2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships: Switzerland’s Keller takes XCC win at home

Four XCC UCI World Champions crowned in Zermatt

Four cross-country short track (XCC) titles of UCI World Champion were awarded on the ninth day of the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships taking place in Valais, Switzerland (1 to 14 September).

Alessandra Keller took her first XCC Women Elite UCI rainbow with a superb home win in Zermatt. Victor Koretzky (FRA) and Isabella Holmgren (CAN) retained their Men Elite and Women Under 23 titles respectively, and Adrien Boichis (FRA) sprinted to Men Under 23 victory.

The intense racing format saw the athletes ride multiple laps of a 1.3km circuit.

Women Elite: Keller at home

Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds hit the front early with Laura Stigger (AUT), 2024 UCI World Champion Evie Richards, Canada’s Jennifer Jackson, Puck Pieterse (NED), Savilla Blunk (USA) and the Swiss winning Olympic podium (cross-country Olympic-XCO) from Tokyo 2020: Jolanda Neff, Linda Indergand and Sina Frei, soon joined by Alessandra Keller.

After Stigger and Frei tangled on lap 5, the lead group of Richards, Rissveds, Keller and Jackson went free, with a gap to the chasers led by Samara Maxwell (NZL) and Ronja Blöchlinger (SUI).

Keller and Rissveds went away a number of times then, on the penultimate lap, Richards punctured and any hopes of retaining her title were over.

In front of her home crowds, Keller put down massive power to gap the Swede, who fought back again on the last climb – but the Swiss held on!

Amidst a cacophony of cowbells, she added her first XCC rainbow jersey to the two XCO rainbow jerseys she won as an Under 23 rider in 2018 and as a Junior in 2013. Rissveds took silver (+0.04), and Jackson bronze (+0.14).

“Honestly it can’t get much better! To get [UCI] World Champion here is crazy, amazing!” said Keller. “My only thoughts were, ‘just ride’. Jenny was so strong… I went and I tried and my goal was to not look back at all.”

Men Elite: Koretzky’s final surge

Star-studded front rows powered off the line in the Men Elite event. After a tough start, 2021 UCI World Champion Christopher Blevins (USA) fought back into the lead group of Chile’s Martín Vidaurre Kossmann, France’s Mathis Azzaro, Denmark’s Simon Andreassen, Italy’s Luca Braidot, 2022 and 2023 UCI World Champion Sam Gaze (NZL), and with the ominous presence of 2024 UCI World Champion Victor Koretzky.

On lap 5 of 10, Blevins took to the front and controlled the pace through the singletrack, with a big group still together including Lars Forster, the lone Swiss rider.

Azzaro and Koretzky looked a tough combination, but Blevins was never out of the top three. The American attacked up the first climb on the last lap with blistering pace but the French duo chased him down. When Koretzky hit the final berm, he found the pace to sprint past Blevins.

Koretzky won his first XCC race of 2025 in 21:26, with Blevins the silver (+0.01) and Azzaro bronze (+0.03).

“To be on the podium with Chris is something special. He was the guy to beat this year and it was not easy,” said Koretzky. “On the last lap it was difficult to catch him. He made a huge gap, but I managed to close that… I’m super happy!”

Under 23 Women: Holmgren retains her rainbow

The Zermatt crowd was delighted to see Anina Hutter lead onto the third of eight laps, but the reigning Under 23 UCI World Champion Isabella Holmgren quickly moved to the front. She had 21-year-old Katharina Sadnik (AUT) on her wheel, with Brazil’s Giuliana Salvini Morgen, Germany’s Carla Hahn, South Africa’s Tyler Jacobs and Canada’s Ella MacPhee amongst the front pack.

By half distance, the gaps stretched and Holmgren, Hahn and Jacobs pulled clear, with the 20-year-old Canadian’s advantage growing on the final lap as Hahn eked a gap over Jacobs.

Holmgren soloed to victory, retaining her title with a time of 19.52. Hahn took silver (+20) and Jacobs the bronze (+26).

“I feel really good, it was a super fun race, I had so much fun,” said the UCI World Champion. “I knew it was important to have a really strong start, because of all the single track sections, and I found that I liked being in front and controlling the pace.”

Under 23 Men: Boichis outsprints Treudler

Would the new UCI World Champion come from the initial lead group: Canada’s Ian Ackert, Norway’s Martin Farstadvoll, Switzerland’s Finn Treudler and the Netherlands’ Rens Teunissen Van Manen? Also in touch were Denmark’s Gustav Pedersen, Canada’s Cole Punchard and Boichis, fighting back after a disappointing start.

On the penultimate lap Teunissen Van Manen led as Treudler attacked and Boichis closed him down. The three had an advantage, until Punchard’s bravery on the rock garden put him back in the mix.

Treudler and Boichis hammered into the last lap, the Swiss in front until the last berm, when the Frenchman powered past to win by a wheel. Boichis won in 20:57, Treudler the silver medal (same time) and Punchard bronze (+0.02).

“I could see Finn’s wheel and my wheel, and we really were sprinting full, and I’m so happy I could take the win,” said Adrien Boichis. “That’s my first [UCI] World title, and hopefully not my last one.”