UCI World Cup Round - La Thuile, Italy - Martina Berta first Elite XCo

UCI World Cup Round - La Thuile, Italy - Martina Berta first Elite XCo World Cup Victory!

Last weekend, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup headed to the iconic Italian venue of La Thuile, hosting another exciting round of Downhill (DHI), Cross-country (XCO) and Enduro (EDR). Known for its steep alpine terrain, technical rock gardens and demanding tracks, La Thuile once again proved to be one of the toughest stops on the calendar.

Racing Highlights

Downhill (DHI)

The highlight of the weekend came from Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing / TRP), who secured another Elite Men World Cup podium with an impressive 2nd place finish. Asa continues to establish himself as one of the fastest downhill riders on the circuit this season and has now climbed to 4th overall in the World Cup standings, despite missing valuable points in two earlier rounds.

Another major milestone came from Michel Delesalle (Frameworks Racing / TRP). After winning Q2, Michel qualified for his very first Elite World Cup Final and finished with an excellent 12th place.

Unfortunately, the weekend wasn't without setbacks. Aaron Gwin was forced out of contention due to a mechanical issue before the finals.

Antoine Rogge (Dragon Speed) showed excellent pace throughout the weekend before suffering a heavy crash that ruled him out of the race.

In the Elite Women category, Veronika Widmann (UNNO Factory Racing) once again reached the final and finished 13th, continuing her consistent run of Top 15 World Cup finishes.

Anna Newkirk narrowly missed qualification by just two seconds after arriving in La Thuile following her emotional first Elite World Cup victory in Lenzerheide.

Among the Juniors, Léo Godin (Dragon Speed) finished 16th.

Women Junior rider Zanna Logar secured another Top 10 finish in 8th place.

It was also great to see Zoé Fayolle (Dragon Speed) qualify for her first World Cup Final since returning from injury.

At the halfway point of the season, Frameworks Racing currently sits 5th in the Team Overall standings, while UNNO Factory Racing holds 20th position.

Cross-country (XCO +XCC)

The Cross-country races delivered another outstanding weekend for our supported athletes.

**Mathias Azzaro** (Origine Racing Division) rode a superb race to finish 2nd, confirming the excellent form he has shown over the past few weeks. With the UCI World Championships approaching, Mathias is positioning himself as one of the strongest contenders in the Elite field.

**Julian Schelb** (KMC Ridley MTB Racing Team) produced another solid performance, finishing 26th.

Elite Women

Following Anna Newkirk's first World Cup victory in Downhill two weeks ago and Tristan Botteram's maiden Enduro World Cup victory last weekend, it was now **Martina Berta's** turn to celebrate a career milestone.

The Origine Racing Division rider claimed her first Elite XCO World Cup victory, doing so on home soil in Italy while wearing the Italian Champion jersey, making it an especially emotional moment for both Martina and the entire team.

Also worth mentioning were the performances of **Eibl Ronja** in 24th place and **Kelsey Urban**, who finished 39th.

In the U23 Men's category, Rens Teunissen (KMC Nukeproof) continued his excellent season with another Top 10 finish (9th place).

Among the U23 Women, new KMC Nukeproof rider Bloeme Kalis enjoyed an excellent weekend, taking 2nd place in the Short Track (XCC) before finishing 10th in the XCO.

In the current Team Overall standings, Origine Racing Division sits 8th, while KMC Nukeproof occupies 12th place.

Enduro (EDR)

After celebrating his first-ever Elite Enduro World Cup victory in Val di Fassa just one week earlier, Tristan Botteram (S1 Racing) unfortunately endured a much more difficult weekend.

A mechanical issue followed by a crash forced him to retire from the race, preventing him from fighting for another podium. Despite the disappointment, Tristan remains one of the standout performers of the season and will undoubtedly return stronger in the coming rounds.