Downhill and Cross-country formats were back in action this weekend just a week on from Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland (Austria), as the UCI Downhill, Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cups crossed the border in the direction of Lenzerheide (Switzerland) for the fourth rounds of the respective series.
The racing kicked off on Friday with a fast and dry XCC, and the pace remained high until the conclusion of Sunday’s UCI XCO World Cup.
The weekend delivered a perfectly balanced split of results. Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Factory Racing), Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) and Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing / TRP) each secured their maiden wins in their respective formats. Meanwhile, Finn Iles (Specialized Factory Racing) and Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC Racing) claimed back-to-back victories, while Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) celebrated his second UCI XCO World Cup triumph.
But the winning riders only tell a small portion of the story from Lenzerheide. From mixed fortunes for downhill’s most iconic couple, to the hectic schedule of one of cross-country’s most exciting stars, here are some of the behind-the-scenes highlights from this week’s THE B LINE.
ILES ON THE PRIZE
Finn Iles made it back-to-back wins, recording his third elite-level victory just seven days on from his success in Austria – beating the previous gap by 1,400 days.
“It feels really good. I still can’t believe it,” he told Emma Stewart. “There’s barely any time to process the first win, so racing again the following week actually helps. It keeps you focused, even if part of me just wants to celebrate what happened. Instead, I’ve been able to carry that momentum and keep riding the same way. I’m really proud of this result, of the team and all the work they’ve put in to get us here. To take two in a row… I never imagined that in my life. I’m really stoked.”
“It took seven days, and 1,407 days previously so we’re on a roll now. I’m cutting down my win time by 2000% or something like that. One of our team guys sent us a photo. I’d sent him the 1,407 days and he cut the 140 out and wrote '7 days until your next World Cup win'. It feels really good to have a team that believes in me that much. It really helps because I know that all the people around me trust me to do my job and trust me to be able to win. I just have to do that for myself, so to go out and do it again reinstalls that confidence in myself and the confidence in the fact that I can race, which is a really cool feeling.
BAUMANN MOMENTS FROM DEBUT WIN
While Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) lost her 100% winning streak and finished in 10th, there were still positives to come from the Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres camp with Lisa Baumann securing second place – her best-ever result.
“I was really close to the win but I’m super happy about my run,” she said. “The pressure was okay at the top. I wasn’t too stressed. I was in a good mood. To be second in front of the home crowd is pretty cool. It’s a really nice sensation.
HULSEBOSCH HAPPY WITH TRANSITION TO ELITES
After making the move up to the Elite class in the off-season, Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) showed that she’s already on the pace in the premier class, finishing third in qualifying to secure her spot in her second-ever UCI Downhill World Cup Finals.
“It was pretty insane. It wasn’t what I was expecting. I know I’m an amazing rider, so it’s only a matter of time before it starts to click and starts to show, but it was pretty insane to be third to last to drop,” she said.
While the New Zealander ultimately settled for ninth, it is her best result since moving up from the Juniors and a sign of things to come.
“I was a second slower [in my finals run]. I was straight out of the gate, pushing too hard, overriding, making some mistakes. I was quite frustrated because I didn’t ride how I wanted to, but also at the end of the day it’s another building block, it’s a top 10 in Elite women, so I’m just going to keep going and keep charging.
“The sport is only getting faster and faster. Some injuries along the way have definitely slowed down my progress, but I think in the long run it’s going to help me out a bit. It gives me that determination and strength.”
VERMETTE PROUD TO BE BACK ON THE PODIUM
Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing / TRP) had a debut to remember, winning on the first time of asking in MONA YongPyong (South Korea). While things haven’t run smoothly since for the American, his return to the podium in Lenzerheide shows that the result in South Korea wasn’t a flash in the pan.
“It feels really good to be back on the elite podium,” he said. “The last two races I’ve been a bit sad, so I’m stoked to get back and put down a run, it felt really nice. It was also the first World Cup win for [team-mate] Anna [Newkirk]. I’m super hyped for her. When I was warming up and I saw that, I was stoked.”
SCARSI CONTINUES FINE FORM
The competition in the women’s field improves year on year, and Gloria Scarsi (MS-Racing) is arguably having her strongest season yet – a third place in Lenzerheide her second podium of the season.
“I’m super proud with all the people behind the podium,” she said. “It’s not only my job but it’s a job of everyone. I made three races, and I got second, third and fourth, and I just missed the first place. I know it’s a long process, so I just believe in me and my team, and I know it’s going to arrive.”
SEAGRAVE STRUGGLING WITH FITNESS BUT HAPPY FOR ILES
Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea FMD Racing) is having the opposite season to her boyfriend Finn Iles, but the Brit had an injury-plagued off-season and is still a long way from full race fitness.
“The elbow is not too bad,” she said. “It’s not amazing but I’ve not got any upper body strength because I spent my off-season injured with my back. So I’m struggling a lot fitness-wise, health-wise and it’s just showing in the results. It’s taking its toll a little bit.
“A lot of doubts start creeping in and I’m a realist, so when the results show up, the doubts kind of come true. It’s hard to manage but we’ve got a plan put in place to move ahead and set the goals towards World [Championships] and the second part of the season, which was always the goal, but it’s hard when you’re in it and you want to give your best and you feel like you’re not giving it. It sucks for myself, but also for the team who have put in so much effort.
“Also, me and Finn [Iles], the tables have completely turned, and there’s a lot more understanding for the position that he was in last year when I was winning, so we’re growing a lot together. My headspace is being challenged quite a lot. He had to deal with what I’m dealing with now, so there’s a mutual understanding. It’s been really difficult, but a win for him today is like a win for me today. A win is a win.
NEWKIRK NAILS FIRST WIN
Anna Newkirk’s season is on an upward trajectory – the American following up her third place in Leogang with her debut win in Lenzerheide.
“I won a World Cup today. How insane is that? I can’t even describe the feeling when I crossed the finish line. I heard the crowd cheering, and I saw the number one. I haven’t screamed like that since I was a little girl. These moments are few and far between so I’m going to try and enjoy it as much as I can.
BOICHIS ON BIDING HIS TIME AND BEING PART OF MOUNTAIN BIKING’S MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAM
Adrien Boichis might have been around the Elite Men’s UCI Cross-country World Cup since making the step-up ahead of schedule in 2024, but this year is shaping up to be a memorable one for the 23-year-old.
He clinched his debut UCI XCO World Cup win in Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland and followed it up at the soonest possible opportunity with his first-ever UCI XCC World Cup win in Lenzerheide. It looked like he could be on for a memorable XCO-XCC double too, until the then-race leader made a mistake on the final lap that Luca Martin seized upon.
“I think it was nice to watch,” he said to Ashleigh Wilmot after the UCI XCO World Cup. “It’s probably the strongest I’ve felt on a mountain bike ever. I felt at one with the bike. I was pushing on the climbs and then on the flat sections I was trying to stay smooth, not pushing over the limit, just on that nice edge. People were dropping one by one and it was just Luca [Martin]. He came and I did a nice attack…”
Boichis’ attack to launch himself into the lead might have looked familiar to cross-country fans, and he revealed that he was inspired by Mathieu Van der Poel.
“I was waiting for that moment the whole race. I knew what I wanted to do. Mathieu Van der Poel in 2019 did this to Nino [Schurter] with three laps to go in the same place, and I was thinking about this all year. I wanted to do this and if I was in the fight for the win, I would do this like Mathieu. I did this and I felt good. I didn’t want to take any risks and then it was a stupid mistake, fell on the floor and [Martin] overtook me.”
While it might seem like Boichis has arrived from nowhere this season, the Frenchman has actually been around the Elite class since 2024. He won the overall in the U23 XCC and XCO World Cup in 2023 and made the step up with a view of attempting to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I came to Mariporã in 2024, which was a qualification race, in really good shape. I pushed my body to the limit to be in top shape but the travel to Brazil and how hard the conditions are over there meant I got sick and still tried to race. I passed out, crashed in the feed zone and didn’t stand up. I came back to Europe and realised I had some real big issues, so had to stop for three months fully off the bike. For one month, I couldn’t move, I was in bed. It was a severe health problem at the time. But Specialized Factory Racing and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe gave me a contract for the years after, which is something I’m grateful for. That helped me so much because it helped me to stay patient, to not do any stupid mistakes coming back, to take my time, to allow my body to take the time to come back. It took a long time to come back. It wasn’t until March or April 2025 that I was feeling like myself again. 2025 I came back to racing on the road and mountain bike. It was my second-year elite, but I only did two World Cups before.”
Although he was near the front of proceedings during some rounds last year, he believes a change in process has unlocked his race-winning potential in 2026.
“This winter, I really worked on not putting too much pressure on myself to get a win, and to race without thinking about this win. I came to Leogang with a plan and I won, so it’s special. I think it made me free to win in Leogang. It relieved the pressure that I had on myself. It also made me believe in the process I have. I’m always questioning if I do things well enough, if I should try harder, if I should eat a bit less, if I should train a bit more, if I should train a bit less. To see that I won with what I do, and on a course like Leogang which is one of the hardest physically, it was special.”
His race-winning performances mean that Specialized Factory Racing now have a roster full of UCI World Cup winners. But Boichis believes that it is a positive environment that aids the team’s results.
“If I had to choose for anyone else but me to win, I would choose Martin [Vidaurre], or Chris [Blevins] or Victor [Koretzky]. But of course, I’d choose me first. Also to see how happy the team was to see me win in Leogang was something super special, Something I’ll remember forever. Everybody came to hug me; everybody was genuinely happy for me.”
His attention now turns to Pal Arinsal (Andorra) and the next UCI World Cup between July 10-12. But as an athlete who juggles commitments on the road and off it, there’s little time to rest.
“Last year, for 40 weeks I was away between training camps, races with both teams. During these 12 weeks, I still need to train though. So, when I’m at home, I try to relax as much as possible. I like to paint with my dad. I’ve started building Lego. I play chess a bit with the team. I just like spending time with my family when I can or riding with my brother. Cycling takes up a lot of my time and is also my life.
“After Andorra, I have a three-week training camp, a road race, and then building up to Les Gets and World Champs.”
