Bielsko-Biała in Poland hosts the opening weekend of the 2025 downhill season. There are lots of changes to the teams, and the format, so here's everything you need to know.
The WHOOP UCI Downhill World Cup is back!! With the 2025 season kicking off in Bielsko-Biała, Poland this weekend, after what feels like a seriously long off-season (well, for us non-riders that is). There are new teams, new rules, and the race within a race to win the €100k Gates Belted Purse, so it’s sure to be spicy.
You don’t want to miss any of the action, so how can you watch the racing, when is it on, and who should you be keeping an eye on? Let’s take a look…
Ronan Dunne took his first-ever World Cup win here last year, can he repeat his success? Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
When and where is the DH racing?
The first round of the World Cup will take place in Bielsko-Biała, Poland between 17-19 May. Located in southern Poland, the race venue is nestled in the Beskid mountains and houses 15 graded trails if you fancied checking out the riding yourself.
Last year was the first event at this venue for the World Cup series, and thus riders were treated to an entirely new track. This year, many riders will have had at least one race’s worth of experience of the track, so it’ll be interesting to see who can succeed last year’s elite winners Ronan Dunne and Marine Cabirou.
What time is the racing on?
Lucky for racing fans, this weekend actually joins up with the Enduro World Cup, too. So you can spend even more time in front of your phone/TV/laptop watching all the fast boys and girls getting stuck in.
Qualifying
The DH qualifying will take place on Saturday, 17 May, starting at 12:30 event time/11:30 UK time.
- 12:30 event time/11:30 UK time: Elite women Q1
- 13:00 event time/12:00 UK time: Elite men Q1
- 14:15 event time/13:15 UK time: Junior women qualifying
- 14:40 event time/13:40 UK time: Junior men qualifying
- 15:30 event time/14:30 UK time: Elite women Q2
- 15:50 event time/14:50 UK time: Elite men Q2
Seagrave has moved from Canyon to Orbea for this year, but will new equipment have a big impact on her performance? Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
Finals
The DH finals are a day later – on Sunday 18 May with the schedule as follows:
- 09:30 event time/08:30 UK time: Junior women final
- 10:00 event time/09:00 UK time: Junior men final
- 11:00 event time/10:00 UK time: Elite women final
- 12:00 event time/11:00 UK time: Elite men final
How can I watch the UCI DH World Cup in Bielsko-Biala?
Sadly, the only legal way to watch the DH World Cup live this year is behind a paywall.
In the UK, you need a subscription to either Discovery+ streaming service, or TNT Sports TV package.
Highlights of the racing will be available on the UCI YouTube channel after the events.
If you’re abroad at the weekend, then you can still catch all the action. Geo-blocking can get in the way of watching your usual streaming services from overseas, but a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can help you tune in as if you were back home in your living room. All you have to do is download and install a VPN and use a location inside the United Kingdom to watch the broadcast live as if you were back home.
Setting up a VPN is simple – just download, install, open the app and select your location.
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Our clever colleagues at TechRadar – who know a thing or two about such things – have tested hundreds of VPNs, and they reckon the best of the bunch is NordVPN. You get a money-back guarantee, 24/7 support, and it’s currently available at a knockdown price.
Who could win in Bielsko-Biała?
It’s been a busy off-season on the downhill circuit. We’ve had rule changes, rider team changes, bike changes, you name it.
Here’s a quick summary of changes for 2025:
- Career numbers for riders. Former Elite winners of a World Cup round have been asked to choose unique number to make them easy to identify. Number 1 will be saved for the leader of the WC standings.
- Qualifying has changed. The top 10 men/top 10 women in Q1 go through to the final. The remaining riders get a second chance in the Q2 session where the top 10 men/top 5 women can move into the finals.
- No more rider protection. Won the world cup overall last year? Doesn’t count for nowt, now. Even Vali Holl has to make it through qualifying to secure her spot in the finals.
Holl has chosen to use number 11 as her ‘career number’. Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
But who’s going to win this weekend? It’s obviously difficult to say considering we have no idea who’s in what form after winter. I mean, I can say with a degree of certainty that Bernard Kerr won’t be standing on a podium this weekend after breaking his wrist and hand earlier this week.
Loic Bruni is probably the obvious guess, given he was, to quote MBR Editor, Danny Milner, “a gnat’s whisker off the win last year.” But who’s to say he will excel in what could potentially be snowy conditions?
In the women’s elite race, Tahnee Seagrave has changed bike brands and has an entirely new bike to get to grips with from Orbea, but she did win a pre-season race against some big names so this could indicate good form.
Here are the MBR staff predictions for you to absolutely not take to the bookies:
- Danny Milner: Vali Holl and Benoit Coulanges
- Jamie Darlow: Harriet Harnden (Jamie forgot to pick a male winner!)
- Rebecca Bland: Tahnee Seagrave and Ronan Dunne