Les Gets - UCI MTB World Series 2025 - Full Recap

Looking at the elite performances, it’s safe to say that Les Gets, Haute-Savoie, France, marked the best World Cup weekend of the season for the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team. Much of the credit goes to Luca Braidot and Simone Avondetto, who looked sharp and motivated both in Friday’s short track and in Sunday’s demanding XCO.

Braidot in particular made his intentions clear right from the opening short track, taking 3rd place after a thrilling duel with Charlie Aldridge and Luca Martin — a race filled with MotoGP-style overtakes and counter-attacks, decided only in the final corner in the Brit’s favor.“There’s a bit of regret about how the XCC ended,” admitted Braidot. “On the penultimate corner I’d pulled off a great pass and was in the lead, but then I slipped a pedal for a split second and both Aldridge and Martin dived inside. At that point I didn’t have the legs to react on the finishing straight. Still, being up there fighting for the win confirms that my form is good.”

That form was on full display again in Sunday’s XCO, where the Italian champion hung with the very best and even launched an attack for victory on the final lap, before eventually settling for 2nd place behind Luca Martin.

He leaves France with a podium double — 3rd in the XCC and 2nd in the XCO — a perfect springboard toward the World Championships in Valais, Switzerland, in two weeks.

“It was definitely a positive weekend, and I’m proud to give Wilier-Vittoria our first elite World Cup podiums,” Braidot added. “The XCO was a survival race, we were all on the limit. I tried to attack on the last climb but my legs felt like wood, and Martin just had that bit extra. I’m satisfied though — my form is improving, and with Worlds coming up, the timing couldn’t be better.”

Avondetto also delivered a solid weekend, finishing 12th in the XCC and an excellent 5th in the XCO, after an exciting head-to-head battle with none other than Mathieu Van der Poel. Juri Zanotti was consistent too, finishing 24th in the XCC and 19th in the XCO.

“I was missing something on the climbs to stay with the very front,” admitted Avondetto. “I was always on the limit — sometimes the leaders eased up and I could get back, but when they opened the gas I just couldn’t follow. At the top of the final climb I even made a mistake that probably cost me 4th place. I’d hoped for a bit better, but looking at the standings I think it was still a very good weekend for me and the team.”

The only setback was Sofie Heby Pedersen’s withdrawal from the women’s race with a shoulder issue. But overall, Wilier-Vittoria now sits 3rd in the team standings with three rounds to go. Individually, Braidot and Avondetto both made big leaps, breaking into the top 10 overall, now sitting 7th and 8th respectively.

The U23 squad, however, faced a tougher weekend. Gustav Heby Pedersen continued to show consistency, taking 3rd in the XCC and 11th in the XCO — enough to stay 2nd overall in short track and 3rd in XCO. But Elian Paccagnella and Ella MacPhee struggled on French soil. The Canadian rider couldn’t do better than 11th in the XCC and 15th in the XCO, surrendering her World Cup leader’s jersey to the outstanding Valentina Corvi.

All eyes now turn to Switzerland: first the World Championships in Valais, with the XCC scheduled for Tuesday, September 9 and the XCO races on the weekend of September 13–14. Then it’s on to the World Cup round in Lenzerheide (September 18–21), the final European stop before the doubleheader in North America at Lake Placid and Mont-Sainte-Anne.