2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships: Juniors join an illustrious XCO honour roll

Cross-country Olympic action in Crans-Montana

Thrilling battles decided the Women Junior and Men Junior 2025 UCI World Champions for cross-country Olympic (XCO) on Friday 12 September. The racing in Crans-Montana opened the final weekend of the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships taking place in Valais, Switzerland, from 1 to 14 September.

Slovenia’s Maruša Tereza Šerkezi and Frenchman Lucas Teste won the rainbow bands, writing their names in the history books alongside an illustrious group of UCI World Champions.

Šerkezi became Slovenia’s first Junior XCO UCI World Champion since Tanja Žakelj in 2006. Teste took his nation’s first gold in the Men Junior category since the French double of Adrien Boichis and Line Burquier in 2021, while Roger Surén became Namibia’s first ever Junior XCO UCI World Championship medallist.

The Junior UCI world title has proven a springboard to some wonderful Under 23 and Elite careers, as demonstrated by recent winners such as Boichis, Charlie Aldridge (GBR), and the Austrians Mona Mitterwallner and Laura Stigger. This year’s Elite cross-country short track (XCC) UCI World Champions Alessandra Keller (SUI) and Victor Koretzky (FRA) were also on the Junior honour roll a few years back.

And when Šerkezi and Teste have time to digest their wins they’ll realise they share an achievement with such luminaries as Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (FRA), Peter Sagan (SVK) and Nino Schurter (SUI).

Women Junior: Šerkezi solos to win

The 54 athletes on the Women Junior start line of the five-lap race, were a mixture of first- and second-year Juniors.

After an early lead by Czechia’s Barbora Bukovská, the majority of the race was fought out between Šerkezi – bronze medallist at last year’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra – and Switzerland’s Anja Grossmann, the host nation’s main medal hope.

Two-time Slovenian National Champion Šerkezi took the lead on the first 3.8km lap, with Grossmann – one of the Swiss team that won bronze in the cross-country team relay less than 24 hours earlier – right with her.

France’s Lise Revol (part of Thursday’s winning relay team) took third position as Bukovská slipped back to fourth, while Canada’s Rafaelle Carrier, silver medallist in Pal Arinsal last year, held fifth position just ahead of Lison Desprez (FRA) in a battle that would last all race.

At half distance the reigning Junior XCO European Champion Grossmann – just 16 years old – took the lead, and Bukovská, also 16, reclaimed third position when Revol had a mechanical issue.

Once the 2024 Junior XCO European Champion Šerkezi regained first position on the penultimate lap, she stretched her legs for a dominant display in the Valais sunshine.

The 18-year-old’s winning time of 1:01:27 was at an average pace of 18.552km/h, and put her more than a minute ahead of Grossmann (silver), while the Czech Junior National Champion Bukovská took the bronze (+2:50).

Men Junior: Teste wins a titanic battle

Of the 91 Men Junior athletes looking to make their mark, New Zealand’s Connor Wright forced the early pace in a front group including Austria’s Maks Alfred Barret Maunz, Namibia’s Roger Surén, Daan Bakelaar (NED), Federico Rosario Brafa (ITA) and River Valdez (USA). They were soon joined by Switzerland’s 18-year-old Lewin Iten, a member of the host nation’s team relay squad, and Austria’s Valentin Hofer.

It was on the second of seven laps, that 18-year-old Teste made his intentions clear, hitting the front along with fellow Frenchman Noa Filippi and Iten, closely followed by a group led by Italy’s Ettore Fabbro.

After half an hour of racing, Teste – another of Thursday’s winning team relay squad – and Iten were looking strong at the front along with 18-year-old Surén, Hofer and Germany’s Elias Hückmann, while Wright and Barret Maunz were still in touch.

The second half of the race saw Teste, Namibian National Champion Surén and Iten shaping up to be the three podium athletes. Onto the penultimate lap, the trio pushed more than 30 seconds clear of the chasers – Hofer and Barret Maunz – who locked in an intense private Austrian battle that ultimately went Hofer’s way.

Teste and Surén were both putting in attacks until, after more than an hour of racing, the Namibian took the bell and forced a gap of 7 seconds before the Frenchman hauled him back in and took first position. Iten could no longer stay with the pace approaching the final.

Teste stayed in front, and won in a time of 1:14:49, with the pendulum swinging back his way sufficiently to carve a winning margin of 11 seconds over Surén’s silver, with Iten taking bronze – the day’s second medal for the host nation.