Julien Arnaud Absalon is a French former cross-country mountain biker, who competed as a professional from 2001 to 2018. He is considered to be one of the most successful cross-country cyclists of all time. Throughout his career, Absalon gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, five World Championships, seven UCI World Cup overall titles and 33 World Cup rounds, which was an all-time record before being broken by Nino Schurter in 2023. He also won all fourteen French cross-country championships between 2003 and 2016, and five European Championships.
Todd Wells is a professional cyclist specializing in mountain bike racing and cyclo-cross from the United States. Todd resides in Durango, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona. Wells races for the SRAM/TLD Factory Racing team for mountain bike racing.
Maja Martyna Włoszczowska is a Polish mountain biker. She is the 2008 and 2016 Olympic silver medalist in cross-country cycling. She is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Nino Schurter is a Swiss cross-country cyclist who races for the Scott–Sram MTB Racing Team.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is a French multi-discipline bicycle racer, who rides for UCI Mountain Bike team Ineos Grenadiers in cross-country cycling. Ferrand-Prévot has also competed in road bicycle racing and cyclo-cross during her career, winning the world title in each discipline. During the 2015 season, aged just 23, she became the first person ever – in the history of cycling – to simultaneously hold the World road title, World cyclo-cross title and World cross-country mountain bike title.
Stéphane Tempier is a French cross-country mountain biker who races for the Trek Factory Racing. He won the silver medal in the junior cross country at the 2004 world championships in Les Gets, France. At the 2005 world championships he won the bronze medal in the cross country team relay, riding the men's under-23 leg for the French team.
Angelo Ciccone is an Italian amateur road and track cyclist. He has claimed four Italian national championship titles in track cycling, and later represented his nation Italy in two editions of the Olympic Games. Ciccone currently races for the 2013 season with Cycling Team Friuli under his head coach Roberto Bressan.
Fabio Masotti is an Italian amateur road and track cyclist. He has claimed four Italian national championship titles in track cycling, and later represented his nation Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Masotti also shared silver medals with 2000 Olympic medalist Marco Villa in men's Madison at the fourth round of the 2006 UCI World Cup circuit in Sydney, Australia. Masotti currently races for the 2013 season with Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre under his head coach Cristiano Valoppi.
Tereza Huříková is a Czech professional road cyclist and mountain biker. Throughout her sporting career, she has won numerous Czech national championship titles in women's cross-country, road races and time trial, and more importantly, a prestigious gold medal in the junior time trial at the 2004 UCI World Championships. Huříková later represented the Czech Republic, as a 20-year-old junior, at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and also rode for USC Chirio Forno d'Asolo and Česká Spořitelna MTB Cycling Teams since she turned professional in 2006. Currently, Huříková trains and races under an exclusive, two-year sponsorship contract for Germany's Central Haibike Pro Team, along with her teammate and 2008 Olympic champion Sabine Spitz.
Petra Henzi is a retired Swiss professional mountain biker. Throughout her sporting career, she has won numerous Swiss national championship titles, and more importantly, a total of four prestigious medals in women's cross-country race at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Henzi later represented her nation Switzerland, as a 38-year-old senior, at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and also rode professionally for more than five seasons on Fischer-BMC Team, before retiring from the sport in early 2010.
Nathalie Jessica Schneitter is a Swiss professional mountain biker. Throughout her sporting career, she has won numerous Swiss national championship titles, and more importantly, a gold medal in the under-23 category at the 2008 European Mountain Bike Championships. Schneitter also handed an opportunity to represent her nation Switzerland at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and later rode professionally for more than five seasons on an exclusive sponsorship contract with the Colnago Team.
Roel Paulissen is a Belgian former professional mountain biker. Throughout his sporting career since 1993, he has won more than ten Belgian national championship titles, mounted top-five finishes at both the European and World Cup series, and claimed a total of four medals, including two golds, in men's cross-country race at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Paulissen also represented his nation Belgium in four editions of the Olympic Games, where he competed in men's mountain biking since it officially became an Olympic sport in 1996. By the start of the 2010 season, Paulissen had been overshadowed by a doping issue after he tested positive for clomiphene that sidelined and effectively ended his mountain biking career. Having lifted a two-year suspension from doping in early 2013, Paulissen came out from his short retirement to join and race professionally for the Italian team Torpado.
Dario Alejandro Gasco is an Argentine professional mountain biker. He won a bronze medal in men's cross-country racing at the 2007 Pan American Games, and later represented his nation Argentina at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Throughout his sporting career, Gasco has been training and riding for four consecutive seasons on Zenith MTB International, and Spain's Massi Cycling Team.
Cédric Ravanel is a French former professional mountain biker. He won two silver medals in men's cross-country racing at the 2004 UCI World Championships in Les Gets, and at the second stage of the 2007 UCI World Cup series in Offenburg, Germany. Ravanel also represented his nation France at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has been training and racing professionally for numerous seasons on Team Lapierre International and GT Skoda Chamonix.
Marek Galiński was a Polish professional mountain biker and road racing cyclist. During his sporting career, he won nine Polish national championship titles and a silver medal in men's cross-country racing at the 2003 UCI World Cup series in Sankt Wendel, Germany. Galinski also represented his nation Poland in four editions of the Olympic Games, where he competed in men's mountain biking from the time that it officially became an Olympic sport in 1996. Galinski raced professionally for more than five seasons on the JBG2 Professional MTB Team. After his retirement from the sport in 2011, Galinski worked as an assistant coach of both Polish and Russian mountain bike national teams. Upon his return from a training camp in Cyprus on 17 March 2014, Galinski was suddenly killed in a car accident near Jędrzejów.
Cristóbal Mauricio Silva Ibaceta is a Chilean amateur mountain biker. He has won five Chilean national championship titles in men's mountain biking, and also represented his nation Chile in two editions of the Olympic Games.
Christoph Reinhold Soukup is an Austrian professional mountain biker.
Karl Emil Lindgren is a Swedish professional mountain biker. Riding the sport for more than 15 years, Lindgren has won ten Swedish national championship titles in men's mountain biking, and later represented his nation Sweden at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2009, Lindgren reached the summit of his mountain biking career by grabbing a first-place trophy and a yellow jersey at the Afxentia Stage Race, also known as the Sunshine Cup, in Cyprus. Lindgren currently trains and races professionally for the 2013 season on the Giant Pro XC Team, although he has appeared short stints on Bianchi, Full-Dynamix, De Brink-Ten Tusscher, and Rabobank cycling teams.
Wolfram Kurschat is a German professional mountain biker. He has claimed two German national championship titles each in men's cross-country and marathon races, and later represented his nation Germany at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Kurschat currently trains and races for the 2013 season on Topeak-Ergon Racing Team, since he turned himself professional on the international scene in 2008.
The 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships were held in the French commune Les Gets from 24 to 28 August 2022.
Stage 7, UCI World Cup (Marathon), Sankt Wendel (GER)
Italian MTB Championships (Cross-country), Italy
UCI World Championships (Cross-country, Team relay), Rotorua (NZL)
