French cycling went wild after Max Alran's maiden victory. © WHOOP UCI MTB Series

Total mountain biking madness – and three South Tyroleans are involved!

The French town of Les Gets is considered a mecca for cycling. Why? Images circulating around the world this weekend will show you.

August 23, 2026

From: fop

When the world's best mountain bikers race through the forests and over the trails of the French Alps, the small ski resort of Les Gets becomes one of the most spectacular stages in cycling.

Thousands of fans lined the course, transforming the mountain slopes into a wall of noise and celebrating their heroes as if there were no tomorrow. On Saturday, the atmosphere reached fever pitch when 19-year-old Frenchman Max Alran won his first elite downhill World Cup in front of a home crowd. After he crossed the finish line, fans stormed towards their hero – images of the exuberant crowd subsequently went viral. Even French President Emmanuel Macron posted videos of the spectacle.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Monster Energy (@monsterenergy)

At the time of the total fan chaos, South Tyrol's best downhill rider, the Tramin native Veronika Widman, no longer in use. They failed to qualify the day before, when persistent rain had created a real mud bath.

Seiwald and Paccagnella are back

However, two other South Tyroleans were at the start on Sunday for the World Cup final in France, who also celebrated their comebacks after several months of injury: the cross-country specialists. Greta Seiwald and Elian Paccagnella.

In a razor-thin victory for Switzerland's Sina Frei over Sweden's Jenny Rissveds, Seiwald finished in 39th place. For the 29-year-old from Gsies, it was her first World Cup appearance since her serious crash in Leogang in June. Young Paccagnella from Bolzano, who had recently been sidelined for an extended period due to a viral infection, finished 31st in the men's U23 race, earning points. The victory went to Denmark's Heby Gustav Pedersen.

For Widmann, Seiwald, Paccagnella, and the rest of the mountain bike elite, the spectacle in Les Gets was the dress rehearsal for the home World Championships next week in Val di Sole. That, too, is a real crowd-puller, although it should be considerably less chaotic in Trentino.