Adrien Boichis delivers a commanding performance and secures the second UCI Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) World Cup victory of his career in the elite division. The Frenchman sets the pace from the start, increases the pressure lap after lap, and ultimately makes the difference with a decisive attack. After his crash in Friday’s XCC race, Mathis Azzaro has to start the race from 26th on the grid. Undeterred, the Frenchman put in an outstanding first lap, using the course’s challenging climbs to work his way through the field and re-enter the battle for the podium spots early on.

As early as the second lap, a four-rider lead group formed, consisting of Boichis, Luca Martin, German champion Luca Schwarzbauer, and Azzaro. Boichis recognized his opportunity and relentlessly kept the pace high. Martin could no longer keep up and eventually fell back from the leading group. Following his podium finish in Friday’s XCC race, Christopher Blevins continued his impressive comeback after breaking his collarbone at the start of the season. The American leads the chasing pack behind his teammate, while Boichis continues to apply pressure at the front and gradually pulls away from Schwarzbauer. By the halfway point of the race, only Azzaro can keep up with his compatriot’s pace.

Meanwhile, reigning UCI XCO World Champion Alan Hatherly is set back by a wheel change following a flat tire. He is one of several riders who struggle with the challenging course conditions throughout the race. Boichis, who lives in Andorra, keeps the pace high on his home course and, together with Azzaro, builds a comfortable lead over third-place Schwarzbauer. When Boichis briefly stops to grab an energy bar, Azzaro launches an attack. Boichis reacts immediately, however, and regains control.

After fending off this attack, Boichis allowed himself a brief recovery period before launching the decisive attack on the penultimate lap. He immediately opened a gap on Azzaro and never relinquished the lead. With a 19-second lead over his compatriot, he crossed the finish line as the winner. Schwarzbauer secures third place, celebrating his first UCI XCO World Cup podium since 2022 and the third of his career. Luca Martin, on the other hand, who continues to battle an illness, falls back during the race and finishes in 22nd place. Despite the difficult day, he defends his overall lead and heads into the summer break with a 130-point advantage.

Rissveds Rides to a One-Two Finish in Pal Arinsal

Jenny Rissveds once again showed herself to be in outstanding form, riding to a commanding solo victory and a one-two finish in the women’s race. The reigning UCI XCO World Champion took control of the race on the second lap, quickly pulling away from her competitors and never relinquishing the lead until the finish. In front of her adopted home crowd in Andorra, she rode to a convincing start-to-finish victory.

The race begins with a key early moment: on the first gravel climb, Savilia Blunk and Alessandra Keller collide, causing them to lose valuable positions and time. Ronja Blöchlinger, known for her explosive starts, initially takes the lead as usual. Rissveds reacts immediately, moves to the front, drops the Swiss rider, and takes the sole lead.

The demanding course in Pal Arinsal puts the field to the test. Sharp-edged rocks and technically challenging, root-strewn descents cause mechanical issues for several riders. Jolanda Neff suffers a flat tire, while Rebecca Henderson is forced to withdraw from the race after a flat.

Following her victory in La Thuile last weekend, Martina Berta leads the chasing group alongside Laura Stigger and Sina Frei. As the race progresses, the altitude and the relentless climbs take their toll. Blöchlinger is first caught up with and then distanced by the chasing group. Although Rissveds controls the race at all times, her lead fluctuates for a long time between 25 and 30 seconds, so she is never able to completely break away from the field. After a difficult start, Savilia Blunk pulls off an impressive comeback. Thanks to her climbing strength, she catches up to the chasing group on the penultimate lap.

As the bell rings for the final lap, Rissveds’ lead stands at a comfortable 44 seconds. Behind her, on the longest climb of the course, Berta launches a decisive attack in the battle for second place. Only Sina Frei can keep up, while Blunk and Stigger lose contact. Frei attacks several times in the final lap to shake off her Italian rival, but Berta counters every increase in pace. In the final minutes of the race, Berta finds extra reserves of energy, pulls away, and secures second place. Frei rounds out the podium in third.

Although her lead shrinks slightly in the final lap, Rissveds keeps the race under control at all times and celebrates another dominant victory. With this victory, the Sweden-born rider living in Andorra further extends her lead in the overall standings and heads into the summer break with a 347-point lead over Sina Frei.

Corvi and Schehl Follow Suit

Paul Schehl continues his impressive winning streak, securing his fourth consecutive UCI XCO World Cup victory in the U23 category. The German took control as early as the first lap, built up a small lead, and extended it lap by lap into an unassailable advantage. Behind him, Thibaut François Baudry led the chasing pack for long stretches but crossed the finish line 1:17 minutes behind the dominant Schehl. In the battle for the final podium spot, Nicolas Halter broke away from a group of four with a blistering penultimate lap to secure third place.

Having already won the UCI XCC World Cup on Friday, Schehl capped off a perfect weekend in Pal Arinsal with this XCO victory. He heads into the summer break with a comfortable 103-point lead in the overall standings.

In the U23 women’s race, Valentina Corvi once again cemented her dominance in this category, celebrating her fifth victory in the sixth UCI XCO World Cup race of the season. Following her commanding victory in Friday’s XCC race, the Italian once again broke away from the pack early on and rode another impressive solo victory home. Corvi immediately took the lead and was already 21 seconds ahead after the first lap. She steadily extended her lead to 1:19 minutes by the finish. Elina Benoit initially led the chasing pack, but her high early pace took its toll, and she eventually dropped back to fourth place. Ella Macphee, on the other hand, rode a tactically superb race. She conserved her energy at first before launching a powerful attack in the final stretch to claim second place. Fiona Schibler rounded out the podium in third place, just seven seconds behind.

Results