The Friday in Daolasa belongs to the favourites: the American extends his unbeaten XCC streak, while the flying Dutchwoman repeats her 2024 triumph with a spectacular final lap. The spotlight now shifts to the Black Snake Downhill finals on Saturday
Whether long-distance or all-out sprints, in the sun or the rain, Val di Sole never lies. Athletes know it, fans know it — and on Friday, June 20, they showed up in numbers for the opening day of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Val di Sole – Trentino. The men’s and women’s Short Track races headlined the schedule, and as always, the real contenders made themselves notice straight away.
Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) claimed victory — and it came as no surprise. Blevins, still unbeaten in XCC this season, and Pieterse, a fearsome force any time speed is involved (and especially in Val di Sole, where she’s won in both MTB, XC and XCC, and Cyclo-cross), lived up to their billing.
The Daolasa Short Track course — just over one kilometre with minimal elevation gain but absolutely unforgiving — delivered the perfect show under the scorching Val di Sole sun, setting the stage for a high-octane weekend. And Sunday’s Cross-Country promises even more thrills.
But first, Friday night brings the 4X Pro Tour under the lights, while Saturday is all about Downhill — with the legendary Black Snake ready to write new stories, challenge the best riders in the world, and maybe change somebody’s career.
UNBEATABLE: BLEVINS RULES VAL DI SOLE’S XCC
Five out of five — another masterpiece topped by a dominant final lap. Christopher Blevins continues to look untouchable in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2025. The American, who made history here in 2021 as the first-ever Short Track World Champion, returned to the scene of that breakthrough to reaffirm his supremacy.
Controlled and composed for most of the race, the Specialized Factory Team rider hit full throttle on the final lap, dropped his rivals, and soloed across the finish line. Teammate and reigning XCC World Champion Victor Koretzky followed in second, with Germany’s Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV) taking third. Known for setting a blistering early pace, Schwarzbauer once again led the opening laps — but even his XCC brilliance couldn’t match Blevins’ decisive move.
“Every race is a new challenge for me,” said Blevins. “I’m really happy with my performance, especially in the final lap. I’ve got a solid race strategy now and a lot of confidence in my abilities. Today it was all about staying safe on a slippery course. Val di Sole holds special memories — winning the World Championship here in 2021 was unforgettable. I definitely felt some of that emotion again today. I love racing here.”
Switzerland’s Finn Treudler (Cube Factory) was in a class of his own in the U23 Short Track, leading start to finish and building on his commanding form this season. Dutch talent Rens Teunissen (KMC Ridley) came home second, with Germany’s Paul Schehl (Lexware) rounding out the podium.
PUCK PIETERSE GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN VAL DI SOLE
For the second year running, Puck Pieterse proved uncatchable in Daolasa’s Short Track. The phenomenal Dutch star delivered another clinical ride, taking charge from the opening laps on the Trentino circuit.
Despite her early move, the race remained close until the final lap, which started with Canadian Jennifer Jackson (Orbea Factory Team) in the lead. But her advantage was short-lived — just a few hundred meters later, Pieterse launched her winning attack. Swedish Olympic Champion Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV) gave chase but couldn’t close the gap as Pieterse powered to victory.
“It was quite a tactical race until the final lap, even though I tried to stretch the group earlier to better control the finish,” said the Dutch rider. “Coming into the sprint, I decided to go early because the finishing straight is shorter than in past years. I knew I had to enter the final corner in the lead — luckily, it worked out.”
Austria’s Laura Stigger (Ghost Factory Team) finished third. Among the Italians, Chiara Teocchi (Lapierre Racing) was the top finisher in 15th, followed by Greta Seiwald (Decathlon) in 19th and Martina Berta (Origine Racing Team) in 22nd.
Canada’s Nicole Bradbury claimed the win with a strong ride, edging out two Austrian challengers — World Cup leader Katharina Sadnik (KTM Factory), who finished second, and Katrin Embacher (Trek Future), who took third.
Italy had a strong showing too, with Sara Cortinovis (Ghost Factory Team) and Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV) finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.
DOWNHILL QUALIFYING: GOLDSTONE AND HRASTNIK SET THE PACE ON THE BLACK SNAKE
Before the Short Track action, the Elite and Junior Downhill Qualifying took center stage on Friday in Val di Sole. Notably absent was reigning champion Amaury Pierron, who crashed in Thursday’s training and suffered a broken collarbone.
In the men’s Elite, Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) topped the charts with a time of 3:42.221. Australia’s Troy Brosnan (Canyon Factory Team) followed just behind in 3:42.824, with Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity) in third at 3:43.987.
In the Elite Women’s qualifying, Slovenia’s Monika Hrastnik (AON Racing) put down the fastest run, clocking in at 4:15.135. World Champion Valentina Höll (YT Mob) was second in 4:16.052, while Canada’s Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race) took third in 4:16.447.
The Junior qualifiers saw the Alran twins dominate the men’s field, with Max edging out Till. In the women’s race, Austria’s Rosa Zierl (Cube Factory Racing) set the pace.
Tomorrow, on Saturday, June 21st, the Junior Women race starts the program at 10:50, followed by Junior Men at 11:20. The Elite Women drop in at 12:15. The grand finale is the Elite Men’s race at 13:10.
