1 week Ago By [email protected] (Simone Giuliani)
The opening 2025 round of the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Brazil was meant to deliver the first three-rider cross-country olympic (XCO) elite podiums in decades after the UCI and global promoter Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to cut the number from five – the men's elite riders, however, had other ideas.The official proceedings for the women's elite XCO race, a high-emotion debut win for New Zealand's Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford), went off in line with the new three-rider prodium protocol as awards and the champagne sprays were televised earlier on Sunday.
But the men's elite XCO podium took a different turn. The top three riders, all from Specialized Factory Racing – Victor Koretzky, Christopher Blevins and Martin Vidaurre – received their prizes and stood on the steps for photos. However, they soon shuffled over to make room for fourth-placed Lars Forster (Thömus maxon) and fifth-placed Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM) on the steps after the fourth and fifth-placed riders bounded up onto the stage once the officials departed, with their move accompanied by a huge roar from the crowd.
"That's our podium, that's our decision," said a later instagram post by Forster and his Thömus maxon team manager Ralph Naf alongside a picture of the five on the podium.The broadcast from Araxá quickly cut to an out of focus shot of a tree and purple flowers once the two extra riders joined the podium, before putting up the results instead of the continuation of the podium ceremony.Broadly supported rider opposition to the plan for a cut to the long-standing five-rider podium was brought to prominence in the public arena when last week more than 120 riders, including the entire top 30 of the men and women, delivered a statement firmly objecting to the change and the way it was implemented despite their clear opposition.
The attempt to change the podium cut decision before the first round in Brazil failed with a response from the UCI last week stating: "The updated podium protocol is a key part of our long-term strategy for the sport and is intended to remain consistent going forward."However, the podium extras show that not all the riders were content to leave it at that.A post shared by Ralph Näf (@ralphnaef)A photo posted by on An opening round of firstsApart for the being the first round which was, at least meant to, have only three-rider podiums the results at Araxá, Minas Gerais, Brazil also broke ground.
Maxwell's first UCI World Cup round win in the women's elite XCO immediately after the former U23 World Champion embarked on her first elite World Cup season, was also a first for New Zealand. The 23-year-old took the nation's opening women's win at a World Cup when broke away from the leading group of seven early on lap seven of the eight lap race, taking advantage of the climb to establish the gap and then holding off a charged chase to the line.Nicole Koller (Ghost Factory Racing) came over the line in second, four seconds back as she pipped Maxwell's Decathlon Ford teammate Savilia Blunk in a two-way sprint.
Alessandra Keller (Thömus maxon) was then fourth ahead of Candice Lill in fifth.Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford) claims elite XCO World Cup victory on her debut at the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2025 brazil opening round (Image credit: WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series)In the men's elite race Koretzky and Blevins rolled turns on the front of the race after gapping all their rivals in the early stages of the nine lap event. Koretzky took the solo victory with Blevins rolling over the line ten seconds back and then Vidaurre completed the top three sweep for Specialized a further 19 seconds back after winning the sprint from the chase group behind.
It was then Forster in fourth and in fifth Schurter completed a huge fightback after an early flat meant he was cast outside the top 40 positions in lap two.Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing) and Isabella Holmgren claimed the U23 XCO victories while on Saturday, in the short-track, it was Blevins and Evie richards (Trek Factory Racing-Pirelli) who claimed the elite top steps while Sondre Rokke (Berrie-Polimedical) and Holmgren took the U23 victories..
