Monster Energy Team Riders Claim Victories and Championship Titles at 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Lake Placid
- 24-Year-Old Luca Martin from France Claims 2026 Overall Championship Titles in Elite Men's Cross-Country (XCO) and Short Track (XCC) Rankings
- 25-Year-Old Charlie Aldridge from Scotland Takes 1st Place in Elite Men's Cross-Country (XCO) Race
- 22-Year-Old Lachie Stevens-McNab from New Zealand Takes 3rd Place in Elite Men's Downhill
- 21-Year-Old Jordan Williams from the United Kingdom Claims 2nd Place in 2026 Downhill World Cup Rankings, Amaury Pierron Takes 3rd Place Overall
LAKE PLACID, N.Y., Oct. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Legendary weekend! Monster Energy congratulates mountain bike team rider Charlie Aldridge on winning the Elite Men's Cross-Country (XCO) race at the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Lake Placid this weekend. In the ninth and final race of the season, the 25-year-old from Perth, Scotland, edged ahead by fractions of a second in an ultra-close race in front of a high-energy crowd in the Adirondack Mountains.
In other major news, the racing season concluded with team rider Luca Martin claiming two Elite Men's Cross-Country Championship titles. After Saturday's races, the 24-year-old from Tourrette-Levens, France, emerged as the new 2026 Cross-Country (XCO) Overall Champion and 2026 Short Track (XCC) Overall Champion. At Lake Placid, Martin claimed fifth place in XCO and fourth place in XCC races after a standout season to claim the top spot in both disciplines.
In Sunday's WHOOP UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup race, 22-year-old Lachie Stevens-McNab from Rotorua, New Zealand, claimed third place in the Elite Men's division. After finishing sixth at the Lake Placid race, 21-year-old Jordan Williams from Bristol, United Kingdom, capped his season in second place in the overall Elite Men's Downhill rankings. Concluding a strong season, 29-year-old Amaury Pierron from Brioude, France, claimed third place in overall rankings. In the Elite Women's Downhill final, 29-year-old Marine Cabirou from Millau, France, took fifth place.
From October 2-4, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series concluded its 2026 season at the legendary Lake Placid Olympic Sites in New York. Known as the host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games, the venue welcomed the world's best cross-country racers to Mt. Van Hoevenberg for the Cross-country Olympic (XCO) and Short Track (XCC) finals, while Downhill (DHI) athletes battled on Whiteface Mountain in nearby Wilmington. The world's best mountain bike athletes competed for points and glory in front of high-energy crowds in the Adirondack Mountains, with multiple overall season championship titles decided in dramatic style.
In the biggest news of the weekend, Monster Energy team rider Luca Martin claimed BOTH 2026 Elite Men's Cross-Country Championship titles to cap off a legendary season.
Riding for Cannondale Factory Racing, Martin dominated the 2026 XCO season with two race victories (Rounds 4 and 5), multiple podium finishes, and remarkable consistency across the demanding nine-race schedule. He closed out the campaign with 1999 points atop the 2026 season standings. At the Lake Placid finale, Martin finished fifth in XCO with a time of 1:23:41, just 20 seconds behind teammate and winner Aldridge, to officially clinch the overall trophy.
Martin already secured his first title in the Elite Men's Short Track (XCC) competition on Friday. Amid muddy and challenging conditions, Martin claimed fourth place at Lake Placid with a time of 21:14 and locked in the 2026 XCC Overall Championship title with a total of 1390 points.
"Winning the Short Track overall feels surreal. It really hasn't sunk in yet," said Monster Energy's Martin after the XCC race. "This was a hard one to prepare for mentally. It's been a long season with huge efforts, and it came down to the last round. I just missed the podium, but it was enough for the overall! Very stoked! Thank you to my team."
With his dual-crown performance confirmed on Saturday, Martin reflected on the achievement: "I'm so relieved that the season has come to an end with both overall titles in hand. I feel like I gave it my all this season. To finish here in the top five while also securing both overalls is amazing. This is a huge feat in any racing career, and to do it now this early is a dream come true! I have to thank the team for all their support and encouragement. It's been amazing. Time for some rest now."
The team also claimed a dramatic victory in the Elite Men's Cross-Country (XCO) final on Saturday. In a race that came down to inches at the finish line, Monster Energy's Aldridge took first place with a clutch sprint.
Through nine demanding laps on the technical Mt. Van Hoevenberg course, Aldridge stayed with the lead group as attacks and counter-attacks shook up the race. In a pack of seven riders within three seconds heading into the penultimate lap, Aldridge positioned himself for the finish. In the final lap, he timed his sprint perfectly, launching early into the finish straight and edging Italy's Filippo Colombo by mere inches to claim victory. In a down-to-the-wire finish, both riders were credited with the same total time of 1:23:21.
Saturday's XCO victory marks Aldridge's first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup win since claiming victory at the 2025 Mont-Sainte-Anne season finale. Earlier in 2026, Aldridge also claimed the European XCO Championship title and European XCC Championship title, establishing himself as one of the fastest-rising cross-country talents in the sport.
"Last race of the year, what a way to finish it off! I finally won a sprint!" said Monster Energy's Aldridge upon taking the win at Lake Placid. "This race felt like the last lap where there is nothing left to do but leave it all out on the course. I managed my energy well enough and tried to pull away from the lead group, but the boys were hungry, and it came down to the line. The team did so well, too. It's really nice to see the send-off ending on a positive note. I'm buzzing! Great racing; I'm ready for the off-season now. Thank you for everything this season!"
On Sunday, the team closed out the 2026 Downhill season on a high note in the Elite Men's Downhill final on the Whiteface Mountain course in Wilmington. In the closely contested finale that saw the overall title fight go down to the wire, Monster Energy's Stevens-McNab from New Zealand claimed third place with a finish time of 3:10.213 to earn the podium result.
"Finishing the season on the podium feels really good," said Stevens-McNab. "Looking back, I had a season full of different results, but I felt like I was headed in the right direction! I had a podium at Worlds and was building from there. I've been feeling pretty good even with all the rain from the last two races. This was nice as a small redemption from my luck back in Whistler, something that you have to move on from and get back on it! I'm stoked on today and hopefully will keep the pace and momentum into the offseason. Thank you to everyone in my corner for the support this season!"
Rounding out a standout season, Williams finished the Lake Placid race course in a total time of 3:10.552 for sixth place. On the strength of his season-long campaign that featured two race wins (Rounds 5 and 6) and multiple podium finishes, Williams secured second place in the 2026 UCI Downhill World Cup Overall standings with 1376 points.
Also representing the team on the Overall podium, Monster Energy's Pierron did not compete at the Lake Placid finale but claimed third place in the 2026 Elite Men's Downhill Overall rankings with 1173 points.
Further down the Overall standings, 19-year-old Max Alran from Southern France finished the 2026 season in fifth place with 1083 points, capping an impressive campaign that saw the junior sensation break through at the Elite level with a win at Les Gets. In sixth place, 21-year-old Monster Energy rider Ryan Pinkerton of Aliso Viejo, California, closed out his season with 879 points.
In the Elite Women's Downhill final on Sunday, Cabirou from France claimed fifth place with a finish time of 3:39.759. On the strength of a consistent 2026 campaign, including a second-place finish at Les Gets, Cabirou wrapped up the season in seventh place in the Elite Women's Overall rankings with 991 points.
Congrats to all our riders on an outstanding 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series season!
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For more on Luca Martin, Charlie Aldridge, Lachie Stevens-McNab, Jordan Williams, Amaury Pierron, Marine Cabirou, Max Alran, Ryan Pinkerton, and our team of mountain bike athletes, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok for exclusive content from our mountain bike team.
For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock-and-roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy, including all of its drinks, at www.monsterenergy.com.
CONTACT:Kim DresserC: (949) 300-5546E:[email protected]
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