Wilier-Vittoria: UCI MTB World Series 2026, Round 6 La Thuile - Recap

The home round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in La Thuile, in Italy’s Aosta Valley, lived up to expectations in terms of both spectacle and racing. Throughout the weekend, the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team was consistently among the protagonists, collecting valuable results and important points for the overall standings.

Simone Avondetto finished 9th in the XCC, despite an early crash that cost him precious time and could have had even greater consequences. He then followed it up with an impressive 6th place in the XCO, won by Luca Martin. Thanks to those performances, the Italian rider climbs two more positions in the overall World Cup standings and now sits 6th overall.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have the legs to fight it out with the very best until the finish, so sixth place was the best result I could achieve today,” said Avondetto. “Having a World Cup round in Italy is always something special. The fans were incredible all weekend and we could really feel their support. Racing in front of a home crowd is an emotion that never gets old."

It was also a highly encouraging weekend for Juri Zanotti and Luca Braidot. Zanotti secured a double Top 10 for the first time in his World Cup career, finishing 10th in both the XCC and XCO, while Braidot continued his return to form with 12th in the short track and 9th in the Olympic-distance race.

“Another Top 10 after Nové Město is a very important sign,” said Zanotti. “It confirms that I’ve taken a step forward this season and that my form is where it needs to be. Hopefully there will be more to come before the end of the year—starting next week in Andorra.”

“I felt good throughout the weekend,” added Braidot. “There are still a few details to fine-tune, but I believe we’re heading in the right direction. Maybe I started a little too conservatively, but I finished strongly and that’s encouraging. Having three riders inside the Top 10 is an outstanding result. Now we’ll keep pushing for that podium finish.”

In the women’s races, Sofie Heby Pedersen delivered an excellent short-track performance, finishing 8th, her best-ever World Cup result in the discipline. Unfortunately, a minor crash in the XCO cost her valuable time and forced her into a recovery ride for the remainder of the race.

There was plenty to celebrate in the U23 categories as well. Gustav Heby Pedersen claimed 4th in the XCC and 5th in the XCO, moving up to 7th overall in the World Cup standings, while Ella MacPhee secured her first-ever World Cup podium with a brilliant 3rd place in Sunday’s XCO, following a solid 7th place in the short track.

“It had been a year since my last podium, so this feels amazing,” said MacPhee. “I came into the race without any expectations. My only goal was to push as hard as I possibly could, and it paid off. I’d really missed the feeling of fighting for results like this.”