Lenzerheide - UCI MTB World Series 2025, Round 8 - Full Recap

It was another encouraging weekend for the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team at the eighth round of the UCI MTB World Series in Lenzerheide. Coming just a week after Worlds in Switzerland, there were plenty of reasons to smile again and to look ahead with confidence and determination to the final two rounds in North America.

Fresh off his World Championship silver, Simone Avondetto confirmed he has the legs to go head-to-head with the best. In Sunday’s XCO, he secured an impressive 4th place, just eight seconds off the podium. With that result, the former European Champion moves up to 7th overall in the standings.

“It was a tough race,” admitted Avondetto. “A small group got away, and then World Champion Alan Hatherly showed once again how strong he is, launching an attack that no one could follow. I was on the limit the whole race, and in the final lap I just didn’t have the legs to fight for the podium. Still, I’m happy—my form is good, I raced smart, and I feel ready for the final push of the season.”

Luca Braidot sits 5th in the overall standings and will look to defend that prestigious position in the upcoming races overseas. In Lenzerheide, he finished 10th in the XCC (Avondetto was 12th) and 14th in the XCO. Juri Zanotti, Italy’s short track national champion, placed 17th in the XCC but had to settle for 36th in the XCO after technical issues.

“It was a really tough day, to be honest—almost a disaster,” said Braidot. “I tried to hang on with the leaders, but I felt a sharp pain in my side that forced me to slow down for almost an entire lap. I couldn’t even take a gel the whole race because of the pain. I just had to grit my teeth and save what I could.”

In the women’s elite races, Sofie Heby Pedersen finished 25th in XCC and 23rd in XCO.

Her brother Gustav Heby Pedersen continued to shine, following up his World Championship bronze with a double podium—3rd in both the U23 XCC and XCO. He now sits 2nd overall in the short track standings and 3rd in XCO. Elian Paccagnella, meanwhile, was forced to sit out the weekend with a knee issue.

“After Worlds I knew my form was still strong, and these double podiums confirmed it,” said Gustav. “I’m optimistic about the rest of the season and confident I can deliver. A big thanks goes to the whole staff—between the Nationals, Worlds, and World Cup races, the support we’ve had has been incredible.”

It was a more unfortunate weekend for Canadian Ella MacPhee, who had to withdraw from the XCO after a heavy crash, despite an encouraging 6th place in Friday’s XCC. Thankfully, no serious injuries were found, which is crucial as the World Cup now heads close to home for her, with the final two rounds set for Lake Placid in the USA (October 3–5) and Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada (October 9–12).