Martina Berta and Luca Martin won the cross-country races at the fifth World Cup of the season in La Thuile. On the new, technically demanding course at 1,500 meters above sea level, the Italian champion claimed her first-ever victory in an elite World Cup event. Meanwhile, Martin celebrated his second consecutive cross-country victory and further extended his lead in the overall standings.

The 3.2-kilometer course in the Aosta Valley pushed the riders to their limits with long climbs, rutted descents, and a steep rocky section. Right after the start, a 652-meter climb awaited them. Added to this were loose terrain and technically challenging forest sections that demanded the highest level of concentration throughout the entire race.

In the women’s race, Ronja Blöchlinger initially broke away and led by ten seconds after the first lap. Behind her, a chasing group formed consisting of Jenny Rissveds, Martina Berta, and Savilia Blunk. Berta caught up to the lead group and subsequently took the lead. Only Blunk was able to keep up with the Italian’s pace.

As the race progressed, Blunk lost time due to several minor mistakes. At the same time, Laura Stigger worked her way up to third place. Before the final lap, however, Berta was only four seconds ahead of Blunk. Under pressure from her pursuer, the 28-year-old rode her fastest lap and secured the victory at the finish. Blunk finished second, twelve seconds behind, with Stigger following 55 seconds later in third place. Rissveds took fourth place, thereby defending her lead in the overall standings ahead of Alessandra Keller.

Berta won not far from her home and as the Italian champion. She is the first Italian woman to win an Elite Cross-Country World Cup race on home soil.

Ronja Blöchlinger and Sina Frei finished fifth and sixth. After Britain’s Evie Richards in seventh place, four more Swiss riders—Alessandra Keller, Nicole Koller, Jolanda Neff, and Ramona Forchini—followed in eighth through eleventh place. The top German finisher was Nina Graf in 13th place.

Elite Women’s Results

In the men’s race, Simon Andreassen initially set the pace. Later, Mathis Azzaro, Adrien Boichis, and Luca Martin established themselves at the front. Simone Avondetto and Bjorn Riley lost contact after a crash. Martin, Boichis, and Azzaro then engaged in a tactical race, testing each other on the steep climbs and technical descents.

After about 45 minutes, Martin capitalized on a mistake by Azzaro to launch the decisive attack. While his pursuers lost more time due to riding errors, the Frenchman steadily increased his lead. Martin ultimately won by more than a minute. Azzaro pulled away from Boichis in the final laps and finished second. Riley fought his way back to fourth place, while Riley Amos achieved his best World Cup result to date by finishing fifth.

With this victory, Martin extends his lead in the overall standings to 343 points after five races.

The Germans Luca Schwarzbauer and David List put in strong performances, which were rewarded with seventh and tenth-place finishes. Fabio Püntener and Marcel Guerrini were the only Swiss riders in the top 20; the top Austrian was Max Foidl in a solid 15th place.

Elite Men’s Results

In the U23 races, Valentina Corvi and Paul Schehl impressively continued their winning streaks. Both had already won the short-track race on Friday and capped off a perfect weekend on Sunday. Corvi immediately took control of the women’s race and was already 45 seconds ahead after the first lap. On the challenging course, the Italian steadily increased her lead and ultimately won with a margin of 2 minutes and 42 seconds. It was her fourth cross-country victory in her fifth race of the season. With this win, she extended her lead in the overall standings to 320 points. Behind her, Monique Halter secured second place. The Swiss rider came under pressure in the penultimate lap but managed to hold on to a two-second lead over Canadian Ella Macphee at the finish.

U23 Women’s Results

Paul Schehl also pulled away from his competitors early on. The German dominated the race from the start and celebrated his third consecutive Cross-Country World Cup victory. Nicolas Halter finished second, 1 minute and 32 seconds behind, while Lucas Teste took third place. Schehl now leads the overall standings by 68 points.

U23 Men’s Results