Jenny Rissveds and Adrien Boichis win the Olympic Cross-country in the last finals held in Pal, while Valentina Corvi and Paul Schehl prevail in the U23 category

The 11th edition of the UCI MTB World Cup 2026 in Pal Arinsal came to a close today with the excitement of the Olympic Cross-country (XCO), wrapping up another highly successful edition in Andorra, which for three days has been filled with passionate cycling fans. This year, the number of spectators exceeded that of last year’s edition and once again underscored a new organizational success, reaffirming the commitment of Pal Arinsal, La Massana, and Andorra as a whole to continue hosting events of the WHOOP UCI MTB World Series. Meanwhile, Adrien Boichis and Jenny Rissveds claimed victory in today’s Elite finals, while Paul Schehl and Valentina Corvi were the winners of the U23 races.

World Cup until 2029

Pal Arinsal and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports have, over the weekend, confirmed the pre-agreement for the La Massana resort to remain on the UCI MTB World Cup calendar for three more years. This was confirmed by David Hidalgo, General Director of the Pal Arinsal UCI MTB World Cup, who noted, “The assessment of this edition of the World Cup is very positive, especially at the organizational level and in terms of public attendance, which has responded very well and supported the riders.”

Similarly, the deputy consul of La Massana, Roger Fité, noted that “it is important to highlight the large volume of people we had throughout the weekend. It’s great to see the resort with this atmosphere of people, and, moreover, there were no incidents. Everything ran smoothly, and it’s important to recognize this. This brings a boost not only for the resort, but for the whole parish of La Massana. All our establishments were full. All this makes us even more eager for the World Cup to continue for many more years.” Hidalgo also detailed that on Saturday, there was a 25% increase in spectators compared to the same day last year, with more than 6,000 people attending just yesterday.

Andorra resident Adrien Boichis beats Azzaro to win the XCO

Adrien Boichis and Mathis Azzaro had a close duel in the men’s Olympic Cross-country race, from which the former emerged victorious. The two young Frenchmen broke away from the rest of the field and led the race together until, with two laps to go, Boichis launched an attack that Azzaro could not match. The runner-up in the general classification and Andorra resident finally secured victory in Pal after completing the eight laps of the men’s Elite race in 1 h 14’ 48’’, while Azzaro finished second, 19 seconds behind.

“This victory is very special. Today was a magical day. Plus, Specialized founder Mike Sinyard was here, and having such a good day in front of him makes this win even more special. During the race, I wanted to keep a steady pace and everything went really well. I now live in Andorra, and being able to win here, on a circuit so demanding due to the altitude, is very special,” said Boichis.

German rider Luca Schwarzbauer put in a good performance and, though unable to keep up with the leading pair, rode his own race solo to take a creditable third place (+1’ 12’’), while current XCO champion of the WHOOP UCI MTB World Series, Christopher Blevins, finished fourth (+2’ 02’’). For his part, current leader Luca Martin had an off day and only managed to finish 22nd (+4’ 55’’), while Catalan Jofre Cullell ended up 28th (+5’ 33’’).

In the overall XCO standings, Boichis closed the gap with Martin, who, despite today’s result, retains a comfortable lead at the top with 1,419 points to Boichis’s 1,289. Bjorn Riley, winner of Friday’s short track and sixth today, is third with 983 points.

Rissveds does the double at “home”

Jenny Rissveds notched her third victory of the season and second of the weekend after once again showing her strength and proving why she is the reigning UCI world champion. The Swede, now living in Andorra, achieved the XCC and XCO double in Pal, something no other rider had achieved before at the Principality’s event, and continues to show flawless form this season. She now has her fourth career double win and has yet to miss the podium this year.

Rissveds set a strong pace from the second lap to break away solo and completed nearly the entire race out front, holding a lead of around 30 seconds over the chasing group for much of the race. In the end, she completed the seven laps of the women’s Elite race in a time of 1 h 18’ 47’’.

“I feel really good. It’s incredible to race at home. I love this race, and the spectators are fantastic. It’s an amazing place, and I’m really enjoying it. I think I’m in a great moment in my life. Last year, I made big changes—I moved to Andorra, changed coaches, and I have a lot of support at home. I’m really enjoying this whole process, and I think that’s also helping me go faster,” Rissveds said at the finish.

Italian Martina Berta beat Switzerland’s Sina Frei in a final sprint for the podium, leaving the Italian in second place (+17’’) and the Swiss rider third (+18’’). Savilia Blunk (+28’’) and Laura Stigger (+35’’) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, after spending most of the race in the chasing group.

In the overall XCO standings, Rissveds has set herself on course for her first WHOOP UCI MTB World Series title in 2026 after collecting 330 points in Andorra, bringing her total to 1,632 and extending her lead to 347 points over her closest rival, Sina Frei (1,285 points). Martina Berta climbs to third place (1,144 points), overtaking Savilia Blunk (1,134 points).

Schehl and Corvi repeat victory in U23 XCO

The U23 XCO races opened the action on the final day of the World Cup in Pal Arinsal, with Paul Schehl and Valentina Corvi repeating victory after also winning the short track last Friday. In the men’s race, Schehl led from start to finish, riding solo from the second lap after leaving behind Spaniard Thibaut François, who suffered a minor fall and could not catch up to the unstoppable Schehl. The German completed the seven laps of the race in 1 h 06’ 49’’, while François took a well-earned second place (+1’ 17’’), as he had in Friday’s short track. Swiss rider Nicolas Halter came third (+1’ 45’’), while Spanish rider Hugo Franco Gall finished ninth (+3’ 49’’). Meanwhile, Andorran Roger Turné had a strong first lap, placing 15th, and managed to complete almost six laps before being lapped when he was in 36th position.

In the U23 XCO overall standings, Schehl (825 points) consolidates his lead and widens the gap over François (722 points), who, despite his result, secures second place ahead of Halter (603 points).

In the women’s race, Corvi once again showed her superiority, winning a race where she broke away from the first lap and no rival could catch her. The Italian completed the six laps of the U23 women’s race in 1 h 09’ 51’’. Canadian Ella McPhee (+1’ 19’’) took an exciting battle for second place, settled in the final lap against Swiss riders Fiona Schibler (+1’ 26’’) and Elina Benoit (+1’ 32’’), who finished third and fourth, respectively. Spaniard Marta Cano rounded out the top 10 (+3’ 29’’).

In the overall standings, Corvi increases her lead and is on track for the U23 XCO title with 884 points, ahead of Katrin Embacher in second with 481 points, while Schibler is third with 468 points.

The downhill and Cross-country races of the WHOOP UCI MTB World Series will now take a break of just over a month and return on August 20th in Les Gets (France).