The American and Brit dominated their respective series with consistency and race-winning performances that no-one else could handle.
The UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup has become fiercely contested where results are much more than simply sorting the starting order for the race weekend’s UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup. The shorter, high intensity nature of the racing has seen specialists emerge, and when they are in form, they are almost unstoppable.
Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Evie Richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) are two such riders. Explosive, aggressive and able to ride in the red for sustained periods of time, the pair had already shown they could beat the best in XCC races – Richards in particular going into the 2025 season as the reigning UCI XCC World Champion.
But both pulled together seriously impressive series that left them head and shoulders above the rest, and worthy winners of the 2025 UCI XCC World Cup overall titles.
BLEVINS GOES FIVE-IN-A-ROW BEFORE SIGNING OFF THE SERIES WITH ONE ROUND TO GO
Like his UCI XCO World Cup record, Blevins had two UCI XCC World Cup wins to his name prior to the 2025 series, although you’d have to go back to Snowshoe (USA) in 2022 for his most recent short track victory. While he had recorded some podium finishes in 2024, it was his teammate and reigning UCI XCC World Champion Victor Koretzky (Specialized Factory Racing) who was the rider to watch going into the new season.
The American had clearly had an impressive off-season though, and started the series in the best way possible – outsprinting Koretzky to take the win in the Araxá, Minas Gerais’ (Brazil) opening race. It was a feat he repeated six days later, again getting the better of Koretzky, and as the series moved from South America to Europe, he already held a healthy lead in the overall.
It was the same story in Nové Mesto na Moravě (Czechia), while wins in Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland (Austria) and Val di Sole (Italy) made it an unprecedented five in a row for Blevins. It wasn’t until Pal Arinsal (Andorra) in July when another rider would finally get the better of Blevins – Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) edging him on the line.
While his season appeared to drift in the next two rounds, his early dominance meant that the overall never truly looked to be under threat. And when the opportunity presented itself to claim the overall on home soil in Lake Placid Olympic Region (USA), Blevins didn’t miss – flying round teammate Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) on the line for his sixth win of the season, and Specialized’s sixth 1-2 of the year.
Martin prevented it being a Specialized Factory Racing whitewash in the overall – the Frenchman adding a second win of the series at the season finale in Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) – while his teammate Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) rounded out the overall podium.
RICHARDS PUTS IN HER MOST-CONSISTENT SEASON TO ADD THE OVERALL TITLE TO HER 2024 RAINBOW BANDS
When Evie Richards won the 2021 UCI XCO World Championship, the Brit appeared to suffer the curse of the rainbow bands during her year in the world champions jersey, only finishing two UCI XCO World Cups and 16th position her best placing.
The 28-year-old had another three seasons’ experience on her side entering the 2025 series, and looked determined to not suffer the same fate while wearing the UCI XCC World Champions jersey.
She started her season the best possible way, leaving Brazil with a 100% record from the opening two rounds and in control of the overall. A narrow second place to Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in Nové Mesto na Moravě was the first time she had been bettered in the XCC all year, while sixth in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland would be her worst result all season.
Forced to skip Val di Sole – Trentino (Italy), her overall looked under threat from Pieterse, who had won three back-to-back UCI XCC World Cups. But come Pal Arinsal, Richards answered her critics, returning to the podium with second behind Alessandra Keller (Thömus Maxon) while the Dutchwoman wilted at altitude.
Defending overall champion Keller appeared to be Richards’ main threat and was hitting form just at the right time, while Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) threw her hat into the ring with a win in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) with the series leader only managing fifth. But the Brit showed a new, steely resolve.
While Rissveds could go on to win the next three rounds, finishing the season with an almost perfect record and picking up XCO/XCC doubles in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie, Lake Placid Olympic Region and Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada), Richards was always in the background, finishing next best to the Swede to retain her advantage in the overall.
Rissveds ultimately left it too late, and will rue her failure to score points in Nové Mesto with 110 points the difference between the two. Keller meanwhile finished third while also clinching the 2025 UCI XCC World Championship.
SADNIK EDGES CORVI WHILE TREUDLER ADDS XCC TITLE TO XCO CROWN IN U23
In the U23 field, it was a similar story with a competitive contest in the women’s U23 while one rider ran away with proceedings in the men’s U23.
Katharina Sadnik (KTM Factory MTB Team) had the edge in the women’s U23, beating Women U23 UCI XCO World Cup overall winner Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) by 26 points. The Austrian collected six podiums all year, including the win in Pal Arinsal, but the series was separated by just six points as racing got underway in Mont-Sainte-Anne. Her third-place finish scored her 20 more points than Corvi, who could only manage seventh – the Italian likely regretting her two missed rounds in Nové Mesto and Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland.
In the men’s U23, like in the XCO, Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) dominated. While he wasn’t able to match his eight wins from the Olympic-distance format, the Swiss 22-year-old did win seven rounds in a row from Saalfelden Leogang - Salzburgerland to Mont-Sainte-Anne, and was only beaten by elite-class rider Adrien Boichis at the U23 UCI XCC World Championships.
