The Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy, produced numerous close finishes and several notable winners right from the start. Italy kicked off the championships with a gold medal in the team relay, while France and Austria prevailed in the elite short-track races. There were also strong performances by the junior riders, with Australia and Switzerland winning several medals.

Italy Ends Long Drought

Italy provided an emotional start in the cross-country team relay. Juri Zanotti, Martina Berta, Fabio Bassignana, Valentina Corvi, Paolo Costa, and Giorgia Pellizotti secured the host nation’s first world championship title in this discipline in 13 years. Switzerland took silver, and the United States took bronze.

Italy started aggressively. Elite rider Juri Zanotti pulled slightly ahead of Nicolas Halter on the first lap and handed off the baton with a lead of just a few seconds. Meanwhile, Austria tried an unusual tactic, sending its men into the race in the top three positions. Mario Bair and junior Michael Hettegger temporarily put the team in the lead.

But Italy stayed close. Paolo Costa and Martina Berta extended the lead over Switzerland before Anina Hutter brought the Swiss team back into contention. The race was decided on the fifth lap. Valentina Corvi posted the fastest lap of the race, gaining 1 minute and 35 seconds on Austria’s Johanna Piringer and giving anchor runner Fabio Bassignana a comfortable lead.

Bassignana brought the team safely across the finish line and was celebrated by the home fans. Switzerland crossed the finish line 51 seconds later, followed by the United States, which trailed by 1 minute and 31 seconds. Austria paid the price for its aggressive starting strategy and fell back to sixth place behind Canada and Denmark.

The Italian team dedicated the victory to Chiara Teocchi, who is still recovering from her crash at the World Cup in La Thuile.

Results

Grossmann Dominates from the Start

On Thursday, the junior cross-country races were first on the schedule. In the women’s race, Switzerland’s Anja Grossmann left no doubt as to who was the strongest rider that day. The 17-year-old took control right from the start and led the race practically from start to finish.

Only Barbora Bukovska from the Czech Republic was able to keep up at the start. After one lap, however, even she had to drop back. Grossmann steadily increased her lead and rode confidently to the world championship title. Bukovska secured the silver medal, 48 seconds behind, while France’s Agathe Vauchamp followed in third place, 1 minute and 29 seconds behind.

For Grossmann, this is already her second major title of the season. She had previously won the European Championship in Monteceneri. The young Swiss rider had already demonstrated in 2025 that she is among the greatest talents not only on the mountain bike, when she took bronze at the Road World Championships in Kigali.

Results

Wright Pulls Away from Europe’s Juniors

In the junior category, Connor Wright delivered an impressive performance. The Australian set the pace early on and left his European competitors behind in the very first laps. At the start, several riders, including Michael Hettegger and Mathieu Ghibaudo, tried to stay on his wheel. But Wright continued to pick up the pace and pulled away decisively.

After five laps, he crossed the finish line 1 minute and 16 seconds ahead of the Austrian Michael Hettegger. Swiss rider Marwan Barhoumi fought his way up from the back of the pack and secured the bronze medal, finishing 1 minute and 43 seconds behind.

Wright is also part of a generation of young riders who successfully switch between different cycling disciplines. The Australian is set to join the junior team of Tudor Pro Cycling.

Results

Boichis Confirms His Top Form

In the afternoon, the spotlight was on the short-track races. In the elite men’s race, Adrien Boichis underscored his current dominance. The 23-year-old Frenchman had beaten Mathieu van der Poel just a few days earlier at the World Cup in Les Gets and now confirmed his strong form at the World Championship level as well.

France controlled the race almost at will with Boichis, Luca Martin, and Mathis Azzaro. Only Britain’s Charlie Aldridge was able to consistently break into the French dominance. In the final lap, Aldridge applied pressure, especially on the climbs, but Boichis hung on and won the sprint on the home stretch.

Aldridge took silver, and Luca Martin rounded out the podium in third place. Val di Sole is a special place for Boichis anyway. Back in 2021, he had already won a world championship title here in both the team relay and the junior category.

Results

Stigger beats Richards in a photo finish

The race was even closer in the elite women’s category. After a nail-biting race, Laura Stigger edged out Britain’s Evie Richards in a photo finish. Sina Frei took bronze for Switzerland.

The race remained wide open well into the final stages. Jenny Rissveds set the pace at the front for long stretches. A momentary lapse by Ronja Blöchlinger also affected defending champion Alessandra Keller, who lost time as a result and was forced to play catch-up.

Richards took the lead on the final lap. The British rider emerged first from the final decisive section, but Stigger passed her again on the home stretch and edged her front wheel ahead at the very last moment. Val di Sole is a lucky place for the 26-year-old Austrian. She had already won a short-track race here at the 2023 World Cup.

Results

The Halters Make Family History

Nicolas and Monique Halter provided one of the most extraordinary moments of the World Championships so far. The Swiss siblings both won the U23 short track world championship title within a short period of time.

Nicolas Halter was locked in a battle with Germany’s Paul Schehl right down to the final meters. The duo broke away together and decided the title in a sprint. Halter came out on top, while Schehl took silver. Bronze went to Rens van Manen Teunissen of the Netherlands.

Results

Shortly thereafter, Monique Halter completed the family fairy tale. The women’s race remained tight for a long time before the Swiss rider attacked with two laps to go. Bethany-Ann Jackson of Great Britain and Makena Kellermann of the United States were unable to keep up. Halter held onto her lead to the finish and also claimed the rainbow jersey.

Results

Thus, the second day of competition in Val di Sole turned out to be an exceptionally successful one for Switzerland: gold for Grossmann as well as Nicolas and Monique Halter, plus bronze for Barhoumi and Frei. The Swiss team had already won silver in the team relay the day before.

Now the Black Snake awaits

On the legendary “Black Snake,” the downhill riders showed their true colors for the first time in the qualifying round. In the Elite Men’s category, Lachlan Stevens-McNab posted the fastest time. The New Zealander finished in 3 minutes and 34.010 seconds, narrowly edging out his compatriot Oliver Davis and the Canadian defending champion Jackson Goldstone. World Cup leader Jordan Williams finished seventh, Troy Brosnan took 14th place, and Amaury Pierron finished 20th.

In the elite women’s category, Lisa Baumann made a strong statement. The Swiss rider posted the fastest time of 4 minutes and 2.591 seconds, relegating Harriet Harnden of Great Britain and four-time world champion Valentina Höll of Austria to the next spots. Marine Cabirou finished eighth.

Several medal contenders also showed their form in the junior divisions. Jonty Williamson of New Zealand was the fastest in the men’s race, while Switzerland’s Noé Forlin finished third. In the women’s race, Denmark’s Rosa Jensen set the fastest time.

The final results will be decided on Saturday, when the four downhill world championship titles for the elite and junior divisions will be awarded on the technically demanding and traditionally unpredictable Black Snake course.

Medal Count for the 2026 World Championships

1. Switzerland: 3 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze
2. Austria: 2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze
3. France: 2 gold, 3 bronze
4. Italy: 1 gold
5. Australia: 1 gold
6. Great Britain: 3 silver
7. Czech Republic: 1 silver
8. Germany: 1 silver
9. United States: 2 bronze
10. Netherlands: 1 bronze