The first UCI World Cup Cross-country Short Track (XCC) from the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships provided some fast-paced, frenetic action at altitude in Bike Kingdom-Lenzerheide (Switzerland), where cyclists showed off their new jerseys for the first time since the dust settled in Zermatt and Crans-Montana, in Valais, Switzerland.
The victories went to the UCI World Champion Cross-country Olympic (XCO) Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) and the UCI XCC world champion Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing), with both riders proving to be in form at just the right time as the season draws to a close.
Rissveds proved to be the most in-form rider of the series, battling throughout the race with the UCI XCC World Cup leader Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli), before taking the lead on the penultimate lap and never looking back.
For the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, it is the second consecutive victory in the shortest format of this series, after the one in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France), and puts her in contention to make it the first Women Elite XCC-XCO double at Bike Kingdom.Lenzerheide.
For the reigning UCI XCO World Champion, this is the second victory in the shortest format of this series and the fifth of her career.
In the men's Elite category, Koretzky proved that class is immutable, launching the challenge on the final lap without anyone being able to hold onto the rainbow jersey. His teammate and UCI XCC U23 world champion Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) was the only rider able to keep up with the Frenchman's pace, while Simon Andreassen (Orbea/Fox Factory) secured his first podium of the season.
Elsewhere, things didn't go well for the overall leader Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing), who could have clinched the title with two races remaining. His 26th-place finish means the competition will continue until the next stop in the Olympic region of Lake Placid, New York (USA).
RISSVEDS WINS SECOND QUARTER
Jenny Rissveds She's in great form. The 31-year-old has had a solid season so far, but she's stepped it up a notch since the last UCI World Cup in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie, France, winning three of the four races she entered, including the UCI XCO World Championships, and placing second in the other, the UCI XCC World Championships.
On the eve of the UCI XCC World Cup at Bike Kingdom-Lenzerheide, her 260-point deficit to series leader Richards would likely have ruled her out of the possibility of mounting a challenge in the closing stages of the overall standings, but she was the clear favourite to win.
But she wasn't the only cyclist who wanted to make her mark in Switzerland: Alexandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) showed off his new rainbow armbands in front of a home crowd that was on his side.
After a combative opening lap, the race calmed down with Rissveds dictating the early pace. Richards, however, was never far behind and, with a nasty accident in the woods that slowed him down, Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) e Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Factory Racing), it was clearly a good tactic to stay ahead of the pack.
By the second lap, Keller had joined the leading pair, while the other Swiss cyclists Yolanda Neff (Cannondale Factory Racing) and Ronja Blöchlinger (Liv Factory Racing) were also in the lead.
Halfway through, however, there was a leading group of four: Rissveds, Richards, Keller and Blöchlinger, with the first two starting to pull away from their Swiss rivals.
By lap six, the two leading drivers had a five-second gap to Keller and were working together to build their advantage. At the front, however, it was a game of cat and mouse, with both drivers working hard to test each other's weaknesses.
It was Richards who tried to launch the attack first, stepping up her efforts on the seventh lap, but the series leader, who was wearing the red jersey for the first time after losing her rainbow stripes, was unable to shake off the Swede.
Halfway through the final lap, Rissveds went full throttle on the dirt climb, risking everything on the technical wooden section to open up a two-second gap as he crossed the finish line for the penultimate time.
The athlete Canyon CLLCTV XCO She attacked again, and despite Richards emptying her tank, she couldn't keep up with the Swede's unstoppable rise, claiming her second consecutive UCI XCC World Cup and the fifth of her career. Richards had to settle for second place, with Blöchlinger third and Keller sixth again.
Speaking after the race, Jenny Rissveds said: " I'd say I've been getting some great results lately. [Evie Richards and I] We managed to pull away quite quickly. I tried to maintain a high speed, and Evie seemed to prefer that too. We didn't work together much, but we alternated between being in front and behind the wheel.
"We'll see [regarding Sunday's XCO race ]. I'm pretty tired after last weekend and the week after. I guess we're all pretty down after the World Championships. It's a long preparation. For us, it takes 10 months before the World Championships. Some people are successful, others are disappointed. It's exhausting. I'm looking forward to competing on Sunday, but we'll see what happens.”
Koretzky Earns Ninth Short Track Victory
Last year Victor Koretzky He won the overall double at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and the UCI Short Track World Cup, but things didn't work out for the Frenchman in 2025. Forced to play second fiddle to his teammate and series leader Christopher Blevins , had not reached the same levels on short track while wearing the rainbow jersey.
Everything changed at the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland, when the thirty-one-year-old bested Blevins at the finish line to retain his rainbow jersey. And his performance in the shadow of the Matterhorn appears to have kicked off his season, with three races remaining.
He was the previous winner of the UCI XCC World Cup at this location, Luke Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) set the pace early on: the German was happy to lead while a large group of riders fought for position behind him. One of those who was out of contention from the start was Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Divion): The Frenchman had a nightmare start, going from the front row to last place.
Schwarzbauer had in company Luke Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing), the French national champion who was looking to make amends after an illness forced him to miss the world championship, while Koretkzy and series leader Blevins were never far from the front.
The third lap saw a crash after the leading group, Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – XC), was forced to drop in a technical wooded section, opening up a gap to tenth place, while in the lead Andreassen moved into first place, continuing his good form that has seen him achieve two consecutive fourth-place finishes at Les Gets, Haute-Savoie and at the World Championships.
Schwarzbauer continued to look comfortable, but a mistake by Blevins saw him fall behind, dropping him out of contention for a top-eight finish, the result needed to secure the overall title. Koretzky was joined by teammate Boichis in the lead group, and it was clear that Specialized might try some team tactics.
On the penultimate lap, Martin attacked midway through the race, revealing all his cards far from home. However, he was unable to shake off Koretzky, and the rainbow jersey remained glued to his wheel.
As the bell rang to start the final lap, Schwarzbauer managed to pass again, but it was Koretzky who took the lead, hurtling up the dirt climb of the technical area, leaving his rivals in the dust. Only Boichis managed to follow, but it was enough to be the winning move. Koretzky crossed the finish line with his arms raised to claim his first UCI XCC World Cup victory of the season, the ninth of his career, moving him to within one victory of the current record holder. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Boichis finished second, while Andreassen finished third, securing another podium finish alongside his teammate Jenny Rissveds' victory.
MEN'S ELITE RANKING
| 1. |  | KORETZKY Victor (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING) | 21:28 |
| 2. | | * BOICHIS Adrien (SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING) | 21:29 +1 |
| 3. |  | ANDREASSEN Simon (ORBEA FOX FACTORY TEAM) | 21:33 +5 |
| 4. | | MARTIN Luke (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING) | 21:34 +6 |
| 5. |  | SCHWARZBAUER Luke (CANYON CLLCTV XCO) | 21:37 +9 |
| 6. |  | * PUNCHARD Cole (CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING) | 21:40 + 12 |
| 7. | | AZZARO Mathis (ORIGINE RACING DIVISION) | 21:40 + 12 |
| 8. | | BRANDL Maximilian (LAPIERRE RACING UNITY) | 21:41 + 13 |
| 9. |  | SCHÄTTI Luca (BIXS PERFORMANCE RACE TEAM) | 21:44 + 16 |
| 10. |  | BRAIDOT Luke (WILIER-VITTORIA FACTORY TEAM) | 21:44 + 16 |
FEMALE ELITE RANKING
| 1. |  | Risveds Jenny (CANYON CLLCTV XCO) | 20:07 |
| 2. |  | RICHARDS Evie (TREK FACTORY RACING – PIRELLI) | 20:09 +2 |
| 3. | | BLÖCHLINGER Ronja (LIV FACTORY RACING) | 20:28 + 21 |
| 4. | | KOLLER Nicole (GHOST FACTORY RACING) | 20:28 + 21 |
| 5. |  | MAXWELL Samara (DECATHLON FORD RACING TEAM) | 20:30 + 23 |
| 6. | | KELLER Alexandra (THOMUS MAXON) | 20:30 + 23 |
| 7. |  | BLUNK Savilia (DECATHLON FORD RACING TEAM) | 20:33 + 26 |
| 8. | | JACKSONJennifer (ORBEA FOX FACTORY TEAM) | 20:43 + 36 |
| 9. |  | HENDERSON Rebecca (ORBEA FOX FACTORY TEAM) | 21:01 + 54 |
| 10. |  | PIETERSE Puck (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK) | 21:04 +5 |
