Why Chris Blevins has sunk in the UCI ranking

Chris Blevins closed 2025 as the most solid rider on the planet in XCO and XCC. Not only was he the most consistent throughout the season, but he also accumulated up to nine victories in the World Cup, dominating both the short track and the Olympic events. This performance clearly took him to the number one spot in the UCI ranking.

Why Blevins has dropped out of the UCI top 5 despite continuing to win

However, just a few months later, the ranking has taken a turn. Since March, Blevins has dropped from first to eighth place. A fall that, viewed without context, seems difficult to explain, especially considering he has won 3 of the last 4 races he has competed in. But it makes perfect sense when you understand how the points system works.

A ranking that does not reward the past and a World Cup that starts later this year

The UCI MTB ranking is not cumulative over the long term. It is built on a moving period of one year. That is to say, only points earned in the last 52 weeks count.

As stated in the official regulations, the system adds the points earned since the last update and automatically removes those obtained on the same dates the previous year. This causes the ranking to be in constant readjustment week by week, whether you have competed or not.

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Additionally, the ranking is updated periodically, usually every Tuesday, which means that any loss of points has an immediate impact on the riders' positions.

This is where the key factor comes in. The World Cup calendar has changed significantly between 2025 and 2026.

In 2025, the season started in early April with two consecutive events in Brazil. Blevins was practically unbeatable there, winning the XCC races at both events and also adding one victory and one second place in XCO. That start gave him a huge cushion of points from the very beginning of the year.

In contrast, in 2026 the World Cup does not start until May 1 in South Korea. This delay of almost a month creates a competitive void where there are no equivalent events to defend those points.

The consequence is direct. As the 52 weeks since those races in Brazil are completed, all those points disappear from the ranking with no possibility of replacing them yet. And we are talking about one of the most important scoring blocks of his entire season.

To this effect, another equally important factor is added. Since the last World Cup event in 2025 in Canada, held in October, Blevins has not competed again until March 2026.

It is true that his return has been very solid, with three victories in the four races he has competed in C1 and HC category events. But those events, outside the main World Cup circuit, offer a much lower amount of points.

While Blevins saw his score decrease, other riders were more consistent during that same 52-week period. Like the star signing of SCOTT SRAM, Fabio Puntener, who has led the ranking since March 10.

This type of situation is not unusual in the UCI ranking. It does not always reflect who is the strongest at that moment, but rather who has been more consistent over the last complete year.

Blevins' case does not respond to a drop in performance, but rather to a purely mathematical effect of the system. In fact, everything points to this situation being temporary. As soon as the World Cup 2026 starts and he competes again in top-level events, he will have the opportunity to quickly regain positions.