The Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon in Kirchzarten was the fifth and penultimate round of the 2026 Cross-Country Marathon World Cup. On the 118-kilometer course with 3,550 meters of elevation gain, Belgium’s Wout Alleman and Switzerland’s Anna Weinbeer emerged victorious. While the men’s race wasn’t decided until the final kilometers, Weinbeer dominated the women’s race and secured the overall World Cup title ahead of schedule.

In the men’s race, a large leading group initially formed, including Colombian Leonardo Paez and German Simon Stiebjahn, among others. In the second half of the race, Alleman caught up to the leaders and broke away alongside Spanish World Cup leader David Valero Serrano. On the steep section near Aftersteg, Paez and Stiebjahn could no longer keep up with the pace. At the same time, Italian Davide Foccoli closed in from behind, joining the battle for victory in the final kilometers.

However, Alleman held his ground on the wider descents and crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 14 minutes, and 7 seconds. Valero Serrano followed about twelve seconds behind, with Foccoli finishing third another six seconds later. Paez took fourth place, about three minutes behind. The top German finisher was Jakob Hartmann in sixth place, followed by Switzerland’s Alexandre Balmer. Andreas Seewald and Simon Stiebjahn finished in ninth and tenth places, respectively. With his second-place finish, Valero Serrano defended his lead in the overall World Cup standings.

In the women’s race, Anna Weinbeer was the dominant rider from the very start. At the start, only her Swiss compatriot Steffi Häberlin was able to keep up with the fast pace. The two rode together at the front for about 20 kilometers before Weinbeer pulled away and continued the race alone. She crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 12 seconds, celebrating her fourth victory in the fifth World Cup race of the season.

Behind Weinbeer, Spain’s Natalia Fischer Egusquiza and Italy’s Claudia Peretti battled for the remaining podium spots. Fischer Egusquiza finished second, exactly four minutes behind. Peretti crossed the finish line in 5 hours, 2 minutes, and 54 seconds to take third place. Häberlin lost her podium position in the second half of the race and finished in fourth place.

With her victory in Kirchzarten, Weinbeer has already secured the overall title in the Cross-Country Marathon World Cup ahead of the season finale. The Swiss rider has won four of the five races held so far. The final round will take place on September 20, 2026, in Girona, Spain. For the men, the overall title will be decided there, while Weinbeer can compete without any pressure to achieve a specific result.

Results