The echo of the 2025 edition of the Hero UCI Marathon World Cup has not yet faded, but the second edition of the race series under the aegis of Hero is already coming into the spotlight, which will be heralded by the competition in Calpe, Spain, in February 2026. But before we talk about next year, it's time to look back on the last few exciting months, which came to an end with the last World Cup race in Girona in mid-September, where the winners of the UCI Marathon World Cup were decided.

The protagonists

The attractions of the race series attracted top-class athletes and teams from 26 countries, who showed spectators and fans the best performances in the mountain bike marathon. A total of 725 mountain bikers rode in the World Cup - 591 men and 138 women (this includes riders from non-UCI formations). In addition, 8500 amateurs from 46 countries took part in the five races of the Hero UCI Marathon World Cup. The following names emerged as the big protagonists of the World Cup over the course of the races.

In the women's elite category, Rosa Van Doorn from the Buff-Megamo team was one of the riders who attracted particular attention. In fact, the Dutchwoman did not disappoint expectations and became the first winner of the World Cup in her category. She won in Capoliveri, Andorra and Kirchzarten, came second in Girona and was only slowed down on her unstoppable rise in the overall standings in the Dolomites of the Hero - she finished this race in eighth place. Her challengers on the way to first place were Italy's Sandra Mairhofer, winner of the Hero Südtirol Dolomites, who finished second overall, and Poland's Paula Gorycka-Kurmann, whose triumph in the La Tramun Sea Otter Europe gave her a third place in the Hero UCI Marathon World Cup.

It was even closer in the individual races and in the overall standings in the men's elite category, where the German Andreas Seewald from Team Singer KTM Racing was finally able to pull on the World Cup winner's jersey. He had previously won the Hero Südtirol Dolomites and the Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon in his native Germany.

The rivals who threatened his top position in the overall ranking more than once were Wout Alleman, winner of the Capoliveri Legend Cup, and Leo Paez, who won Naturland Andorra - races in which Seewald finished sixth and second respectively. However, the German's performance throughout the series ultimately enabled him to take the overall victory despite finishing eleventh in the race in Girona, where the course was particularly treacherous due to rain.

This first Marathon World Cup edition has certainly shown how dynamic and surprising the MTB marathon world is and how many top athletes are at home there. With the Hero UCI Marathon World Cup, they have now found a new place to develop further and achieve ambitious goals in an international environment. The internationality is evident just by looking at the top ten finishers: We find eight different nationalities among the women and seven among the men, while six different flags were present on the winner's podium - it doesn't get more international than that.

"This first edition has confirmed the great potential of the marathon category, which develops as soon as a top-class organized race format is available," commented Gerhard Vanzi, coordinator and promoter of the race series. "We believe that we can draw a positive balance for the year 2025, both in terms of the participation of athletes and the trust that the UCI, the teams and the partners from the industry have placed in us."

Last, but no less important, there were also the competitions in the masters category. Alexandre Llado Diaz from Spain dominated the men's event ahead of Andrea Borgogno from Italy, who came in second just behind the Spaniard. The women's title went to Polish rider Kamila Gurzynska, followed by Brit Sophie Johnson.

A hero for everyone

The interest shown in the World Cup by athletes in the professional and masters categories, companies and organizers, as well as fans and curious spectators, was palpable. And not only along the race courses of the five competitions, but above all on the various communication channels. From television stations to websites and traditional print media to social media channels, the World Cup audience continued to grow throughout the season, thanks in part to the storytelling focused on the protagonists. The figures speak for themselves: the images of the competitions on television, the print reports and the social media platforms generated over 100 million contacts in more than 100 countries, reaching all those who did not want to miss a single moment of these spectacular World Cup moments.

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