Issue 008 | RockShox

LET’S GO RACING

With just two stops left in the season, racers touch down in Whistler, British Columbia for 2026’s penultimate round and the undeniable center of the mountain bike core for its inaugural World Cup race. This is where it all happens: the fastest, loudest, most unpredictable weeks on a mountain bike calendar. And this page is your all-access pass where we'll be dropping content you won't find anywhere else, updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and everything in between.

THE SEASON SO FAR

ISSUE 001 - MONA YONGPYONG, SOUTH KOREA

ISSUE 002 - LOUDENVIELLE, FRANCE

ISSUE 003 - LEOGANG & LENZERHEIDE

ISSUE 004 - LA THUILE, IT

ISSUE 005 - PAL ARINSAL, AD

ISSUE 006 - LES GETS, FR

ISSUE 007 - SOLDIER HOLLOW, US

The 25th-ish edition of BoXXer World Championships went off at Dusty's Bar and BBQ, with 8 of the most elite mechanics on the World Cup circuit going head to head rebuilding a BoXXer Ultimate. On the line: $3,751, an official BoXXer World Championship ring, and enough bragging rights to last a career.

Thomas Colombo and Maxime Auguin represented Commencal Muc-Off with an appropriate amount of French competitiveness. Jules Auroux and Baptiste Labrousse arrived fresh off rider wins with Vali and Aletha, and still riding the high. Daniel Bladon and Than White of Trek Unbroken DH were among the only competitors who understood the most important rule of BoXXer Worlds: the rules are simply suggestions. First timers Chris Elson, mechanic to Camden Rutherfurd of Nukeproof AXESS Racing, and Jake Hood, mechanic to Oli Clark of Mondraker Factory Racing DH, learned that lesson quickly and learned it the hard way.

Down to the wire, but 2023 World Champion Daniel Bladon beat out Thomas Colombo, Amaury Pierron's mechanic, to claim his second title. Someone, somewhere, called it the most beautiful victory of the day. They were not wrong.

ISSUE 008 - WHISTLER

A DH World Cup in Whistler has been a long time coming, and when it finally arrived, so did the world. The Sea to Sky corridor of British Columbia, from Vancouver to Pemberton, is home to some of the most diverse and celebrated trail systems on the planet. Whistler sits right in the middle, home to the most iconic bike park of them all.

Built in honour of Steve Smith, 1199 is now officially a World Cup track, another step in preserving Stevie's legacy for generations to come. Long Live Chainsaw flags flew high and two-stroke smoke filled the rock gardens. No respite for riders, 1199 quickly earned the respect of the entire World Cup field as one of the most technical and challenging courses on the circuit.

Thousands of fans lined the course through practice and into race day, some arriving at the rock garden as early as 7:30am to claim a front row seat and catch a glimpse of their favourite riders. This inaugural Whistler World Cup will forever be etched into the memory of every fan and rider who was there. The reverence from the athletes for 1199, combined with the electric energy of the crowd, was a beautiful display of what this sport can be.