The World’s Best Mountain Bikers Take On New York's Biggest Ski Resort This Week

The UCI World Cup has made it to the USA.

In recent years, most UCI World Cup stops have taken place at bike parks in Europe, save for the hallmark end-of-season race at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada. However this year, UCI added a stop at New York’s biggest ski area, Whiteface, in Lake Placid.

In the winter, Whiteface is known for being pretty darn steep with a 3,340′ vertical drop (largest on the east coast), and having downright frigid temperatures. Lake Placid has also been known to host massive, international sporting events such as the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games.

Now, mountain biking will make its mark on the Lake Placid area for the UCI World Cup’s penultimate race of the season. A Downhill (DH) World Cup race will take place on a brand-new track alongside a cross-country race (XCO) and short track (XCC) at Mt Van Hoevenberg. The races will take place from October 3-5, 2025.

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A track has been specially built for the Downhill race at Whiteface by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. The course features a number of line options throughout it, prompting racers to find the fastest ones during practice.

Techy, tight sections in the woods at the top of the course take advantage of Whiteface’s steep terrain. Lower down, there are more open, high-speed jump lines and off-camber transitions.

Not that racers will do much sightseeing, but the foliage is also absolutely gorgeous this time of year, which you can see from Aaron Gwin’s full course preview below. Tap or click to watch.

Watch: Whiteface, New York 2025 UCI DH Track Course Preview

Qualifying laps will take place Friday, October 3 with Elite women racing at 12:30 p.m. and 3:05 p.m., and Elite men racing at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. local time.

The Elite women’s category finals will take place Saturday, October 4 at 1 p.m. local time. Elite men will race finals at 2:10 p.m. local time.

With just two more races left in the season, Loïc Bruni (FRA) and Valentina Höll (AUT) are currently leading the overall points standings. Luca Shaw, who is currently in 5th place overall, and Anna Newkirk, who is in 7th overall, are the highest ranked American Elite DH racers currently in UCI.

Lake Placid will mark the first time UCI downhill racing has returned to the US since 2023. The UCI recently announced that the World Cup would make its return to Durango, Colorado in 2029 and 2030 for a World Championship race.

Related: The Mountain Bike World Championships Are Returning to Colorado 40 Years Later