isn't really my thing!

After lunch I headed out for some gondola laps as a shakedown ride to make sure the bike was perfect and to get my mind and body back into riding trails.

Thursday was a full rest day and a serious carb-loading day.

I also completed registration and was stoked to receive plate number 6.

With temperatures sitting above 30°C, resting was pretty easy. I used the day to prepare food for practice and race day and remembered one of the best tricks I learned last year from Amanda, our team manager—freezing bags of water to use as ice packs on the back of my neck during the long climbs.

It's amazing how effective such a simple trick is for keeping core temperature down in the heat.

Friday – Practice Day

Winni and I made a plan to start practice early to avoid the worst of the heat and give ourselves more recovery time afterwards.

We rolled out at 8:15am and tackled a two-hour liaison to Stage 1.

Stage 1 was the longest of the weekend. It started relatively mellow before becoming steep, loose and incredibly dusty. Finding grip was a challenge.

Stage 2 was classic enduro: technical sections, bike park flow, a fire-road sprint, loose corners and steep technical terrain. Plenty of heavy breathing but a whole lot of fun.

Stage 3 was a short, steep stage with a trail jump and good flow.

Stage 4 was the stage we'd walked earlier in the week. By the time we arrived we were already tired, but I enjoyed the new sections and managed the tight corners well.

After lunch and a refuel, we tackled the final 90-minute climb to Stage 5. We arrived just as practice opened and were among the first riders down. It was a savage track and I knew it would be tough after a full day of riding.

Once practice finished, I headed straight to the bike wash before the queues formed. Back at the van, a quick dip in the river helped cool things down before I checked over the bike.

A fresh rear tyre went on, but otherwise everything was perfect.

I also applied all five race stickers—two on the wheels, one on the front triangle, one on the rear triangle and one on the fork. These prevent riders from swapping parts during the race without receiving a time penalty.

After a call home to Mum and Dad, it was time for bed.

Race Day

My start time was 11:05am. Nice for a sleep-in, but it also meant racing through the hottest part of the day, so hydration and nutrition were going to be critical.

Another bag of ice went down the back of my neck, my bib shorts were stuffed with snacks, and I was off.

At the start village I was interviewed by the commentator, who noticed I was on the same bike but riding under a different team. I proudly explained that while the bike was the same, I was now racing under my own team—Swift Racing.

The climb to Stage 1 went smoothly, and I arrived at the start with ten minutes to spare.

The track was blown out, full of loose rocks and torn tape in the corners. I stayed upright but rode a little conservatively, finishing 8th and around 20 seconds behind the leader.

Stage 2 suited me much better. The big pedal motivated me as I could see the rider ahead, and I put together a strong run to finish 5th.

Stage 3 was less successful. I struggled to trust the corners and finished 13th, although only 11 seconds off the fastest time.

On the climb to Stage 4, riders were complaining about the heat, but my fuelling strategy seemed to be working well. Unfortunately, I was still struggling to fully trust my riding and carried too much brake speed through sections. I made up time on the road sprint but finished 12th.

Then it was time for the Technical Assistance Zone (TAZ)—effectively lunch break and the only point where outside assistance is allowed.

The bike was running perfectly, but I lubed the chain to combat the dust before the final hour-long climb to Stage 5. After some rice, apple sauce and another ice pack, I was ready to go.