Vidaurre makes 🌺history for Chile with World Cup victory
Martin Vidaurre (Specialized Rac🐟ing) wins in WHOOP UCI M𝓰ountain Bike World Series - Val di Sole 2025(Image credit: WHOOP UCI Mountain𒐪🎃 Bike World Series)
Martin Vidaurre (Specialized Fact𓃲ory Racing) and Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) were victorious in the elite cross-country races at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series held in Val di Sole, Italy on Sunday.
Vidaurre, from Chile, made history with his first-ever career victory at the♉ highest level and the first for💙 his nation in the elite XCO World Cup.
The former under-23 world champion attacked on the sixth lap, bridging across to France’s Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division). He passed Azzaro on the penultimate lap and went on to secure a s♎olo win, with Azzaro taking second and Fabio Püntener third.
“I love racing▨ in Italy, the energy was incredible. This win is huge - for me and for my country. I knew I had the legs, and I just went all-in," Vidaurre said.
“I have such good memor♓ies from 2021 when I became U23 World Champion. The whole race, I said to myself, ‘you can do it’. I just pushe♑d through the bike, the Specialized was amazing over the roots, it’s incredible how fast I can go.
“I found mꦍy flow, kept it easy at the beginning and then just took energy from the crowd. I needed this win, I’m more than happy. It has been a long way to be here, it’s my third year as an elite, and to win a World Cup is all that I wanted. This is for my people and for my country.
“I’ve watched 💛Christopher [Blevins] win seven World Cups and Victor [Koretzky] win a bunch. Finally, it is my turn. It&rsq🥂uo;s the team spirit to push and support each other.”
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Chris Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) finished eighth and retains the leader’s jersey in the overall standings with 1,282 points, ahead of teammates Vidaurre with 952 and Victor Koretzky with ▨866.
Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) wins in WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series -𝐆 Val di Sole 2025 (Imaꦆge credit: WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Wor♛ld Series)
In the women’s race, reigning world champion Pieterse backed up her short track triumph with another commanding performance, sol🍌id🐠ifying her place among the sport’s most dominant athletes.
“It’s quite cool,” Pieterse said about winning backꦚ-to-back XCO and XCC races.
The 🅷Dutch rider set a fast pace on the opening lap, and while Jenny Rissv🌟eds (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) tried to match that speed, she ultimately fell off pace.
Sam🐟ara Maxwell (Decathl𝓀on Ford Racing Team) took a more conservative approach, working her way through the field and finishing on the podium in second place, 26 seconds behind Pieterse.
Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) completed the podium after a tight contest with Rissveds and Nicole Koller(Ghost Factory).
“I already knew from the XCC that she [Jenny Rissveds] was strong, she went out hard and I decided to follow a bit and not go as long [attack so early] as in Leogang. I noticed a few spots where I was a bไit quicker, and I tried to make the best of i🐼t. I got a gap and had to go for it," said Pieterse, who crashed in the rock garden on the fourth of seven laps and had to regain her rhythm.
“It took a lot today, especially when I heard that they were coming closer and closer. I heard that Samara [Maxwell] attacked and went all in, especially the climb o💛n the back (of the 🍒course), it was almost undoable.”
Maxwell remains the overall World Cup leader with 1,253 points, ahead of Koller wi🦋th 912 and Pieterse w✱ith 850.
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the communi🐓ty and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Corꦓrespondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's ཧprofessional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
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