Andorra Prepares for Epic Stage Racing Showpiece

The Pyrenean Principality of Andorra is no stranger to mountain bikers and mountain biking fans. It has hosted World Series races, World Championships, and is on the bucket list of most big mountain bike park lovers. The Epic Series adds to that rich appeal, bringing marathon mountain bikers to the country to experience endless trails, proper passes, and the purest mountain biking with the four-day Andorra Epic stage race.

In 2026, the Andorra Epic kicks off a July packed with mountain biking in the Pyrenean Principality. Taking place from the 2^nd to the 5^th of July, ahead of the Pal Arinsal leg of the UCI MTB World Series on the 10^th to the 12^th of July, round three of this year’s Epic Series calendar brings elite and avid amateur stage racers to one of the undisputed homes of mountain biking. The elite start list includes the defending men’s champions and is stacked with proven race winners, but the stories go well beyond teams contesting for victory. Road cycling legends Esteban Chaves and Louis Meintjes make their Epic Series debuts, and their home countries of Colombia and South Africa are among the 50 nations represented by the 520-rider field.

As Grand Tour general classification stars, both Chaves and Meintjes are no strangers to high altitude cycling. Chaves won Il Lombardia, three stages of the Giro d’Italia, two of the Vuelta a España, and came within a day of winning the 2016 Giro d’Italia in his storied career. Meintjes was second in the Youth Classification, for riders 25 years of age or younger, in the 2016 Tour de France and won a stage of the Vuelta a España during a 15-year professional career that saw him serve as the standard-bearer for South African road racing. Having retired from the road, the pair will be swapping skinny tires and drop bars for wide MTB rubber and bars, alongside Amund Grondahl Jansen and Stefan Kruger, respectively. Victory is by no means the Chansen and Dek die Goed teams’ goals; the aim is rather to create memories alongside like-minded cycling enthusiasts.

This is a common theme across the field. The age categories are competitive, and teams race for results wherever they can, but there is ample time to take it all in, too, especially off the bike after stages. Andorra is a beautiful country, and the 204-kilometre route, which includes 6 500 metres of climbing, showcases some of the natural highlights, while the relatively short stages allow time for urban exploration in the host town of La Massana. As a result, the Andorra Epic serves as a driver for local business activity before, during, and after the race, having brought 1 500 people to the country and allowing those individuals to discover personal reasons to return.

Klimatiza Orbea return to Andorra as the defending champions. Photo by Gabri Amoros.

On the racing front, the big-name returning riders are the title holders, Sebastian Gesche and Marc Stutzmann. The Klimatiza Orbea team will once again be up against the 2025 runners-up, Simon Stiebjahn and Martin Frey, of Singer KTM Racing. The 31.86 metres of climbing per kilometre that the 2026 Andorra Epic course presents favours the pure climbers, meaning a showdown between Gesche and Stutzmann against Stiebjahn and Frey, as well as Fabian Rabensteiner and Casey South, of Torpado Kenda FSA, should be a captivating one.

Beyond the five-star favourites, Klimatiza Orbea have enviable strength in depth thanks to David Valero Serrano and Samuele Porro, as do Torpado Kenda FSA, for whom Gioele de Cosmo and Jakob Dorigoni ride in support of Rabensteiner and South. KTM SPADA powered by BRENTA BRAKES’ Nicolas and Lorenzo Samparisi, will bring a brotherly understanding to their race tactics, making them an ever-present danger. As are Lukas Baum and Georg Egger, of ORBEA x Speed Company.

The climbing the Andorra Epic will suit the Singer KTM team. Photo by Carles Iturbe.

Scott Racing’s Stefano Goria and Andrea Siffredi start the event with the seventh-best UCI points tally, signalling their form is better than teams like METALLURGICA VENETA MTB PRO and MASSI ISB SPORT, who are expected to contest for a top-five finish. Bike Busters – Trissport.vda, La Punt, Scott Calabandida 1 and 2, GOBIK Factory 1 and 2, Squirt Cycling Products, Bergankunft – Squirt, Cheddar Factory Racing, ISB Cyclistwork Factory, Linbikes LEFA, Innovationhouse, WRT Marathon, and the Resort Princesa Parc teams complete the 26-team elite men’s field.

In the women’s race, MASSI ISB Sport and Torpado Kenda FSA start as co-favourites. Mónica Calderón is a frequent winner in the Epic Series, though 2026 has not been the Colombian’s year thus far. Costanza Fasolis partners with Calderón and will have to outclimb Katazina Sosna-Pinelė and Giorgia Marchet to claim victory. Torpado Kenda FSA were victorious at the 4Islands Epic, on the Kvarner Islands in the Adriatic, in April, beating the MASSI ISB Sport combination in the process. Yet, like Alleman, the long Pyrenean climbs do not suit Sosna-Pinelė, who excels on punchier terrain. Perhaps then the favour tilts MASSI ISB Sport’s way in Andorra…

Mónica Calderón is partnered by Costanza Fasolis, as she was at the 4Islands Epic. Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.

Or perhaps it provides Metallurgica Veneta Pro – Next Ride, NextRide Papival, or ISB Cyclistwork Factory with the opportunity to seize an Epic Series title? Maria Zarantonello and Chrystelle Baumann are the top-rated of the trio of teams, though Meritxell Figueras Garangou is the individual with the strongest palmarès. Alba Teruel Ribes brings road pedigree and stage racing experience to the pairing with Figueras Garangou, suggesting that the ISB Cyclistwork Factory team could be dark horses for the title. Though they will have to see off NexRide Papival’s Sandra Stadelmann and Laura Tissieres, to seal overall victory.

The Bauhaus Cycling, Fortress Real Estate Investments, Velo Kartell X R-Suspension MTB, Ultra Raid Series x Chiffelle, Royally Exhausted Seawork Cares, Full Charlotte, and Constantia Uitsig teams complete the elite women’s lineup.

Katazina Sosna-Pinelė and Giorgia Marchet won the 4Islands Epic in April but the climbing in Andorra might not suit Sosna-Pinelė’s formidable power. Photo by Samir Ceric Kovacevic.

Racing gets underway at 09:00 (Central European Summer Time | GMT+2) on Thursday, 2 July 2026. Stage 1 features a remote start in the Pal Arinsal Bike Park, a gondola ride up from the La Massana race village, and a 49-kilometre route. The start at nearly 2 000 metres above sea level ensures more descending than climbing on the opening day. Still, there will be 1 440 metres of elevation gain to conquer, along with an ascent to 2 327 metres on the Coll de Calbús.

To share in the racing action, mountain biking fans can like the Andorra Epic Facebook page or follow @andorra_epic on Instagram. Daily highlights from the race can be viewed on the Epic Series YouTube Channel. To find out more, visit www.epic-series.com/andorra.

Remote, high altitude, starts are part of the Andorra Epic appeal. Photo by Carles Iturbe.

Laura Stark and Ila Stow return to Andorra to team up for Fortress Real Estate Investments. Photo by Toni Grases.

Expect incredible trails in the Pyrenees. Photo by Toni Grases.