The LAST edition of the week! It's snowing on course, we've got photo gold, an epic comeback and so much more.
1074 words of pure stoke.
Read time: 3 min 52 seconds.
Photo of the Day
Nothing like a Brandon Semenuk signature shot to send us into the weekend.
📷 Ian Collins behind the lens.
Video of the Day
Joe and Ferg are back at it, racing UK enduros and making sure no pub is left unvisited along the way.
With races like Ard Rock and The Naughty Northumbrian on their roster, you know it’s going to be chaos on two wheels.
Grab your popcorn and your mudguard - this one’s messy.
⏰ Watch time - 2 min 34 sec
Bonus: Leah Vanderlinden didn’t just crash; she crash-landed into one of the most jaw-dropping comeback arcs in MTB.
Fractures, no cell service, a solo desert survival saga straight out of an action movie - most would’ve tapped out.
Leah rebuilt, recharged, and came back swinging harder than ever.
⏰ Watch time - 12 min 21 sec
Send of the Day
When the trail gods take the wheel! 🙏
Bielsko-Biała: Where Dreams Are Crushed & Ruts Are Deeper Than Your Craving For Donuts After Your Saturday Morning Ride
Race fans, sharpen your tire levers and pre-slice your bananas.
It’s World Cup downhill time and we’re heading back to Bielsko-Biała, Poland, for Round 1 of the 2025 season.
The UCI said no more chaos this year, and then immediately scheduled the first race in Poland. Bless them.
The track’s fast, the rules are weirder, and at least one rider is reportedly racing on a gearbox bike that sounds like a microwave full of gravel.
Let’s get up to speed before the chaos officially begins.
First up - It’s snowing!
Yup. It’s supposed to be summer but mother nature heard it was DH season and decided to make it spicy.
Check out the action from practice!
🚴 What’s the Track Like?
2025 Bielsko-Biała UCI EDR World Cup Stage Map | WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series
Bielsko-Biała is a Slip'N Slide through the woods, only the water is rain, the woods are angry, and the locals are very good at yelling support in Polish.
Last year the course was controversial (which, in mountain bike terms, means people argued online and then got wrecked by the course anyway).
Fast? Yep. Slippery? Definitely. Punishing? Oh yeah.
🌧️ Last Year’s Polish Smackdown (aka 2024 Recap)
Juniors: The track woke up on Finals Day and chose violence.
Rain soaked the course, but Heather Wilson said “lol” and won again, keeping her streak alive.
Erice Van Leuven got heartbreakingly close.
Sacha Earnest was fast until she wasn't. Nature is cruel.
On the boys' side, Asa Vermette did Asa things, which means: full send, no mistakes, top step.
Mylann Falquet and Dane Jewett did their best to catch him, but Asa was already halfway to Kraków by the time they crossed the line.
Elites: By the time the pros got on course, the sun came out and the track dried up, just in time to witness Marine Cabirou pull off a silky-smooth run for the win.
Camille Balanche and Nina Hoffmann rounded out the podium, while Vali Höll and Tahnee Seagrave made “so-close” their weekend aesthetic.
Then came the men’s final, which ended in a 0.064-second heartbreak for Loic Bruni.
Ronan “Dark Horse No More” Dunne decided Poland would be the perfect place to absolutely send it, and boom - first World Cup win, massive airtime, probably a lifetime supply of pierogi.
Top 5 Recap – Elite Women:
- Marine Cabirou – 3:26.643
- Camille Balanche – +1.188
- Nina Hoffmann – +1.680
- Jess Blewitt – +2.425
- Tahnee Seagrave – +3.247
Top 5 Recap – Elite Men:
- Ronan Dunne – 2:55.766
- Loic Bruni – +0.064
- Loris Vergier – +1.197
- Benoit Coulanges – +1.560
- Amaury Pierron – +1.830
Vibes Forecast: Chaotic Good with a Chance of Drifting
Between the rain-soaked warm-ups, fast-and-loose tech sections, and Poland’s inexplicable ability to look both beautiful and menacing at the same time, we expect total carnage.
And we love that for us.
Add in a sprinkle of new bikes, gearbox conspiracy theories, and riders swapping teams like it’s high school drama club, and you’ve got yourself a season opener worth watching hungover.
The Schedule (a.k.a. “When to Ditch Work”)
Friday, May 16
- 08:30 – Training Group B (aka Team Chaos)
- 10:30 – Training Group A (aka the people you pretend to be on Strava)
- 12:30 – Timed Training
- 14:30 – More Timed Training, still no lunch
Saturday, May 17
- 08:30 – Women’s Training
- 09:45 – Men’s Training
- 11:00 – Juniors (future GOATs in the making)
- 12:30 – Quali Time! (Elite Women)
- 13:00 – Quali Time! (Elite Men)
- 14:15 – Junior Qualifying
- 15:30 – Semi-Finals, because we need drama
- 15:50 – More Semi-Finals, now with extra tire squirm
Sunday, May 18
- 09:00 – Junior Training
- 10:00 – Elite Training
- 11:30 – Junior Women Finals
- 12:00 – Junior Men Finals
- 13:00 – Elite Women Finals
- 14:00 – Elite Men Finals aka "What Suspension Tuning?"
(Note: All times are local and subject to change.)
We’ll be in touch Monday with the full race report!
Dream Rides ❤️
This bike’s a party on two wheels. The kind of party that makes my wallet cry.
We wanna see it! Shoot us an email at editorial@thesenditdaily.com, and maybe your ride will be the next superstar.
Trail of the Day
Lower Ditch Pig - Diamond Head
Running parallel to Angry Midget, this rooty, rocky bonus loop dares you to hold on tight and hope for the best.
Short but spicy, it’s perfect for those who think ‘smooth flow’ is overrated.
Hit this trail to add a dash of chaos and a side of swearing to your ride.
Laugh of the Day
In true Bollywood fashion 😂
That’s all for week folks. We hope everyone gets some saddle time out there. See you all on Monday! 🤙
For the ❤️ of two wheels.
We write The Send It Daily Monday - Friday (we’re out riding on the weekends). We do not proofread our material before sending and did not get A’s in English.
Our mission is simple: To advocate and bring awareness to the athletes that Send It and the media teams that capture it.
If you’re looking to feature content on The Send It Daily, reach out to editorial@thesenditdaily.com.
For more information, visit us at thesenditdaily.com
