The number 1 will remain reserved: the World Cup announces the jersey numbers for this season

The 2026 World Cup will kick off in a few weeks with 14 confirmed events and 40 teams already defined. Beyond market movements and new bikes, the championship has just announced the number that each rider will carry throughout the season. A system that debuted last year and is now entering its consolidation phase in 2026, with fixed numbers for elite riders.

The 2026 MTB World Cup consolidates fixed numbers and maintains the leaders' system

Far from being a novelty, this will be the second season in which the UCI International Elite Numbers are used, a system that was introduced in 2025 and is now maintained without structural changes, reinforcing its role within the championship.

The goal of this system is to provide riders with a recognizable identity over time, similar to what happens in MotoGP, for example. Only elite cyclists who have achieved at least one victory in the World Cup could choose a permanent number between 2 and 999, and from there the rest could request which number they wanted to carry.

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The selection process is based on sporting performance. Riders with more victories have priority in selecting their number, and as new names achieve their first win, they are added to the list with their own number. During 2025, we already saw cases like Charlie Aldridge, who chose 321 after winning in Mont-Sainte-Anne, or Gracey Hemstreet with 17 in downhill.

Another element that remains unchanged is the use of number 1, reserved for the leader of the overall classification in each discipline.

This number takes precedence over any fixed number, so a rider leading the World Cup will compete with 1, regardless of the number they have chosen as their personal identifier.

After the first season with this system, some numbers are already starting to be directly associated with the big names on the circuit. In downhill, numbers like 29 of Loïc Bruni, 4 of Amaury Pierron, 3 of Troy Brosnan, or 6 of Jackson Goldstone have become clear references. In the women's category, 11 of Valentina Höll or 7 of Myriam Nicole follow the same line.

In Enduro, something similar happens with 2 of Jack Moir, 4 of Richie Rude Jr, 5 of Slawomir Lukasik, or 25 of Martin Maes, while in women, 8 of Isabeau Courdurier or 9 of Morgane Charre stand out.

Complete list of numbers in XCO for 2026

In cross-country, where media exposure is greater and references are constant during the race, the system has a particularly visible impact. Many are repeated from last year, but here is the complete list.

Men

• Lars Forster, 3
• Samuel Gaze, 4
• Titouan Carod, 5
• Victor Koretzky, 6
• Ondřej Cink, 7
• Christopher Blevins, 8
• Jordan Sarrou, 9
• Nino Schurter, 10
• Alan Hatherly, 11
• Luca Martin, 12
• Martin Vidaurre, 18
• Mathias Flückiger, 24
• Simon Andreassen, 69
• David Valero Serrano, 84
• Charlie Aldridge, 321
• Luca Braidot, 444

Women

• Loana Lecomte, 2
• Puck Pieterse, 3
• Anne Terpstra, 4
• Jolanda Neff, 5
• Yana Belomoina, 6
• Kate Courtney, 7
• Haley Batten, 9
• Alessandra Keller, 11
• Evie Richards, 13
• Laura Stigger, 25
• Rebecca Henderson, 27
• Mona Mitterwallner, 59
• Jenny Rissveds, 69
• Samara Maxwell, 666

With a World Cup that is increasingly global and has more media impact, these types of details gain weight. It does not change the spectacle but does change the way it is followed, interpreted, and recognized by its protagonists.