21 June 2026 – Luca Martin claimed his first win of the year after coming out on top in a race-long battle with Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing). A last-lap crash for Boichis allowed Martin to take advantage and secure the second UCI XCO World Cup victory of his career, while Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) completed the podium in third.
Meanwhile, Jenny Rissveds took her second XCO victory in as many weeks with a commanding performance in the women’s Elite race. The Canyon XC Racing rider led from the second full lap and went on to win by more than a minute, finishing ahead of Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) in second and Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Factory Racing) in third.
In the Under 23 categories, it was Valentina Corvi (Canyon XC Racing) and Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountainbike Team) who took solo victories.
Back-to-back race weekends presented a physical and mental challenge for riders in Lenzerheide, with last weekend’s wet and slippery conditions at Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland giving way to hot, dry racing in Switzerland.
It was a good weekend for Specialized Factory Racing, with Boichis leading them to victory in the mixed team standings, as they extended their overall lead to a healthy 342 points. The team placed four riders in the top 10 of Friday’s UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup and then five riders in the top 10 of the XCO.
MARTIN OVERCOMES BOICHIS IN LAST LAP SHOWDOWN
Luca Martin took top spot of the Men Elite UCI XCO World Cup podium for the first time this year. After four second placed finishes this season, the Cannondale Factory Racing rider finally celebrated finishing on top in Lenzerheide.
Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) finished fourth in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland last weekend. However, luck was not on his side in Switzerland, and a starting loop puncture ended his podium hopes. After winning his last two UCI World Cup races, Boichis showed confidence as he rode a consistent pace at the front to whittle down the leading group to six riders after two laps. Under pressure Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) clipped the course marking and lost position, as the leading group was reduced to four riders.
Boichis was joined at the front by Martin Vidaurre Kossman (Specialized Factory Racing), Luca Martin and Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team). The relentless climbing speed of Boichis took its toll as Vidaurre Kossman and Riley were both distanced, leaving two at the front. Despite losing contact with the front pairing, Riley kept his pace constant to maintain third position.
In the last lap showdown, it was Boichis who launched a blistering attack on the asphalt climb to distance his rival. However, under pressure the Specialized Factory Racing rider slipped out on the gravel and Martin took advantage. The Cannondale Factory Racing rider had time to celebrate in style, pulling tricks on his way to a clear victory and the overall standings lead.
A deflated Boichis finished 25 seconds behind in second and Riley added another podium to his growing collection.
Following his win Martin said: “I’m so happy after three second places, I needed to win. It was a crazy race. In the first part I tried to stay at the back [of the leading group] and feel my shape.
“The dirt changed after 45 minutes to very slippery, and I had that at the back of my head.
“I knew the last lap would be very dangerous and it was never finished. When Adrien attacked I felt like I could come back in the downhill.
“He crashed, it was very slippery, when I saw that I had to go.”
Here’s the link to the video:
MTBWS HIGHLIGHTS 
Men’s Elite XCO | 2026 Lenzerheide
UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men Elite standings
RISSVEDS SHOWS COMPOSURE TO CLAIM SOLO VICTORY
Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) showed the mark of a true champion as she took a composed solo victory in the Women Elite UCI XCO World Cup. Despite not feeling at her best, the UCI XCO World Champion took the lead early in the race before riding clear to win.
Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon) came into the race looking to continue her run of three consecutive podiums across XCO and XCC. However, the home athlete endured a nightmare start, crashing on the opening downhill rutted sector and losing contact with the leaders.
Meanwhile, Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) had been beaten in a close sprint finish in the XCC days earlier and looked to take matters into her own hands. Buoyed by a vocal home crowd, the Swiss rider pulled out a solo lead of nine seconds after the opening start loop. Rissveds looked composed as she left the chasers before overtaking Blöchlinger on the first full lap and building what would become her winning advantage.
Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Factory Racing), who won Friday’s XCC, was also in podium contention, along with overall hopeful Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing). However, Blunk suffered misfortune on the second lap with a rear wheel puncture, with the wheel change costing her 40 seconds and dropping her from third to fifth.
Despite making a huge first-lap effort, Blöchlinger kept her lap times consistent and held a comfortable second place. Blunk was not deterred by her mechanical and powered away from the chasers with a lap remaining as she went in search of Blöchlinger.
At the front, it was a familiar feeling for Rissveds as she completed a faultless display. Meanwhile, Blöchlinger did enough on the technical descent to the finish to celebrate her first XCO podium in second, ahead of Blunk in third.
After four rounds, Rissveds leads the overall standings by 177 points from Frei.
Rissveds said: I’m really happy about today’s race. In Short Track on Friday, I was pretty exhausted to be honest.
“I was just trying to be patient today, but then I realised that I was feeling good.”
UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women Elite standings
CORVI AND SCHEHL CONTINUE U23 DOMINANCE OF DISCIPLINE
Valentina Corvi (Canyon XC Racing) delivered another masterclass in XCO racing, riding clear of her rivals to win the women’s U23 event by nearly a minute. The Italian led from start to finish to claim her third victory from four UCI XCO World Cup rounds this season, extending her advantage in the overall standings to 208 points.
Norwegian rider Lisa Kristine Jorde was the only rider able to follow Corvi’s pace in the early stages, but lost around a dozen seconds each lap as the gap continued to grow. Her efforts were rewarded with a career-best XCO finish in second, as Corvi eased through the final lap to finish 53 seconds clear. American rider Makena Kellerman completed the podium, finishing 1:46 behind the winner.
Following her win, Corvi said: “This one really means a lot. I was looking forward to this race as it’s one of my favourite tracks and really iconic. I was trying to be as smooth as possible, keep the flow of the bike, not make mistakes and keep the lap times regular. I’m really proud of my race today.”
UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Women U23 standings
Meanwhile, Paul Schehl completed his second weekend double in as many weeks. The Lexware Mountainbike Team rider has hit a rich run of form, winning both the XCC and XCO races at Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland and Lenzerheide.
Schehl also ledthroughout, with a powerful opening three laps proving too much for his rivals. Rens Teunissen Van Manen (KMC Nukeproof MTB Racing Team), chasing his first podium of the season, led the pursuit during the first half of the race. However, Thibaut François Baudry (Canyon XC Racing) stayed composed in the opening laps before timing his finishing effort perfectly to pass Teunissen Van Manen for second.
The result moved Schehl into the overall lead, just eight points ahead of François Baudry.
Following his win, Schehl said: “Back-to-back weekends is super tough, also the track is very hard. It feels amazing to ride the perfect weekend back-to-back. Keeping the power high is super tough on this track and is a big challenge. I wanted to wait longer initially, but then I decided to go and do my own race so I didn’t have to deal with other riders and could do my own thing.”
UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup | Men U23 standings
Enduro riders take centre stage next weekend (25-28 June) when the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series heads to Val di Fassa – Trentino (Italy). Meanwhile, endurance and gravity riders are all in action the following week (3-5 July) for the second quadruple header of the season at La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta (Italy).
For more information on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series visit www.ucimtbworldseries.com or download the official app from the App Store or Google Play