In the men's race, Luca Schwarzbauer and Mathias Flückiger make an early break. By the end of the first lap, they are 17 seconds ahead of the seven-man chasing group, which includes Nino Schurter, Jordan Sarrou and Tom Pidcock.

Flückiger likes the wet and cold conditions. He soon pulled away from Schwarzbauer and began to extend his lead - 22 seconds and 38 seconds respectively on the other chasers by the middle of the third lap. Nino Schurter is no longer in the race, having to pit due to a flat tire. Instead, another Swiss rider, Vital Albin, is holding his own in the top 6. Pidcock is also no longer in the first chasing group, while Schurter is trying to catch up.

Flückiger temporarily extends his lead to over 30 seconds, but the chasers are about to change. Luca Schwarzbauer, who rode in second position for a long time with Sarrou on his rear wheel, is increasingly caught. But Sarrou doesn't hold the position for long either, as he is overtaken by his French compatriot Thomas Griot. The latter also gradually closes in on Flückiger, who starts the final lap with a lead of just under ten seconds.

Now the Swiss rider's long lead begins to wobble, as Griot is only just under eight seconds behind. But after the next descent, Flückiger is 18 seconds ahead of his rival again in one fell swoop. From this moment on, he left nothing to chance and rode across the World Cup finish line in first place for the first time since 2022. "Like this morning, I've often had a good feeling before the race this season. The fact that it finally worked out again makes me all the happier. Above all, it was super tough again at the end with Thomas breathing down my neck."

Thomas Griot, who started from 14th position, has to postpone his dream of winning the World Cup once again, but is still delighted with his second place: "I'm very happy with my race. After a rather slow start, I stayed calm and rode my pace. That then paid off and I got further and further ahead. In the end, I was only six seconds away from Mathias, but I was too empty to make up any ground. However, I'm very happy to see him at the top again and to share the podium with him."

Behind him, Thomas Pidcock took third place ahead of Jordan Sarrou. Luca Schwarzbauer was able to fend off Lars Forster, who was catching up, to take fifth place, a few seconds ahead of the Swiss rider. Another Thomas, Litscher, shows a strong race - the Swiss rider takes eighth place. Tenth place goes to Vital Albin, Nino Schurter and Marcel Guerrini take twelfth and thirteenth place, while another German, Julian Schelb, in 21st place, puts in an impressive performance.

Results XCO men

Amos, the mud king

The rain during the night makes the U23 men's race a slippery affair. American Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing XC) coped best with the conditions and the high altitude and won. Frenchman Adrien Boichis (Trinity Racing MTB) finished second, 13 seconds behind, with his compatriot Luca Martin (Orbea Factory Team) in third place.

Swiss rider Dario Lillo (Scott-Davos) finished a good fourth, Luke Wiedmann (Thömus-Maxon) and Maxime l'Homme (Scott-Davos) came sixth and tenth respectively.

Results XCO U23 men