A Historic Debut of the Soldier Hollow XCC and XCO Mountain Bike World Cup

The 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Series made a spectacular debut at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center to deliver a thrilling weekend of high-altitude racing. After a wet start and canceled training sessions, the dry, loose terrain on both XCC and XCO race days featured big climbs, technical descents, and plenty of fun, fast features in between. The historic weekend at the first time location featured a stunning double victory by Italy's Martina Berta, a long-awaited return to the top step for Sam Gaze, and a brilliant come-from-behind win by Chile's Martín Vidaurre. 

Beyond the battle for individual glory, the weekend served as a crucial testing ground for major factory programs, most notably SILCA’s two sponsored teams: Trek-Unbroken XC debuting an experimental prototype and Orbea Fox Factory Team navigating a weekend of high-stakes returns and tactical grit.

The short track races started off the weekend on Saturday with fast-paced, tactical battles that kept fans on edge. 

In the Elite Women’s XCC, Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) set the tone for her epic weekend by taking her first career UCI XCC World Cup victory. She handled the dusty trail with composure, crossing the line in 22:06. Behind her, multiple factory teams clawed the remaining podium steps, with Trek-Unbroken XC’s Evie Richards spearheading the charge in a tight group sprint to secure 4th place. 

Right alongside her was Orbea's standout performer, Canadian national champion Jennifer Jackson, who marked her highly anticipated return from injury with an impressive 6th place. Her Orbea Fox Factory Team teammate Rebecca Henderson finished further back in 20th place, while Trek’s Gwendalyn Gibson secured 7th place and Nina Graf took 28th.

The Elite Men’s XCC race was chaotic, staying wide open until a sudden rainstorm opened up over the venue. Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Premier Tech) timed a brutal final sprint perfectly to edge out Luca Martin by just a second with a winning time of 21:54. For the Trek squad, Riley Amos put in a resilient effort to finish 17th place inside a heavily congested field. Meanwhile, Simon Andreassen led the men's effort for the Orbea Fox Factory Team, crossing the line in 32nd place.

The full-length Olympic-distance event on Sunday brought longer climbs, strategic pacing, and plenty of race drama under clear sunny skies.

Building on Saturday's momentum, Martina Berta delivered a consistent and collected performance to capture the Elite Women's XCO win and complete a rare single-weekend World Cup double. However, home-crowd favorite Gwendalyn Gibson punctuated the day's story. Racing aboard a heavily discussed prototype Trek 32-inch wheel bike, Gibson separated herself from the pack with Berta on Lap 4 and posted the second-fastest lap of the race. While Berta's final-lap attack ultimately sealed the Italian's victory, Gibson crossed the line just 13 seconds back to claim a career-best 2nd place.

The rest of the Trek and Orbea women backed it up with excellent depth in the top ten. Trek's Evie Richards finished a strong 7th place, keeping her in the hunt for overall series points. Jennifer Jackson capped off an incredible comeback weekend for Orbea by finishing 9th place, proving she is already back to world-class form. Her teammate Rebecca Henderson fought through the dust to secure 14th place, while Trek's Nina Graf finished 18th. 

The Elite Men's XCO showdown was a war of attrition. Martín Vidaurre (Specialized Factory Racing) ignited the crowd by launching from an early 25th place to claim a remarkable victory in 1:28:55. Trek's young star Riley Amos faced early adversity after being caught behind an incident on the chaotic opening lap but, with loads of grit, he strategically picked off riders on the punishing Soldier Hollow climbs to mount an exciting comeback, crossing the line in a solid 8th place.

With its mix of high-altitude challenges and varying weather, tech innovations like Trek’s 32-inch wheels, and thrilling finishes, Soldier Hollow's first appearance on the world stage proved an instant classic and we hope to see it stick around permanently. The series now heads into its final stretch, culminating in the season finale in Lake Placid, New York.