Early season XC races to watch
World Cup racing doesn’t start until April, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t high-level international racing to watch. In February and March, top talent heads to warmer locales to tune their legs and find their race pace. Read on for Ryan MTB’s guide to early season XC racing.
Looking for early season gravel races? Check out our previous article here.
Shimano Supercup Massi series
La Nucía, Spain | February 8
In the off seaon, pro cyclists flock to warm locales such as Spain to train and prepare for the season. Expect some World Cup hitters to show up to the Shimano Supercup series, beginning in La Nucía with a C1 race, and continuing throughout the spring at various locations in Spain.
Internacionales Chelva
Chelva, Spain | February 15-16
Internacionales Chelva is another popular early season XC race in Spain. This weekend ups the competition and points with an HC classification.
Tropical MTB Challenge
Salinas, Puerto Rico | February 19
The Tropical MTB Challenge is on the UCI Continental Series calendar for the Americas, meaning that aspiring World Cup racers can earn points and possible World Cup entries. The following weekend is an HC race in the same location.
New Zealand National Championships
Rotorua, New Zealand | February 22-23
Down in the southern hemisphere, the Kiwis are battling for National Championship honors. Last year, the XCO was won by Samara Maxwell and Anton Cooper.
Greek MTB Series - Salamina Epic series
Salamina Island, Greece | February 28
Greece is another sunny and warm location that will see World Cup racers test their legs at the start of the season, and Salamina Island outside of Athens hosts multiple races in February and March. The opening race last year had Candice Lill and Filippo Colombo on the top step of the podium.
Puerto Rico MTB Cup
Rincón, Puerto Rico | February 28-March 1
Another opportunity for riders in the Americas takes place in Rincón on the west edge of the Island. Rincon saw Riley Amos and Gwendalyn Gibson ride to victories last season.
SA XCO Cup
Cape Town, South Africa | March 1-2
South Africa’s national series stops in Cape Town for March racing ahead of the Cape Epic.
AusCycling MTB National Series
Canberra, Australia | March 1
This Australian National Series race is a part of the Oceania Continental Series for XC riders particiapte in high-level international competition.
Cactus Cup
Fountain Hills, Arizona | March 7-9
The Cactus Cup has been organizing desert racing since 1991. The current iteration includes a time trial, short track, 40-mile XC, and an XC-style enduro that attracts competitive fields.
US Pro Cup
Temecula, California | March 7-9
The US Pro Cup hosts the first two rounds of the USA Cycling XC national series. The racing kicks off in Temecula before the second round of the series in Bentonville, Arkansas from March 19-23.
Australian National Championships
Mount Buller, Australia | March 12-16
Australian Nationals are held north of Melbourne this year. Rebecca Henderson and Cameron Ivory were the XC champions last year.
French Cup
Marseille - Luminy, France | March 14-16
March’s French Cup in an HC level event, meaning a high level of competition will be there to seek out UCI points.
Internazionali d’Italia Series
San Zeno di Montagna, Italy | March 15-16
The Internazionali d’Italia races begin in mid-March and stretch through July, often attracting big names from the World Cup to Italian venues.
Cape Epic
South Africa | March 16-23
The seven-stage Cape Epic is mountain biking’s most famous stage race. Pro riders and amateurs flock to South Africa to tackle big days on hot, dusty trails.
Oceania Mountain Bike Championships
Queenstown, New Zealand | March 21-23
The Continental Champinships for the Oceania region head to Queenstown. The 2024 XCO victors were Anton Cooper and Samara Maxwell.
Swiss Bike Cup
Rivera, Switzerland | March 23
A Continental Series race for Europe, the first race in the Swiss Bike Cup series kicks off in the southern part of the country and also features a UCI Junior Series race.
International MTB Cup Brazil
Araxá, Brazil | March 28
Hosted by the same organization that helps put on the MTB World Cup in Brazil, the CIMTB race takes place one week before the World Cup comes to town at the same venue.
Early season gravel races to watch
It’s hard to know when the cycling season starts and ends. A variety of disciplines and countless races means riders can find a race to do every weekend, if they wanted to. As far as the gravel season goes, races really start to dot the calendar in March, but I still consider this to be early season.
As a fan of road and CX as well, I am no stranger to going to great lengths to find feeds to watch. Do you know if/how/where any of these are televised? I currently have a European D+ account…I would think if these are televised anywhere, it would be there. But I’m often surprised about this stuff 🙂