After seven months of action, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series came to a head with a North American double-header: in Lake Placid Olympic Region in New York and then in Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiwi Samara Maxwell and American Christopher Blevins claimed the Elite cross-country Olympic (XCO) overall titles after Austrian Valentina H\u00f6ll and Canadian Jackson Goldstone took the Elite downhill (DHI) crowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With wins in Arax\u00e1 (Brazil), and Pal-Arinsal (Andorra), Decathlon Ford Racing Team\u2019s Samara Maxwell assumed a strong position, scoring nine XCO podiums in just her second Elite season. The 23-year-old came to the final race knowing that a top-eight finish would deliver her the overall title \u2013 and only Rissveds could spoil the Kiwi\u2019s party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Swede duly attacked as early as the start loop and forced the biggest winning margin ever in Women Elite XCO. 2023 Under 23 XCO UCI World Champion Maxwell came home unruffled in second to claim the overall, while Evie Richards (GBR) got the better of a race-long battle with Sina Frei (SUI) for third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maxwell finished with 2341 points ahead of Rissveds on 2250 and Switzerland\u2019s Alessandra Keller, 1890.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible season, and now it\u2019s time to learn from this season, recover and trust the process,\u201d said Maxwell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Specialized Factory Racing\u2019s Christopher Blevins had an astonishing season, winning two early XCO rounds and amassing an unassailable points tally by the time he won the double on his \u2018home\u2019 track. Blevins, 27, took the XCO win at Lake Placid Olympic Region \u2013 New York from Frenchmen Adrien Boichis and Mathis Azzaro, to extend his overall lead and celebrate in the stars and stripes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mont-Sainte-Anne saw another super show, with positions 2 to 5 all to be decided. Charlie Aldridge (GBR) took his first XCO win of this year\u2019s series from Mart\u00edn Vidaurre Kossmann (CHI) and Azzaro \u2013 with Blevins rolling in 23rd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a beautiful year,\u201d said Christopher Blevins. \u201cRight now I feel extremely grateful, proud of myself, proud of the team\u2026 it\u2019s been quite a ride.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blevins won the overall with 1996 points from Vidaurre Kossmann on 1695 and Luca Martin of France (FRA) with 1546.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After wins for cross-country short track (XCC) 2024 UCI World Champion Richards and Puck Pieterse of the Netherlands, Rissveds hit the second half of the season in blistering form, winning in Les Gets (France), Lenzerheide (Switzerland), and Lake Placid Olympic Region \u2013 New York, with the overall title still in the balance coming into the final round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rissveds went on to take her fourth successive XCC victory in Canada. Knowing that anything above 8th place would secure her the title, Richards led the chasing pack home, defending from Ronja Bl\u00f6chlinger (SUI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trek Factory Racing – Pirelli\u2019s Richards wins overall with 1770 points from Rissveds on 1660 and Keller\u2019s 1570.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After winning the first five rounds, Blevins let some other riders take a turn \u2013 Martin, Aldridge and Victor Koretzky of France \u2013 before returning to the top spot in the USA. Blevins won ahead of Boichis and Azzaro to secure the XCC overall title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Canada Martin\u2019s second win came with help from his Cannondale Factory Racing buddy Aldridge holding off Boichis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blevins won the overall title with 1911 points from Martin (1380) and Aldridge\u2019s 1267.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Valentina Corvi of Italy aced the Women Under 23 XCO with three wins and 1019 points. Vida Lopez de San Roman (USA) was second overall with 841, pipping Ella MacPhee of Canada on 804. In the Women Under 23 XCC, high scoring Katharina Sadnik of Austria won the overall with 721 points, from Corvi on 695 and MacPhee, 613.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Men Under 23 XCO went to Switzerland’s Finn Treudler, who amassed 1510 points from eight wins. Rens Teunissen van Manen of the Netherlands was second on 909 just ahead of Denmark’s Gustav Heby Pedersen on 907. And winning the last seven rounds, Treudler also took the Men Under 23 XCC overall on 1089 points, from Heby Pedersen (808) and German Paul Schehl on 635.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although she was clear as series leader, it wasn\u2019t until the ninth round – in the USA – that Valentina H\u00f6ll won her first UCI Downhill World Cup of 2025, shortly after reclaiming the rainbow bands. And with it, she confirmed the UCI World Cup overall title. Myriam Nicole (FRA) was second and Sacha Earnest (NZL) third at Lake Placid Olympic Region \u2013 New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coming into Canada, H\u00f6ll was on a super-fast run before the rock garden ate her front tyre, while Gracey Hemstreet (CAN) and Camille Balanche (SUI) \u2013 in her final UCI World Cup race \u2013 crashed. Marine Cabirou (FRA) won, from Nina Hoffmann (GER) and Nicole third, with Tahn\u00e9e Seagrave (GBR) unable to race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
YT Mob\u2019s H\u00f6ll took the season\u2019s overall title with 2139 points from Hemstreet\u2019s 1727 and Seagrave on 1604.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thrilling racing at Lake Placid Olympic Region \u2013 New York saw New Zealand\u2019s Luke Meier-Smith take his first win from home rider Luca Shaw, with Henri Kiefer of Germany rounding out the podium \u2013 and the main protagonists Jackson Goldstone and Lo\u00efc Bruni of France in 4th and 6th respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the pendulum swinging between four-time overall winner Bruni and 21-year-old Goldstone all season, the overall title was to be decided on the new UCI World Champion\u2019s Canadian home turf\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andreas Kolb of Austria put himself on the hot seat until Shaw went faster, then Goldstone faster still. With the news that Bruni would not start, the finish bowl erupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Santa Cruz Syndicate\u2019s Goldstone won the overall with 1946 points from Bruni (1768) and Shaw\u2019s 1366.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four wins for Austrian Rosa Zierl gave the UCI World Champion the Women Junior overall title with 500 points, from American Aletha Ostgaard – also a four-time winner this season – with 465. Third was New Zealand’s Eliana Hulsebosch on 320.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Max Alran of France topped a super Men Junior season – three UCI World Cup wins and the UCI World Champion title \u2013 with the overall title, on 479 points. He was pushed all the way by American Asa Vermette, who won in Canada (467). Tyler Waite of New Zealand was third with 414 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Germany\u2019s Marion Fromberger and Slovenia\u2019s Jakob Klemen\u010di\u010d confirm their first UCI MTB Eliminator World Cup (XCE) overall titles. However, it was Italy\u2019s Gaia Tormena and France\u2019s Lorenzo Serres who won the year\u2019s sixth and final round in Barcelona, Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After four rounds which took the riders from Dushanbe (Tajikistan) in April to Leuven (Belgium) in June, Aalen, (Germany) in July and Sakarya (Turkey) in August, the riders faced an exciting circuit in S\u00e3o Paulo (Brazil) one week after the Turkish round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second place in S\u00e3o Paulo for the series leader Fromberger – behind her closest rival Mariia Sukhopalova of Ukraine – was enough to leave the 25-year-old German with an unassailable advantage going into the last round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks to her victories in Aalen and Sakarya, Fromberger had 505 points before Barcelona, followed by UCI World Champion Sukhopalova with 365 and Didi de Vries (NED) on 287. And, while the crown was already decided, with Czech Ad\u00e9la Pernick\u00e1 on 175 points, positions 2, 3, 4 and 5 were all up for grabs before last Saturday\u2019s confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pernick\u00e1 was fastest in the time trial, with Tormena 2nd, and the two athletes were drawn together in a semi-final with Sukhopalova. The Italian won, showing the form that won her the European Champion\u2019s jersey a week early, and the UCI World Champion passed the Czech Pernick\u00e1 for second shortly before the finish. In the other semi Fromberger came past Margaux Borrelly of France on the line to progress alongside De Vries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five-times XCE UCI World Cup overall winner Tormena \u2013 who won in Leuven this year, but has split her season with road racing \u2013 pushed tremendous pace in the final. Fromberger wanted to go out with the win, but couldn\u2019t catch her. Sukhopalova was third and De Vries fourth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just wanted to win so badly today,\u201d said Tormena. \u201cI really gave everything for this race, because I\u2019ve already won many times here in Barcelona.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The results confirm Fromberger the overall winner with 595 points, Sukhopalova second on 437, followed by De Vries with 352. Tormena and Pernick\u00e1 tied with 235 points, with the Italian rider taking 4th overall thanks to her victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just amazing to win this title. It\u2019s the first time for me, and that makes it really special,\u201d said Fromberger. \u201cI knew that Gaia would be here again, back racing. It was amazing to race against her again. Now we can celebrate together in Barcelona tonight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Klemen\u010di\u010d missed the big final in Brazil\u2019s penultimate round, losing points to his two closest challengers, Jeroen van Eck of the Netherlands and Serres, who did make it through to the final four. But after the Slovenian won the small final, Van Eck and Serres only managed to finish 3rd and 4th respectively (behind UCI World Champion Edvin Lindh, and Brazil\u2019s Luiz Henrique Cocuzzi), missing an opportunity to close the gap further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trio came into the final round with Klemen\u010di\u010d still the series leader, but with the overall title \u2013 and other positions \u2013 still in the balance. Klemen\u010di\u010d arrived in Barcelona on 389 points, Van Eck (winner in Leuven) second with 319, Lindh third on 315, and Serres fourth with 265.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Barcelona round was raced over two laps of the course that\u2019s 200m longer than previous incarnations \u2013 inviting power and speed \u2013 but retaining the iconic steps descent. After 2024 overall winner Lindh (and five-time UCI World Champion Titouan Perrin-Ganier, of France) went out in the quarter-finals, Van Eck slid out on a fast corner in his semi-final \u2013 then suffered a mechanical in the small final. Lying in fifth-overall ,Simon Gegenheimer (GER) progressed behind Serres, to face his countryman Louis Krauss and Klemen\u010di\u010d in the big final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A closely fought final saw Serres take the lead early on lap 2, before Klemen\u010di\u010d made a vicious attack on the final climb in an attempt to go out with the victory. But he unclipped, threw himself off balance and dropped back to roll in fourth behind the two Germans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m really happy to win here in Barcelona, it\u2019s my second win in a row!\u201d said Serres. \u201cI told everyone I wanted to finish my season on a high, and that\u2019s exactly what I did today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Serres backed up his Sakarya win, but it was Klemen\u010di\u010d\u2019s victories in Dushanbe and Aalen that really counted. The final table shows Klemen\u010di\u010d the overall winner with 459 points with Serres jumping to second on 385 and Van Eck retaining third (334) ahead of Lindh (316).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had to fight until the end, but it was enough to take the overall title, I\u2019m more than happy with that,\u201d said Klemencic. \u201cI think Jeroen and Edvin were both a bit nervous, they made some mistakes. I just kept my head focused, and it paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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