Wilier-Vittoria: UCI MTB World Series 2026, Round 2Nové Město na Moravě

It was a weekend of highs and lows for the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team at Nové Město na Moravě, venue of the second round of the World Cup season. Alongside the best-ever XCO World Cup results for Juri Zanotti and Sofie Heby Pedersen, the team also had to deal with the mechanical issues that struck Simone Avondetto and the illness that sidelined Gustav Heby Pedersen.

The biggest smile at the end of the Czech weekend undoubtedly belonged to Zanotti, whose 9th place in the XCO race won by Tom Pidcock confirmed the progress he has been making. In the same race, XCO World silver medallist Simone Avondetto was forced to retire after a mechanical issue left him stranded for several minutes, making it impossible to continue. Luca Braidot finished 31st.

“I’ve been chasing this top 10 for five long years,” said Zanotti. “And now it’s finally here! I was almost starting not to believe it anymore. I want to see this as a starting point, not a finish line. The race was incredibly hard and fast. I recovered well, felt in great shape and gained confidence lap after lap. In the closing stages I was worried about Charlie Aldridge coming back, but I managed the gap and secured ninth place in the sprint. What an amazing day!”

There was similar joy for Sofie Pedersen, who finished 15th in the XCO after taking 18th in the XCC won by Puck Pieterse.

“It almost feels like a relief to finally deliver a strong performance in a World Cup race,” said the Danish champion, visibly emotional. “I had been looking for this kind of feeling for quite a while and finding it again is even more important than the result itself. The course was really demanding, but when you feel good, you can still enjoy it. This is a weekend I’ll remember.”

In the U23 category, Gustav Pedersen was forced to withdraw after being hit by a severe flu in recent days. On the women’s side, Canada’s Ella MacPhee finished 9th in the XCC and 5th in the XCO.