Welcome back to the #1 MTB newsletter brought to you by RECON, mountain biking’s fastest growing media brand and online store.

On today's ride:

•  🏁 La Thuile World Cup - New Track, More Excitement!

•  🍟 Enduro domination: Val Di Fassa EDR 2025 Report

•  🍎 Eurobike 2025 Tech News - Frankfurt Delivered

👇 Quick Picks

🏁 iXS EDC #4 Aprica 2025 – New Track, Big Wins

Aprica’s debut brought a fresh, loamy course and over 400 riders from 34 nations. Kine Haugom (NOR) took the women’s win again, with Abigail Hoogie (USA) making a strong comeback in third. Evan Medcalf (USA) claimed the men’s top spot after a red flag drama, while Loris Revelli (ITA) held onto the overall lead.⛰️🚵‍♂️💥

🐣 Jack Moir Sidelined After Training Crash in Italy

Tough break for Jack Moir — he’s out for the next two Enduro World Cup rounds after injuring his foot in a training crash earlier this week. Scans point to ligament damage, and he’s heading home to recover. Despite the hits, Moir’s still 4th overall thanks to podium-worthy rides in Bielsko-Biała, Leogang, and Pietra Ligure. We’ll miss seeing him on the stages — and on Moi Moi TV. Heal up fast, Jack!

🦸 America First: NW Cup 2025 Round 4 – Whitefish, Montana

After an epic weekend in Tamarack, the NW Cup crew landed in Whitefish with fresh, fast trails and perfect weather. Whitefish Mountain Resort delivered smooth berms, fun jumps, and flawless dirt. Taylor Ostgaard took the Pro Women’s win, while Tor Weiland powered through for the Pro Men’s top spot. With two rounds down, the NW Cup summer tour is heating up—next stop, more fast racing and good vibes!

RACING

⛷️ La Thuile’s Fresh DH Track is Turning Heads

🎢 La Thuile Goes Full Send

The 2025 Downhill World Cup has already delivered fireworks — and now, it’s about to drop into something truly savage. Round 5 heads to La Thuile, Italy, a new stop on the DH calendar but one with a history of wild racing thanks to its Enduro World Series pedigree. This weekend marks its downhill World Cup debut, and it’s not pulling punches.

⛰️ Gravity Playground

Let’s talk numbers: 641 meters of vertical drop and an eye-watering 27% average gradient. That’s steep enough to question your life choices mid-run. Some sections look nearly vertical, and to call this track “technical” doesn’t come close. Think of it as Les Gets meets Champery — and then crank it up to eleven.

Roughly 60% of the track is raw, untouched terrain. The other 40%? Carefully built with berms and sculpted features that offer either relief or launch pads — depending on your line. But the lower section is where things get brutal. Steep berm stacks demand brake control, perfect line choice, and nerves of steel. And by finals, expect those clean loam lines to be rutted chaos.

🏆 Points, Pressure, and a Packed Leaderboard

With just one more stop (Andorra) before a well-earned summer break in this ten-stop season, riders are clawing for every single point.

Vali Höll and Jackson Goldstone are holding onto their Elite leader’s jerseys, while Juniors Rosa Zierl and Max Alran lead the youth charge. After a nail-biting race in Val di Sole, expect the intensity to spike even higher this weekend.

💬 Rider Weight: The Quiet Advantage?

There’s been a lot of talk in the pits about how rider weight could play a key role on this ultra-steep track. Lighter riders like Brosnan and Goldstone excelled in Val di Sole, dancing through chaos while heavier contenders struggled to maintain control. On a course where gravity is both ally and enemy, agility might be the edge.

🩻 Injury Report: Warrior Mode Activated

Amaury Pierron is flirting with the impossible. After breaking his collarbone in a massive crash at Val di Sole — and undergoing surgery — he’s actually considering lining up this weekend. Nothing’s confirmed, but even the rumor speaks volumes about his grit.

Meanwhile, Myriam Nicole continues to prioritize her health, sitting out again as she recovers from concussion symptoms. A tough call, but the right one.

☔ Sunday Showdown + Forecasted Rain

Unlike the last few rounds, La Thuile finals return to the classic Sunday slot — and that’s just in time for a potentially wet forecast. Rain could flip the script entirely, turning already slick sections into full-on slip ‘n slide zones. Tire choice, line selection, and brake control will separate survivors from contenders.

🔥 RECONS TAKE

La Thuile is raw, ruthless, and ready to make World Cup history. The riders are stoked, the margins are tight, and the mountain is unforgiving. With rain on the way and legends lining up, this could be one of the gnarliest races of the season. Buckle up. We’re here for every second.

RACING

🚀 The Leaders Dominate - Canazei EDR 2025

The UCI Enduro World Cup hit Val di Fassa in the heart of Italy’s Dolomites, and it was everything you'd expect from high alpine enduro: punishing climbs, blazing sun, and chaos on the trails. After seven brutal stages over two days, it was Ella Conolly and Sławomir Łukasik of the Yeti/Fox Factory team who came out on top — both extending their leads in the overall series with surgical precision and serious grit.

🔥 Women’s Elite: Unstoppable Ella

Day one was razor-tight. Italian local Nadine Ellecosta led by less than a second over Simona Kuchyňková and series leader Ella Conolly. But Conolly wasn't messing around on Sunday. She dominated the long “Titans” stage and pulled out a 7.7-second lead — and then absolutely torched the field on the iconic “Tutti Frutti” trail, riding 11 seconds faster than Ellecosta. While Kuchyňková suffered a slow puncture and Ellecosta soldiered on with a busted rim, Conolly kept the pressure high and sealed the win with a final stage victory.

Elite Women – Val di Fassa Podium:
🥇 Ella Conolly (GBR) – 40:23.277
🥈 Nadine Ellecosta (ITA) – 40:51.747
🥉 Simona Kuchyňková (SVK) – 40:59.273

Shoutout to Raphaela Richter, who battled drivetrain issues and finished 27th — not where she hoped to be, but showed serious heart finishing the full race.

⚔️ Men’s Elite: Łukasik Stays Cool Under Pressure

The men’s battle got spicy fast. Sławomir Łukasik kicked off day two with a five-second lead over teammate Richie Rude, but Rude came roaring back. After the “Glühwein” stage, he had closed the gap to just 1.6 seconds. Then “Tutti Frutti” struck again. Charles Murray, in podium contention, flatted and dropped over 30 seconds. Jesse Melamed seized the opportunity and won the stage. Meanwhile, Rude also caught a puncture, losing time — and the shot at victory. Łukasik kept it clean to the finish, locking in the W and the overall lead. Rude salvaged second, while Melamed clawed onto the box.

Elite Men – Val di Fassa Podium:
🥇 Sławomir Łukasik (POL) – 34:41.943
🥈 Richie Rude Jr (USA) – 34:55.801
🥉 Jesse Melamed (CAN) – 34:59.353

📊 Series Standings: Conolly & Łukasik in Control

Ella Conolly now leads the women’s standings with a commanding 1900 points, while Kuchyňková and Ellecosta are tied behind her. In the men’s series, Łukasik keeps the leader’s jersey, with Melamed and Murray in the chase.

🚸 Juniors Take the Stage

The future is bright: Melvin Almueis (FRA) and Lacey Adams (AUS) crushed their categories with commanding rides. Keep your eyes on these two — they're coming up fast.

📍Next Up: La Thuile Double Trouble

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series rolls into La Thuile, Italy next weekend — and it’s a double-header: both Enduro and Downhill on some of the steepest terrain of the season.

TECH

🛠️ Eurobike Goes Big on MTB

Last week, the world’s biggest bike expo — Eurobike 2025 — lit up Frankfurt with jaw-dropping gear and futuristic tech. From motor-gearbox hybrids to 32" wheels, here’s what’s turning heads in the MTB world.

1️⃣ Owrus’ Game-Changer: Smart Motor Meets Gearbox

Owrus just dropped an eMTB unicorn: a continuously variable motor + gearbox combo. It delivers buttery-smooth power, adapting in real time without those clunky gear jumps. Forget shifting — this thing thinks for you. It’s silent, efficient, and feels insanely natural on the pedals. If eMTB riding ever needed a breakthrough, this is it.

2️⃣ DJI Is featured in more Bikes Now

Yep — DJI, the drone giant, is now conquering the eMTB game with full force. Their platform was a huge success in the powerful AMFlow eMTB with it’s raw Power, real-time telemetry and crazy-integrated tech. Now more Brands build full bikes around the DJI Avinox engine. ROTWILD and COMMENCAL, but also Crestline, Megamo, Crussis, Steppenwolf joined the DJI Club, after UNNO and Forbidden presented their models in spring.

3️⃣ Pirelli Levels Up Your Tires

Fresh rubber, incoming. Pirelli, in collab with Cast and pro riders like Fabio Wibmer, launched new gravity tires built for max grip on full-send DH lines — plus upgraded XC rubber that shaves grams without sacrificing control. Whatever your style — tech trails or race laps — Pirelli just stepped up.

4️⃣ Believe the Hype: 32" Wheels Are Rolling

The big wheels are no joke anymore. Faction showed off a prototype full-sus rig running full 32s. Dirty Sixer’s hardtail looks near production. And Glory Wheel (you might know them from Spank) unveiled 32" rims designed for aggressive trail riding. Even Maxxis is teasing 32" Minions. That’s right — the iconic tread might be upsizing soon. Bigger wheels mean better rollover and traction — and it looks like 32" could be headed to both gravel and XC bikes fast.

👀 RECONs Take?

Eurobike 2025 was a vision of MTB’s future: smart, silent, fast, and a little bit wild. Whether you're all in on high-tech eMTBs or just stoked for better tires and fresh standards, there’s something here that’ll shape your next ride.

🎥 Video Of The Week

Sam Hodgson is a beast on a bike - enjoy his latest video:

🎧 Podcast Of The Week

We talk about the influences of BMX in MTB and best examples in our Podcast:

🚵‍♀️ Current Giveaway Bike

Our newest giveaway bike is a Forbidden Dreadnought 3 MX. Entries are now open on ReconMTB.com! Read more about the bike. USA customers only are eligible to win.

This newsletter is written with ❤️ every week by Nic Bean, Michael Sikand, Justin Rausch, and Marc Brodesser