WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series: Cink’s maiden UCI World Cup win

Czech rider takes XCO honours

Czechia’s Ondřej Cink finally took the top step of the UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup podium, after more than a decade of oh-so-nears…

His performance capped off four days of cross-country (XC), downhill (DHI) and enduro (EDR) action in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland.

Ondřej Cink won Under-23 XCO gold at the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Saalfelden-Leogang. But in the intervening 13 years it’s been unusual to see the six-time Czech National Champion celebrating victory at the highest level of international competitions. That is, until this weekend, when the 34-year-old from the small town of Rokycany set the record straight, winning his first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup race at the venue he claimed his Under-23 UCI world title.

A long time in the making

Since stepping up to the Elite ranks Cink has performed well but never taken top place until now. In his first Elite UCI World Cup season, he posted a promising sixth position at home at Nové Město na Moravě, followed by his first podium (third place) in Vallnord, Andorra. 2015 saw Cink finished third again, in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) in July, backed up with a superb UCI World Championships bronze medal – at Vallnord again – in September. Cink was again strong in Vallnord in 2016, taking second place in the Andorran round of the UCI World Cup behind the legendary Julien Absalon (FRA).

There were four top-10 UCI World Cup finishes in 2019, but no podium, and then 5th position at the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, before hitting his most successful streak to date in 2021… Fourth place in Albstadt, Germany, was followed immediately by another fourth at his home race, Nové Město na Moravě. The next race it was silver – in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland – then another silver in the following race at Les Gets, France, wrapped up with bronze at the campaign’s final race in Snowshoe, USA.

In 2021 Cink also took two podium finishes in the cross-country short track (XCC): second at Leogang and third at Les Gets. It meant that he finished third overall in 2021 – his best ever overall position – just one point behind Frenchman Victor Koretzky, and 127 points ahead of the mighty Nino Schurter (SUI). The points tally reflected the Czech’s consistency, yet there was still no outright win!

Fast-forward a couple of years, and until this weekend, Cink’s last UCI World Cup podium was another bronze in 2023, also at Leogang, behind Lars Forster (SUI) and Luca Schwarzbauer (GER) and beating Alan Hatherly (RSA) and Mathias Flückiger (SUI).

Yet in 2025, riding for Cube Factory Racing, the UCI World Cup victory, for so long promised, came to fruition. Riding away from the pack on the third of seven laps, Cink developed and managed a steady gap for the remainder of the race. It was a masterclass of pacing in the muddy conditions that can sap energy, but the rhythm was metronomic, right to the finale.

He won in 1:25.05, some 18 seconds ahead of Flückiger, who had stayed close to the front for most of the race, resisting a last-lap attack.

At 34 and 36 years of age respectively, Cink and Flückiger were the oldest competitors in the race, with the exception of 39-year-old Schurter. So there may be plenty more in the Cink tank yet?

Taking the final podium position, 25-year-old self-supported Swiss Fabio Püntener beat many of the world's best riders – having shown his form in Nové Město na Moravě, holding 2nd place behind a charging Christopher Blevins (USA) up to the penultimate lap in Czechia.

“I was super happy because I was waiting for a long time for this. I was, many times, second, and this place I really like it…. I was Under 23 UCI World Champion here and many times on the podium,” said Cink. “I was thinking one time that my career was already over because I was one of the oldest here so I don’t have words for that!” Maybe he didn’t have the words, but the big smile, through the day’s splattered mud, said so much.

The 250 points puts Cink in 7th overall, on 520 points, ahead of the Swiss pair of Flückiger and Schurter, and nestled behind the Swiss trio of Forster, Püntener and Filippo Colombo. Blevins, winner of the previous two rounds but only 17th in Austria, is way out front on 1092 points.

Dutch delight and a Canadian double

Elsewhere, in the Women Elie XCO, Puck Pieterse (NED) claimed her first UCI World Cup victory of the year, the fourth different XCO winner of the series after Sammie Maxwell (NZL), (series leader after winning the 1st round, followed by three second places), Jenny Rissveds (SWE), and Mona Mitterwallner (AUT).

The Downhill competition in Leogang saw the second consecutive Canadian Women Elite – Men Elite double as the young stars Gracey Hemstreet and Jackson Goldstone repeated their victories from Loudenvielle – Peyragudes (France). Hemstreet now tops the overall table from Tahnée Seagrave (GBR), while Goldstone has closed in on top man Loïc Bruni (FRA).