Five days on from the first-ever UCI Cross-country World Cup at La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta (Italy), the stars of the Endurance formats were back between the race tape in the heart of the Pyrenees in Pal Arinsal - Andorra.
The course with the highest elevation of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, altitude would always have a role to play in Andorra – especially in the full gas nature of the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup, where riders are in the red from start to finish.
In the women’s field, it was a defacto local, Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing), who went long with more than a lap to go to secure her second consecutive UCI XCC World Cup win a week on from La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta, and her first in Andorra. Behind the Swede, Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) and Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) battled it out for the remaining podium spots, with Stigger edging it in a sprint for the line.
In the Men’s Elite, Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team) timed his attack to perfection, letting Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) and Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) duke it out throughout the race before overtaking Boichis with two corners and a sprint finish to clinch his first UCI XCC World Cup win. The Frenchman would finish second, while team-mate Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) came third – the reigning UCI XCC World Cup overall winner securing his first podium of an injury-hit season.
Before the Elites, it was the turn of the U23s on Pal Arinsal’s high-altitude course, and it witnessed wins for series leaders Valentina Corvi (Canyon XC Racing) and Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountainbike Team) – their second and fifth of the series respectively.
RISSVEDS IN CONTROL
As the heavens opened on a sunbaked course, the Women’s Elite riders took to the punchy Pal Arinsal XCC trails, with rain and thunderstorms making for a tricky proposition.
Rissveds wasn’t phased though, and the Swede led the field on the first climb of the opening lap. She had Jolanda Neff (Cannondale Factory Racing) for company, and while the Swiss star traditionally goes well in the mud, her efforts would fade as the race progressed.
The lead group set a metronomic pace and there was constant jostling for positions – Stigger and last week’s UCI XCO World Cup winner Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) taking the lead, only for Rissveds to always find herself back at the front.
By the midway point, Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon) took up the mantle, and Rissveds looked like she might have a fight on her hands. The reigning UCI XCC World Champion, Keller has won four UCI XCC World Cups in Andorra and was chasing her first short track victory of the year at her favourite course. It was the Swiss rider’s surge on lap seven that finally whittled down a bloated lead group – Berta and series leader Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) dropped to leave a six-strong pack.
The victory looked like it would come from either Keller or Rissveds– the pair slugging it out as they have done countless times over the last 12 months. It was Rissveds who would throw down the gauntlet on the penultimate lap, taking Keller’s signature tactic of attacking from distance. While the Swiss rider tried to respond, an untimely slip on the last corner slowed her chase with Stigger overtaking into second.
Taking the bell for the final lap, Rissveds had gone and opened space between herself and the chasing pack, now led by Blöchlinger. Behind her, Stigger, Keller and Nicole Koller (Lapierre PXR Racing) were in the hunt for third.
Rissveds was able to take it easy as she crossed the line, celebrating her second UCI XCC World Cup win in as many weeks, and taking her within 30 points of series leader Frei. A late surge from Stigger saw her catch and edge Blöchlinger on the line.
Her victory means that Rissveds has extended her lead as the most successful UCI XCC World Cup rider of all time, with 10 wins, and gives her the chance to become the first female rider to win three XCC-XCO doubles in Sunday’s Olympic distance race.
Speaking at the end of the race, Jenny Rissveds said: “It feels really good. I’ve never really had a good short track here before. Even though I live here, I struggle with the altitude. No matter how much you adapt, and how much you try, it’s always hard to be at altitude. Today was just good. I think the rain before the start really helped because it was so dusty here, so there were good conditions on the course and as always I love when the organisation let us ride on a natural course like this. Riding trails is super cool.
The racing has changed since last year. It’s tighter. It used to be that at start/finish, we’d sit up and we recover, but this year, it’s full gas the whole lap every race, which is really cool. I think we learned a little bit from the boys.
Racing at home makes a huge difference. Not so much when it comes to training on the course, I’m rarely here and I actually live in a different valley. But being able to sleep in my own bed, spend time with my parents and friends, and enjoy a day at home gives me a real boost. It makes it feel like I’m simply heading over to the next valley to race my mountain bike, rather than travelling to another event.”
RILEY CLAIMS FIRST UCI XCC WORLD CUP VICTORY AS BOICHIS TAKES OVER SERIES LEAD
All eyes were on whether Adrien Boichis could make it three in a row in the short track, or if series leader Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) could overcome the bad luck that has plagued his recent XCC efforts.
Initially, it was Charlie Alridge who set the tempo, holding a fast pace that seemed at odds with the altitude that they were racing at. Azzaro was second, while Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) sat in third.
Aldridge remained at the forefront, but by the third lap he had been joined by the in-form rider Boichis. The Frenchman led into the course’s singletrack section, while Aldridge looked like he was going backwards and paying for his earlier efforts.
As Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) came into view, the 2025 UCI XCC World Cup winner in Andorra was visibly frustrated, repeatedly striking his handlebars, while Azzaro appeared to have gone down. The Origine Racing Division rider was ultimately forced to retire from the race, ensuring there would be a new leader at the top of the overall series standings.
By the race’s midway point, Boichis still led proceedings, but was joined at the front by Blevins – the American picking his way through the pack to find himself at the front of a race for the first time this season. The pace seemed to ramp up once more, and by lap six, there was a lead group of four – Boichis, Blevins, Aldridge and Martin – with a gap to Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon XC Racing) in fifth.
Bjorn Riley had other ideas though. The American is in the form of his life and wanted a part of the action. By lap seven, he had become the fifth member of the lead group and navigated his way to second place with some great bike handling skills through the technical singletrack sections.
A slight lull was broken by Martin, as the French national champion started to ramp things up. Aldridge was there though – the Scotsman looking to add to his sole UCI XCC World Cup win. On the penultimate lap, he led into the woods, while behind him, Boichis edged Martin into the downhill section. Riley and Blevins meanwhile were happy to sit and wait their turn.
Crossing the start/finish straight for the penultimate time, Boichis kicked on the climb, and his power was too much for Martin, who dropped from the back of the group. Aldridge was on the Frenchman’s wheel, while Riley was still there in third. It looked set for a three-up sprint to the line before Aldridge attempted an off-piste line through woods, skidding out and crashing into a tree – the Brit eventually rolling home in 30th.
It was down to Boichis and Riley, and with two corners to go, the American attacked, going past the Frenchman and managing to hold him off until the checkered flag. Blevins meanwhile finished third to complete the podium.
While he’ll be disappointed not to have completed a hat-trick of wins, Boichis’ second-place finish moves him into first in the overall, where he has a 116-point lead over Azzaro with three rounds to go.
Speaking after the race, Bjorn Riley said: “Every race feels like the fulfilment of a dream. Winning is something you dream about your whole life, so actually doing it feels surreal. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet. Maybe later tonight, when I’m trying to sleep, it’ll hit me and I’ll end up lying awake thinking about it. Right now, it just feels incredible.
“We all know each other’s strengths, and heading into the final climb I knew Boichis has an explosive kick. I could tell he didn’t quite have it on the climb today, and that’s something I’d been thinking about over the last couple of days. Normally, I don’t take big risks on the final lap because I’m already happy with a podium but today felt different. I did get a bit nervous because when I looked back on the finishing straight, he was right there behind me. I’m not used to having to sprint for the win, so that was a little scary.
“So many people had been telling me they wanted to see me win. It’s amazing that people believe in me like that. Sometimes I still feel like the same kid who just loves riding his bike.
“Towards the end of last season, I started feeling competitive in short track again. I had a strong year in 2023, but it took some time to find that level once more. Race by race, I’ve felt myself improving. I’ve spent a lot of time on the road recently, and now that I’m back fighting at the front, my confidence is growing.
“I absolutely love being part of this team, but it’s a squad filled with champions. To feel like you truly belong, you have to perform at a high level. Little by little, I’m starting to feel like I’ve earned my place here.”
CORVI AND SCHEHL EXTEND SERIES LEADS WITH ANOTHER COMMANDING DISPLAY
Series leaders Valentina Corvi and Paul Schehl extended their advantages at the top of their respective standings, Corvi continuing her winning form from her home round in La Thuile - Valle d’Aosta, while Schehl’s streak now stands at five – third place at the season opener in MONA YongPyong (South Korea) the only time the German hasn’t been on the podium’s top spot.
For Corvi, it was another dominant display. The Italian was in the lead group from the off but threw down the gauntlet in lap four of eight. While Florencia Monsálvez Rojo and Lisa Krsitine Jorde followed the attack, both faded in the following lap while Corvi kept the pressure on. By lap six, she had an almost-30 second advantage over a chasing group of six riders, but the pack couldn’t use their numerical advantage to real her in.
While Corvi was able to cruise to her second consecutive U23 UCI XCC World Cup win, there was a sprint behind for the final podium places – Jorde and Rafaelle Carrier edging second and third respectively, while Monsálvez Rojo and Bloeme Kalis (KMC Nukeproof MTB Racing Team) missed out.
Speaking after the race, Valentina Corvi said: “It’s amazing. The last days have been quite challenging. After La Thuile, I was tired. But today, I went out for the XCC and I’ll try to recover for the race on Sunday. I tried to stay with the others in the first laps, and then I realised I was able to push a little bit more on the climbs and in general on the downhills, so I accelerated. I’m super happy, I finally got the feelings here. Also, considering the altitude…
My season is going really well. It’s so special every time to go on the podium and it’s also amazing for the team. They always work super hard behind the scenes to make everything perfect. It’s good to take a great result.
The men’s U23 race was a much tighter affair with a group of six still in contention with two laps to go. It was Paul Schehl, Thibaut François Baudry (Canyon XC Racing) and Nicolas Halter (Thömus Arkos - Youngstars) who managed to split the group in half and gaining a slim advantage.
Schehl showed why he is the format’s dominant rider, going clear on the final lap to win by two seconds to François Baudry. The last lap acceleration was too much for Halter, who rolled in in third.
Speaking at the end of the race, Paul Schehl said: “It was an incredibly tough race. The pace wasn’t particularly high at the start, but as soon as I bridged across, I was able to drop a few riders and close the gap to the leaders. Over the final three laps, it came down to me, Thibaut [François Baudry] and Nicolas [Halter]. I thought I’d be able to create a bigger gap, but they were incredibly strong and stayed on my wheel for a long time.
“I tried to make the race as hard as possible from start to finish, so to come away with another win is something I still can’t quite get used to. Every victory feels special, and this one is no different. I’m really happy.”
The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continues in Pal Arinsal on Saturday with the UCI Downhill World Cup, following an action-packed qualifying day that saw Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) and Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Trek - Unbroken DH) set the fastest times. The endurance athletes return to the trails on Sunday for the UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup. Discover the full event schedule and find out how and where to watch the action here.
