2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Nove Mesto: preview, schedule and how to watch

Puck Pieterse is back among women riders to watch at Nove Mesto

In the women’s field, Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds and the USA’s Haley Batten have both stood atop the podium following the first two UCI World Cups of the season in Brazil. Batten currently leads the 2024 UCI XCO World Cup rankings, with Rissveds in second.

USA’s Savillia Blunk has also appeared on every podium, with second and third-place finishes, which puts her in third place in the UCI rankings.

But much like in the men’s division, the women will have to contend with new entries at this first European tour stop. One of those favorites is the 2023 XCC and XCO World Cup overall winner, Puck Pieterse of the Netherlands. Pieterse opted out of Brazil to focus on her road race debut in the Tour of Flanders—where she finished sixth in the rain. Pieterse also recently defended her title at the 2024 European XC Championships in Romania. She’ll be one to beat at Nove Mesto as the 2023 defending champion.

Also making their 2024 debuts on the UCI World Cup start list are World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot of France, who finished second at Nove Mesto in 2023, and Austria’s Mona Mitterwallner, who unfortunately missed the first two World Cups in Brazil after coming down with the flu.

Expect a new set of battles as the UCI World Cup sets foot in Europe for the first time this season.