Bike
Bike
The fastest cross-country bikes that the pros ride
These cross-country bikes have all taken riders to the top of the podium in 2022. Take a look at some of the fastest bikes on the UCI World Cup circuit.
Part of this story
The fastest cross-country bikes on the planet are those ridden by the world's fastest riders and those are the riders that win in the Mercedes-Benz UCI Cross-country Mountain Bike World Cup. With Cross-country Olympic (XCO) tracks more technical and challenging than ever before, these bikes need to climb spectacularly, handle huge drops and jumps, and fly over technical features.
These are the bikes that helped propel their riders to victory across the 2022 race season, in events spanning Europe, South and North America, including the World Cup season and the World Championships.
01
Jolanda Neff's Trek Supercaliber
Just a touch of gold on Jolanda Neff's Trek Supercaliber
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: Trek Supercaliber with IsoStrut frame integrated shock
- Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate
The Swiss women's Olympic champion, Jolanda Neff, piloted this Trek Supercaliber to just one XCO World Cup this season in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, but also had successes on it at the cross-country short track (XCC) in Nové Město and Mont-Sainte-Anne. Trek gave Neff's bike some subtle golden detailing that stood out on a largely white paint job.
02
Tom Pidcock's BMC Fourstroke
Pidcock has the freedom of choice to choose what components he uses
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: BMC Fourstroke
- Fork: SR Suntour AXON Werx Elite 34
- Shock: SR Suntour Edge
Tom Pidcock added two more XCO World Cup wins in 2022 to the single victory he took in 2021. There was a repeat victory at Nové Město for the Brit, while he also won at Albstadt in Germany. There was no change in terms of the bike he used in 2022. The Brit was still onboard an unbranded BMC Fourstroke paired with Suntour suspension on the front fork and rear shock. This bike remains blacked out, which is a shame given his status at XCO Olympic champion, but Pidcock made sure he wore gold shoes when he raced mountain bikes this season.
His road cycling trade team bike sponsor Pinarello have said they are working on producing a mountain bike for Pidcock in time for the Olympics in 2024. Whether we see this bike next season remains to be seen.
1 min
Men's winning run – Albstadt
Watch the winning run from the men's XCO event in Albstadt where the rider delivered a thrilling victory.
03
Nino Schurter's Scott Spark RC
Schurter's relationship with Scott goes back his entire pro career
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: Scott Spark RC
- Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate
- Shock: RockShox Nude 5 RLC3
After a few barren of years of not winning on the World Cup, Nino Schurter remedied that position with victory in the opening round of this year's series in Petrópolis. In doing so, he equalled the 33 XCO World Cup wins record of Frenchman Julien Absalon. Schurter didn't break that record as the season progressed, but the Swissman did take World Championship crown for a 10th time. The Scott Spark RC was also the bike that helped Martin Vidaurre to glory in seven of the eight men's U23 races this season.
Martín Vidaurre in action at Albstadt
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
04
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's BMC Fourstroke
Ferrand-Prevot is rumoured to be leaving BMC for another team in 2023
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: BMC Fourstroke
- Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate
- Shock: RockShox Sid Luxe Ultimate
The BMC Fourstroke has proved to be an XCO race-winning machine for a number of years and for a range of athletes. Since moving from Canyon to BMC MTB Racing, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has scored four World Cup XCC victories with the bike, including two this season in Petrópolis and Val di Sole. It also piloted her to the World Championships titles in Les Gets in both XCO and XCC, as well as an XCO World Cup win in Val di Sole.
05
Loana Lecomte's Canyon Lux CF SLX
Lecomte can seemingly win race on any bike brand
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: Canyon Lux CF SLX
- Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate
- Shock: RockShox SID Luxe Ultimate
2022 saw a new team and a new bike for Frenchwoman Loana Lecomte, one of the fastest women in the cross-country field in 2021. There were no teething problems for her on her new Canyon bike, as her trademark move of flying off the front of the race on gruelling climbs and establishing helped her to wins at the Leogang World Cup round, both in the XCC and XCO, and the XCO race in Lenzerheide.
06
Mathias Flückiger's Thömus Lightrider WC
Flückiger's Thömus Lightrider WC at Leogang
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: Thömus Lightrider WC
- Forks: DT Swiss F232 One
- Shock: DT Swiss R232 One
Mathias Flückiger showed he was no one-season fluke and continued winning World Cup races this 2022 season aboard his Thömus Lightrider WC. Flückiger had the perfect weekend with victories in the XCC and XCO at Leogang and also took the XCC win in Vallnord.
07
Luca Braidot's Santa Cruz Blur
Santa Cruz tasted success in both DH and XCO racing this season
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: Santa Cruz Blur
- Fork: Fox 34 Step Cast
- Shock: Fox Float DPS
There were two wins for Luca Braidot in the XCO World Cup this season – one very much owing to a bit of luck after both Nino Schurter and Mathias Flückiger crashed out while leading in Lenzerheide, but the other was a battle of attrition in Vallnord.
Santa Cruz is a brand more known for its race winning bikes in downhill, so to come away with two XCO World Cup wins within four years of the Californian company supporting the Italy-based Santa Cruz FSA Pro Team is remarkable progress.
08
Rebecca McConnell's Mondraker F-Podium
McConnell's Mondraker F-Podium in Petrópolis
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: Mondraker F-Podium
- Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate
- Shock: RockShox SID Luxe Ultimate
Australian Rebecca McConnell had a remarkable start to the 2022 World Cup season, winning the first three XCO races of the season on her Mondraker bike at Petrópolis, Albstadt and Nové Město. The bike also took her victory in the XCC race at Albstadt. The second half of McConnell's season didn't quite live up to expectations, but for Mondraker, another brand more associated with downhill racing, this season was a success without a doubt.
09
Anne Terpstra's Ghost Lector
Terpstra's Ghost Lector with the distinctive 6-spoke wheels
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: Ghost Lector
- Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate
- Shock: RockShox SID Luxe Ultimate
Anne Terpstra just loves riding her Ghost Lector in the altitude of Vallnord in Andorra. The Dutchwoman has won two XCO World Cups in her career and both have come there. Terpstra, who was in the running to win the individual women's overall title at the last race of the season in Val di Sole, was part of the Ghost Factory Racing team that won the women's team standings this 2022 season.
10
David Valero-Serrano's BH Lynx Race EVO
The sodden BH Lynx Race Evo of Serrano-Valero at Snowshoe
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: BH Lynx Race EVO
- Fork: Fox Factory 34
- Shock: Fox Float DPS Factory
Spaniard David Valero-Serrano won the rain-soaked XCO race in Snowshoe on the bike of Spanish brand BH, a first major success for the trade team BH Templo Cafes UCC at the World Cup.
11
Titouan Carod's BMC Fourstroke
Carod raced to win on the current and prototype versions of the Fourstroke
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: BMC Fourstroke prototype
- Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate
- Shock: RockShox SID Luxe Ultimate
Titouan Carod joined Luca Braidot and David Valero-Serrano in becoming a first-time World Cup race winner, winning at Mont-Sainte-Anne. He followed that up with an XCC and XCO wins at Val di Sole to cap off a good year for him and the BMC MTB Racing team. The victories for Carod helped BMC win the men's team standings.
The wins at Val di Sole were on a new BMC Fourstroke prototype, which features a complete aesthetic change to the Fourstroke that Pidcock, Ferrand-Prévot or Carod himself raced in the World Cup earlier in the season. This new Fourstroke has new geometry, new linkage layout and an integrated seat post among other new features.
12
Alessandra Keller's Thomus Lightrider WC
A bike that Keller will treasure always
© Bartek Woliński/@wolisphoto
- Frame: Thömus Lightrider WC
- Fork: DT Swiss F232 One
- Shock: DT Swiss R232 One
Despite just winning the XCO World Cup in Snowshoe and the XCC race in Vallnord, Alessandra Keller came away from the 2022 season with the XCO and XCC overall World Cup women's titles. Keller was super consistent throughout the season and was helped by having very few mechanicals over the series.
Part of this story
