Wilier-Vittoria: Valais, UCI MTB World Championships 2025 - Preview

The rainbow is about to shine over Switzerland — the long-awaited 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships have officially begun. The spotlight is on Valais (the Canton of Valais), which will host the week-long spectacle across several areas of the region. The riders of the Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team will, of course, be on the start line in the jerseys of their respective national teams.

The action already gets underway today with the short track qualifiers, but tomorrow — Tuesday, September 9 — is when the rainbow jerseys and medals will be awarded. The venue is Zermatt, at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn. The 1.2 km circuit will be tackled seven times, promising a fast-paced, all-out battle for the title.

The XCO titles (and the Team Relay) will then be decided from Thursday, September 11 to Sunday, September 14 in Crans-Montana, on a 4.4 km course with 110 meters of elevation gain, including sections along the shores of Lake Chermignon. It’s a technical and demanding loop that will likely reward the most complete riders.

Wilier-Vittoria will be represented by athletes racing for Italy, Denmark, and Canada. For the Azzurri, Luca Braidot — fresh off back-to-back World Cup podiums in both XCC and XCO — will lead the charge alongside Simone Avondetto and Juri Zanotti in the elite men’s races. Sofie Heby Pedersen will line up for Denmark in the elite women’s field, while her brother Gustav Heby Pedersen will target strong results in the U23 men’s race together with Italy’s Elian Paccagnella.

Finally, all eyes will be on Ella MacPhee, who heads into the U23 women’s race as one of the favorites.

WHERE TO WATCH THE VALAIS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2025?

CLICK HERE to find out which channels/platforms are broadcasting the 2025 World Championships in your country. Here are the local start times for the XCC and XCO races, so you won’t miss a single pedal stroke from the Wilier-Vittoria riders!

Tuesda September 9th

• 15:30 – UCI Short Track World Championships | Women U23 (MacPhee)

• 16:15 – UCI Short Track World Championships | Men U23 (G.Pedersen)

• 17:15 – UCI Short Track World Championships | Women Elite (S.Pedersen)

• 18:00 – UCI Short Track World Championships | Men Elite (Avondetto, Braidot)

Thursday September 11th

• 17:00 - UCI Team Relay World Championships | Team Relay 

  
  

Saturday September 13th

• 11:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Championships | Men U23 (Paccagnella, G.Pedersen)

• 14:00 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Championships | Women Elite (S.Pedersen)

  
  

Sunday September 14th

• 10:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Championships | Women U23 (MacPhee)

• 13:30 – UCI Cross-country Olympic World Championships | Men Elite (Avondetto, Braidot, Zanotti)