The 2026 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, delivered astonishing wins for the GOATS (greatest of all time) in both the women’s and men’s fields on Saturday 18 April.
Italy’s 23-year-old Gaia Tormena and France’s 35-year-old Titouan Perrin-Ganier both regained their UCI world titles – a historic sixth title in cross-country eliminator (XCE) for Tormena and a seventh for Perrin-Ganier. Both athletes had also won in 2022, the last time the UCI Worlds for XCE were organised in the Catalan capital.
This time round, they ousted the 2025 UCI World Champions Mariia Sukhopalova (UKR) and Edvin Lindh (SWE) who had each taken their first titles in Sakarya, Türkiye last year, but found the competition to retain them super hot under the Spanish sun.
Tormena makes it six
The women’s competition saw early surprises as 2025 bronze medallist Maria Sherstiuk (UKR) went out in the quarter-finals, behind the French duo of Madison Boissière and Margaux Borrelly while 7th-fastest qualifier and 2-time UCI Worlds medallist Marion Fromberger (GER) also went out, suffering an early mechanical in the quarter-final dominated by Tormena. Then 2020 UCI World Champion Isaure Medde (FRA) was eliminated in 3rd place behind Didi de Vries (NED) and Sukhopalova.
In the first semi-final, Czechia’s Adéla Pernická (fastest in qualification, 01.03.782, just 0.22-sec quicker than Tormena) came under pressure from the French duo, progressing behind Borelly while early leader Boissière dropped back to third. The second semi saw de Vries fall just short of the pace of Tormena and Sukhopalova.
Winning the small final was a consolation for De Vries ahead of three French riders, before the four finalists, representing four different nations, were set to make history: Pernická and Borrelly, taking on Sukhopalova and Tormena.
It was the five-time UCI World Champion who went all out, pushing a big gap going into the second lap. Sukhopalova was out-powered in her attempt to defend the title, and came home for the silver medal, +3.42-sec behind the Italian. Borrelly took bronze after Pernická suffered a mechanical early in the race and did not finish.
“I wanted this title back so badly,” said Gaia Tormena. “After losing the opportunity to chase the rainbow jersey last year because of an injury I worked so hard, and I really like the track at Barcelona.
“Thinking back to the first [UCI] World Championships I did, I was a little girl and it was hard to realise how much this Championship title means. Now, after time and with more experience, you appreciate it more and more – that’s why I’m so emotional, more now than before!”
Seventh heaven for retiring Perrin-Ganier
An early surprise in the men’s competition saw Swedish Champion Noel Olsson eliminated in the ⅛ finals, but the bigger shock was the fate of his compatriot in the quarter-final… 2025 UCI World Champion Edvin Lindh was left to cross the line in fourth place after multi-medallist and 2021 UCI World Champion Simon Gegenheimer (GER) went out fast ahead of Matic Kranjec Žagar (SLO), both qualifying for the semi-final. In his quarter-final, Perrin-Ganier set off slowly, rolling round in 4th, before sprinting late to pass Portugal’s Ricardo Marinheiro on the line.
Slovenia’s European Champion Jakob Klemenčič (fastest in qualification) and Casper Casserstedt (SWE) powered through their semi-final, which saw Lorenzo Serres (FRA) crash early on lap two. In the other semi-final, Gegenheimer went out fast but crashed, leaving a dominant Marinheiro and six-time UCI World Champion Perrin-Ganier to go through.
Žagar won the small final race to take fifth place before the four finalists – Klemenčič, Casserstedt, Marinheiro and Perrin-Ganier – went for glory. Klemenčič was out of contention almost before his race had started, with an early mechanical that prevented him finishing. After Marinheiro also encountered mechanical issues, ultimately collecting bronze, the remaining pair went shoulder to shoulder in the finale. The Frenchman powered his way through, turning on the pace to finish 3.38-sec ahead of Casserstedt.
“It’s amazing, I can’t believe it,” said Titouan Perrin-Ganier, as his post-race interview was interrupted by a spontaneous dousing in bubbles by his defeated competitors. “Before the race you asked what is my aim for today and I said I’d be super happy with a podium. Of course today I had a bit of luck, especially in the final, but I also have the experience and I know that sometimes you have to slow down to be faster.”