The long-distance World Cup is shifting to the Pyrenees: the second round of the HERO UCI Cross-country Marathon World Cup 2025 took place today in Naturland in Andorra.

More than 103 UCI World Cup participants lined up at the start and faced a technically extremely demanding course over 60 kilometers with 1984 meters of elevation gain. In addition to the technical difficulty of the course, the physical exertion of competing at an altitude of 2,000 meters also played a role.

In the men's race, the battle for the lead flared up in the first few kilometers. At the end of the unique Sant Julià de Lòria circuit in the Principality of Andorra, it was the veteran of the marathon world, Hector Leonardo Paez Leon - fans simply call him Leo Paez - who secured victory with a time of 2:45:06. The Colombian now lives in Italy.

"Today I felt really good and was able to pedal at 100 percent, but I also rode the race with a precise strategy: I didn't push myself too hard on the first descent so as not to take any risks, and then attacked on the climbs where I know I'm ahead of others," said the Naturland 2025 winner on arrival at the finish line, who is particularly pleased with the confirmation of his form ahead of the Hero Südtirol Dolomites on Saturday June 14: "It's my competition, after all I've already won 8 times in Val Gardena."

Behind the winner Leo Paez, the German Andreas Seewald, current world champion from Team Singer KTM Racing, finished second 1:44 behind after his slow debut in Capoliveri in mid-May and a nine-day antibiotic treatment, while the Belgian Wout Alleman from Team Buff Megamo secured third place on the podium with a final time of 2:47:57 and thus retains the lead in the World Cup. Swiss rider Casey South also put in a strong race, finishing just behind the podium.

Women's victory went to Dutch rider Rosa Van Doorn from Team Buff Megamo, who finished the race in Andorra with a time of 3:24:41: an encore for the young 'Oranje' after her victorious debut in Capoliveri. "I'm a little surprised by today's victory because I won a race at sea level on Elba, but here we were riding at two thousand meters above sea level and I didn't know how my body would react," said the winner of the Naturland-Andorra 2025. "And I have to say that I really gave it my all, and that makes me all the happier."

In second place was the Italian Sandra Mayrhofer, followed by the Namibian Vera Looser, who completed the podium with a final time of 3:29:06 and thus challenged her colleagues for the next Hero race in Val Gardena/Gröden, where she is the reigning champion. Remarkable is the internationality of the final ranking with nine nations in the top ten places; the ratio for the men is six to ten.

In the overall ranking, the lead remains unchanged. After the opening race in Capoliveri in mid-May, the Naturland-Andorra race was the second stage of the Hero UCI Cross-Country Marathon World Cup 2025. At the end of the competition, both Wout Alleman and Rosa Van Doorn, both from Team Buff Megamo, were delighted to take the overall leader's jersey in the elite category. Spaniard Alexandre Llado Diaz currently leads the corresponding master's category.

The next stage in the UCI World Cup calendar is already set: the 15th edition of the Hero Südtirol Dolomites in Selva di Val Gardena (Italy) continues on June 14.

Ranking men

1. Hector Leonardo Paez Leon (COL) - 2:45:06
2. Andreas Seewald (GER, Singer KTM Racing) - 2:46:50 (+1:44)
3. Wout Alleman (BEL, Buff-Megamo Team) - 2:47:57 (+2:51)
4. Casey South (SUI, Torpado Kenda FSA) - 2:48:16 (+3:10)
5. Gioele De Cosmo (ITA, Torpado Kenda FSA) - 2:48:42 (+3:36)
6. Nicolas Samparisi (ITA) - 2:48:43 (+3:37)
7. Sebastian Gesche Antona (CHI, Klimatiza Orbea Team) - 2:49:01 (+3:55)
8. Samuele Porro (ITA, Klimatiza Orbea Team) - 2:49:02 (+3:56)
9. Lorenzo Samparisi (ITA) - 2:49:27 (+4:21)
10. Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA, Torpado Kenda FSA) - 2:49:50 (+4:44)

Women's classification

1. Rosa van Doorn (NED, Buff-Megamo Team) - 3:24:41
2. Sandra Mairhofer (ITA) - 3:27:18 (+2:37)
3. Vera Looser (NAM) - 3:29:06 (+4:25)
4. Lejla Njemcevic (BIH) - 3:34:18 (+9:37)
5. Debora Piana (ITA) - 3:35:35 (+10:54)
6. Katazina Sosna-Pinelė (LTU, Torpado Kenda FSA) - 3:36:40 (+11:59)
7. Paula Gorycka-Kurmann (POL) - 3:37:37 (+12:56)
8. Tessa Kortekaas (NED, Cannondale ISB Sport) - 3:39:45 (+15:04)
9. Monica Yuliana Calderon (ESP, Cannondale ISB Sport) - 3:42:11 (+17:30)
10. Terese Andersson (SWE) - 3:43:25 (+18:44)

The full rankings are available on the Hero website.

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