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The American and Brit dominated their respective series with consistency and race-winning performances that no-one else could handle.The UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup has become fiercely contested where results are much more than simply sorting the starting order for the race weekend’s UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup. The shorter, high intensity nature of the racing has seen specialists emerge, and when they are in form, they are almost unstoppable.Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) are two such riders. Explosive, aggressive and able to ride in the red for sustained periods of time, the pair had already shown they could beat the best in XCC races – Richards in particular going into the 2025 season as the reigning UCI XCC World Champion.But both pulled together seriously impressive series that left them head and shoulders above the rest, and worthy winners of the 2025 UCI XCC World Cup overall titles.BLEVINS GOES FIVE-IN-A-ROW BEFORE SIGNING OFF THE SERIES WITH ONE ROUND TO GOLike his UCI XCO World Cup record, Blevins had two UCI XCC World Cup wins to his name prior to the 2025 series, although you’d have to go back to Snowshoe (USA) in 2022 for his most recent short track victory. While he had recorded some podium finishes in 2024, it was his teammate and reigning UCI XCC World Champion Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) who was the rider to watch going into the new season.The American had clearly had an impressive off-season though, and started the series in the best way possible – outsprinting Koretzky to take the win in the Araxá, Minas Gerais’ (Brazil) opening race. It was a feat he repeated six days later, again getting the better of Koretzky, and as the series moved from South America to Europe, he already held a healthy lead in the overall.It was the same story in Nové Mesto na Moravě (Czechia), while wins in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland (Austria) and Val di Sole (Italy) made it an unprecedented five in a row for Blevins. It wasn’t until Pal Arinsal (Andorra) in July when another rider would finally get the better of Blevins – Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) edging him on the line.While his season appeared to drift in the next two rounds, his early dominance meant that the overall never truly looked to be under threat. And when the opportunity presented itself to claim the overall on home soil in Lake Placid Olympic Region (USA), Blevins didn’t miss – flying round teammate Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) on the line for his sixth win of the season, and Specialized’s sixth 1-2 of the year.Martin prevented it being a Specialized Factory Racing whitewash in the overall – the Frenchman adding a second win of the series at the season finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) – while his teammate Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) rounded out the overall podium.RICHARDS PUTS IN HER MOST-CONSISTENT SEASON TO ADD THE OVERALL TITLE TO HER 2024 RAINBOW BANDSWhen Evie Richards won the 2021 UCI XCO World Championship, the Brit appeared to suffer the curse of the rainbow bands during her year in the world champions jersey, only finishing two UCI XCO World Cups and 16th position her best placing.The 28-year-old had another three seasons’ experience on her side entering the 2025 series, and looked determined to not suffer the same fate while wearing the UCI XCC World Champions jersey.She started her season the best possible way, leaving Brazil with a 100% record from the opening two rounds and in control of the overall. A narrow second place to Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in Nové Mesto na Moravě was the first time she had been bettered in the XCC all year, while sixth in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland would be her worst result all season.Forced to skip Val di Sole – Trentino (Italy), her overall looked under threat from Pieterse, who had won three back-to-back UCI XCC World Cups. But come Pal Arinsal, Richards answered her critics, returning to the podium with second behind Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) while the Dutchwoman wilted at altitude.Defending overall champion Keller appeared to be Richards’ main threat and was hitting form just at the right time, while Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) threw her hat into the ring with a win in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) with the series leader only managing fifth. But the Brit showed a new, steely resolve.While Rissveds could go on to win the next three rounds, finishing the season with an almost perfect record and picking up XCO/XCC doubles in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie, Lake Placid Olympic Region and Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada), Richards was always in the background, finishing next best to the Swede to retain her advantage in the overall.Rissveds ultimately left it too late, and will rue her failure to score points in Nové Mesto with 110 points the difference between the two. Keller meanwhile finished third while also clinching the 2025 UCI XCC World Championship.SADNIK EDGES CORVI WHILE TREUDLER ADDS XCC TITLE TO XCO CROWN IN U23In the U23 field, it was a similar story with a competitive contest in the women’s U23 while one rider ran away with proceedings in the men’s U23.Katharina Sadnik (KTM Factory MTB Team) had the edge in the women’s U23, beating Women U23 UCI XCO World Cup overall winner Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) by 26 points. The Austrian collected six podiums all year, including the win in Pal Arinsal, but the series was separated by just six points as racing got underway in Mont-Sainte-Anne. Her third-place finish scored her 20 more points than Corvi, who could only manage seventh – the Italian likely regretting her two missed rounds in Nové Mesto and Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland.In the men’s U23, like in the XCO, Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) dominated. While he wasn’t able to match his eight wins from the Olympic-distance format, the Swiss 22-year-old did win seven rounds in a row from Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland to Mont-Sainte-Anne, and was only beaten by elite-class rider Adrien Boichis at the U23 UCI XCC World Championships.

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Series would witness something of the changing of the guard in the Cross-country formats for 2025. Reigning UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Champions Alan Hatherly (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - XC) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) would instead focus on the road – both skipping the first two and final two rounds of the year – while one of the G.O.A.Ts Pauline Ferrand-Prevot didn’t set foot on the trails once all season as she targeted (and won) the Tour de France Femmes. Elsewhere, consistent performers of previous seasons – Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) and Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) had age and a comeback from injury to contend with.This void at the top of the table opened up the chance for other riders to stake their claim. And it was an opportunity that both Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) seized with both hands.The pair were ever present at all 10 rounds of the series. But their debut title wins were down to more than simply showing up – both Blevins and Maxwell displaying the consistency needed be crowned overall champions. From an unprecedented three XCO-XCC doubles to an almost-perfect podium season, here’s how Blevins and Maxwell did it.BLEVINS BLOWS COMPETITORS AWAY BEFORE OVERCOMING MID-SEASON SLUMP IN STYLEPrior to the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Christopher Blevins had only won two XCO races on the biggest stage – a sprint finish in Mairiporã (Brazil) in April 2024 and in Snowshoe (USA) back in September 2021. While the 27-year-old would have to settle for second best to teammate Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) at the opening round in Araxá, Minais Gerais (Brazil), when the field returned six days later, the American made sure he didn’t miss again.His victory in South America was his third of the opening two rounds – Blevins also picking up the opening two UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup wins – and started a run of first-places that would last until round four in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzbugerland (Austria). A 17th place on the slopes in the Austrian alps wasn’t enough to dent his overall lead, while by the series’ midpoint in Val di Sole - Trentino (Italy), his advantage was more than 300 points.Blevins’ form appeared to desert him in Pal Arinsal’s (Andorra) high altitude arena – a 29th place his worst result of the year – and things didn’t seem to improve with 12th and 27th in Les Gets, Haute Savoie (France) and Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide (Switzerland), respectively. But when the chance to mathematically secure the overall arose at home in Lake Placid Olympic Region (USA), the American rose to the occasion – clinching a third UCI XCO World Cup and XCO-XCC double of the season, and with it the title.Blevins could relax as the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series crossed the border into Canada for the final round, where teammate Martin Viduarre Kossmann (Specialized Factory Racing) secured second in the overall, and Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) third.MAXWELL CLINCHES NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST UCI WORLD CUP OVERALL CROWNSamara Maxwell had an impressive debut elite season in 2024, finishing within the top 20 at every UCI XCO World Cup she entered, but the 23-year-old took things up a gear for 2025 and signaled her intent from the off.At the opening round in Araxá, the New Zealander edged Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) and teammate Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) to record her debut UCI XCO World Cup win and the top spot in the overall, and it was a position she held on to all the way to the season’s end.Although she would only claim one more victory – in Pal Arinsal – the young rider’s consistency made her a runaway force that was impossible to contain. After her win in the season opener, Maxwell would become a feature of each round’s podium until race weekend 8 in Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide at the end of September – when she finished sixth (her lowest position of the entire year).Other riders looked like they might be able to threaten Maxwell’s dominance. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin Deceuninck) put together a hat-trick of wins in Nové Mesto na Moravě (Czechia), Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland and Val di Sole, but the 2024 UCI XCO World Champion lost her way in the second-half of the season. Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) went one better, winning the final four UCI XCO World Cups of the series and the UCI XCO World Championship, but the Swede had ultimately left it too late to topple Maxwell. The Decathlon Ford Racing Team rider had to wait until the Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) season finale to confirm her crown, but signed off her season with a fourth second-place to take her and her country’s first-ever UCI World Cup overall series. Elsewhere, Rissveds would have to settle for second, with 2024 UCI XCO World Cup overall winner Alessandra Keller third.CORVI AND TREUDLER CROWNED U23 WINNERSIn the U23 field, another two riders dominated proceedings with podium-perfect seasons between them.In the women’s Under 23, Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) completed her second U23 season in style, picking up podiums at every round she entered and three wins in Val di Sole, Pal Arinsal and Les Gets. The Italian could afford to skip two rounds and still win at a canter to Vida Lopez De San Roman (Trinity Racing).In the men’s U23, it was the Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) show. The Swiss 22-year-old dominated the field, winning eight out of 10 rounds with the only blemishes on his near-perfect record third-place in Nové Mesto na Moravě and second in Val di Sole. His 601-point victory in the overall over Rens Teunissen Van Manen (KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team) is one of the most one-sided performances ever, and it will be interesting to see how he fairs when stepping up to the elites in 2026.

Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Ella Conolly both won three UCI Enduro World Cups each over the seven-round series to wrap up their first overall titles before the final race weekend in Morillon, Haute-Savoie (France). Conolly wasn’t the only privateer to impress in 2025, either, with Daniel Booker almost writing his own underdog story with two UCI Enduro World Cup wins. The 2025 UCI Enduro World Cup was always set to be a year of transition. Both of the 2024 UCI Enduro World Cup overall winners, Richard Rude Jr (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Harriet Harnden (Aon Racing - Tourne Campervans) were focusing their attention on Downhill, and would only compete at UCI Enduro World Cups where there was no clash in the Gravity calendar. Isabeau Courdurier’s absence in the women’s field would also make it a more open affair, giving other riders an opportunity to shine. But it wasn’t just the favourites who had a different look for 2025. The courses themselves were a different proposition – four rounds going back to the sport’s roots and splitting the action across two days and UCI World Cup’s first-ever night stage. Coming out on top would require even greater consistency, and the ability to manage races – both mentally and physically – across multiple days. And it was a challenge that appeared to suit Łukasik and Conolly down to a T. ŁUKASIK STEPS OUT FROM RUDE’S SHADOW Sławomir Łukasik was the nearly-man of 2024. The Polish rider came agonisingly close to clinching his first UCI Enduro World Cup in front of his home fans at Bielsko-Biała (Poland), and often had to settle for second place behind teammate Richie Rude. But with the American absent for four out of seven rounds, the 32-year-old sensed his chance. He wasn’t able to get off to a winning start in Pietra Ligure - Finale Outdoor Region (Italy) – Australian privateer Daniel Booker edging him to the top spot by less than a second, but come Bielsko-Biała, Lukasik wasn’t going to let a debut UCI Enduro World Cup win slip through his fingers again. He dominated on home soil, winning by more than six seconds to Jack Moir (YT Mob), and leapfrogged Booker into first in the overall – a position he wouldn’t relinquish again all series. Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France) and Saalfelden Leogang-Salzburgerland (Austria) would see him off the pace but still able to secure podium finishes with third to further his advantage in the title race, but it was the follow two rounds that would see him ram home his dominance. In Val di Fassa - Trentino’s (Italy) first UCI Enduro World Cup, no one could get close to the Pole over the two days, with Rude the next best almost 14 seconds in arrears. The following week, in La Thuile – Valle D’Aosta (Italy), he clinched his third UCI Enduro World Cup in emphatic fashion – finishing fourth fastest on the floodlit NightFall stage, pipping Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity) by 0.05 seconds to the win. His victory also meant that he had built an unassailable lead with one round still to go, where he could afford to finish 24th. CONOLLY PROVES PRIVATEERS CAN RIVAL FACTORY TEAMS Ella Conolly was another rider who was still looking for a UCI Enduro World Cup win at the start of the 2025 series. The Brit had come close, but the likes of Harnden and Courdurier always had the edge and experience when it mattered most. It was Harnden who started the season in style – the defending UCI Enduro World Cup overall series winner crushing the field in Pietra Ligure - Finale Outdoor Region, winning five out of seven stages and finishing third in the others. But 24 seconds back in second was Conolly, and with Harnden set to be switching to Downhill in Bielsko-Biała, the Brit looked like she had a good shot. It wasn’t to be – Conolly again having to play second fiddle, this time to Elly Hoskin – but her consistency saw her take top spot in the overall, and, like Łukasik, she would never look back. The stars aligned for Conolly in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes as she went fastest in four out of five stages and finished second in the other, crushing the competition by more than 40 seconds to win her first UCI Enduro World Cup. The privateer made it back-to-back in Saalfelden Leogang-Salzburgerland, again posting a health 16-second advantage, while she made it a hattrick of wins in Val di Fassa to make the overall series a seemingly foregone conclusion with two rounds still to go. The 27-year-old narrowly missed out on making it four-in-a-row the following weekend in La Thuile – Simona Kuchynková (Cube Action Team) building enough an advantage on the second stage to hold on to first by 2.08 seconds – but her sixth-consecutive podium of the series was enough to claim the overall series.  Her advantage meant that she could afford not to start the final UCI Enduro World Cup of the series to focus on the UCI Enduro World Championships instead, where she finished second behind Elly Hoskin. ADAMS AND ALMUEIS DOMINATE IN JUNIOR CLASS The UCI Enduro World Cup aligned with the other Gravity formats with an overall Junior class that was restricted to riders aged 18 and under.  In the women's field, Lacey Adams (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) was a dominant force throughout the series, finishing on the podium at all seven rounds and picking up a hattrick of wins in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France), Saalfelden Leogang-Salzburgerland (Austria) and Val di Fassa - Trentino (Italy). The Australian finished with a comfortable 200-point lead over teammate Chloe Bear (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) to claim the series, while privateer and Pietra Ligure winner Lucile Metge finished third.    Melvin Almueis went two better in the men's competition, winning five out of the seven rounds, with second-place (Bielsko-Biala) and sixth-place (La Thuile) the only times the Frenchman wasn't stood atop the podium come the end of a race weekend. If that wasn't enough, the privateer also won the Men Junior UCI Enduro World Champion title in Valais (Switzerland), and with the 18-year-old ineligible for the junior class next year, it will be interesting to see how he fares against the elites.