UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2026 Soldier Hollow Results: Berta and Vidaurre Win
Soldier Hollow 2026 delivered one of the most memorable cross-country weekends of the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. The event took place at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah, on September 19 and 20, with Elite and U23 Cross-Country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) races.
Martina Berta was the outstanding rider of the weekend. The Italian won the women's XCC race on Saturday and then returned on Sunday to win the women's XCO race. That made Berta the first Italian rider to win a UCI XCC World Cup race and only the 11th Elite woman to complete an XCC-XCO World Cup double in the same weekend.
In the men's XCO race, Chilean rider Martín Vidaurre produced the biggest comeback of the weekend. Starting from 25th on the grid, he fought through the field and attacked late in the race to win ahead of Canada's Cole Punchard and France's Mathis Guay.
Venue: Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, Midway, Utah, USA
Dates: September 19-20, 2026
Disciplines: XCC and XCO
Status: Completed
Cross-country round: Penultimate round of the 2026 season
Table of Contents
- Soldier Hollow 2026 Results Summary
- Elite XCC Results
- Elite XCO Results
- Women's XCO Race Report
- Men's XCO Race Report
- U23 Results
- World Cup Standings After Soldier Hollow
- Martina Berta's Historic Weekend
- Rissveds vs Frei Title Battle
- Luca Martin and the Men's Title
- The Soldier Hollow Course
- Why Soldier Hollow Mattered
- Lake Placid Finale
- Frequently Asked Questions
Soldier Hollow 2026 Results Summary
The Soldier Hollow weekend produced four Elite winners across XCC and XCO.
| Race | Winner | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Women's XCC | Martina Berta 🇮🇹 | 22:06 |
| Men's XCC | Sam Gaze 🇳🇿 | 21:54 |
| Women's XCO | Martina Berta 🇮🇹 | 1:15:51 |
| Men's XCO | Martín Vidaurre 🇨🇱 | 1:28:55 |
The UCI classified the Soldier Hollow meeting as a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup XCO/XCC event. It was the eighth cross-country World Cup round of the season and marked the venue's debut on the series calendar.
Elite XCC Results
The weekend began with the short, fast, and highly tactical XCC races on Saturday. The wet conditions added another layer of difficulty to the men's race.
Women's Elite XCC
| Pos. | Rider | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martina Berta 🇮🇹 | 22:06 |
| 2 | Alessandra Keller 🇨🇭 | +6s |
| 3 | Sina Frei 🇨🇭 | +7s |
| 4 | Evie Richards 🇬🇧 | +7s |
| 5 | Jenny Rissveds 🇸🇪 | +7s |
Berta made history by becoming the first Italian rider to win a UCI XCC World Cup race. Her decisive move came on the penultimate lap. The chasing group reduced the gap, but hesitation behind allowed Berta to regain the advantage and complete the solo victory.
Men's Elite XCC
| Pos. | Rider | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Gaze 🇳🇿 | 21:54 |
| 2 | Luca Martin 🇫🇷 | +1s |
| 3 | Charlie Aldridge 🇬🇧 | +1s |
| 4 | Mathis Azzaro 🇫🇷 | +1s |
| 5 | Lars Forster 🇨🇭 | +1s |
Sam Gaze timed his sprint perfectly in wet conditions to take his first UCI World Cup victory in almost 900 days. Luca Martin and Charlie Aldridge finished only one second behind.
Elite XCO Results
Women's Elite XCO
| Pos. | Rider | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martina Berta 🇮🇹 | 1:15:51 |
| 2 | Gwendalyn Gibson 🇺🇸 | +13s |
| 3 | Sina Frei 🇨🇭 | +48s |
| 4 | Savilia Blunk 🇺🇸 | +48s |
| 5 | Alessandra Keller 🇨🇭 | +1:00 |
| 6 | Haley Batten 🇺🇸 | +1:17 |
| 7 | Evie Richards 🇬🇧 | +1:36 |
| 8 | Jenny Rissveds 🇸🇪 | +1:37 |
| 9 | Jennifer Jackson 🇨🇦 | +1:52 |
| 10 | Laura Stigger 🇦🇹 | +1:56 |
Men's Elite XCO
| Pos. | Rider | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martín Vidaurre 🇨🇱 | 1:28:55 |
| 2 | Cole Punchard 🇨🇦 | +5s |
| 3 | Mathis Guay 🇫🇷 | +7s |
| 4 | Luca Braidot 🇮🇹 | +12s |
| 5 | Mathis Azzaro 🇫🇷 | +15s |
| 6 | Bjorn Riley 🇺🇸 | +15s |
| 7 | Luca Martin 🇫🇷 | +15s |
| 8 | Riley Amos 🇺🇸 | +22s |
| 9 | Jordan Sarrou 🇫🇷 | +33s |
| 10 | Sam Gaze 🇳🇿 | +35s |
Women's XCO Race Report
Martina Berta controlled the women's race from the opening stages. Jenny Rissveds initially helped drive the pace, but the Swedish overall leader could not maintain the pressure and was dropped around the middle of the race.
The leading group then settled around Berta, Sina Frei, Gwendalyn Gibson, and Alessandra Keller. The race remained close enough for the outcome to stay uncertain, while Haley Batten produced an important home-country ride by bridging toward the leading group.
Berta made the decisive move late in the race. Gibson remained her closest challenger, but Berta maintained enough speed and control through the final technical sections to take the victory by 13 seconds.
Gibson's second place was a career-best Elite World Cup result. Frei finished third, 48 seconds behind Berta, while Blunk matched Frei's time in fourth.
Rissveds finished eighth, 1:37 behind the winner. That result was important for the overall classification because Frei gained valuable points on the series leader.
Men's XCO Race Report
The men's race was much more chaotic. Chris Blevins moved to the front early and set a hard pace, but the opening lap already created problems for several riders.
Martín Vidaurre started from 25th after suffering bad luck in Saturday's XCC race. Instead of allowing that disadvantage to dictate his race, he patiently moved through the field.
The front group included Luca Martin, Charlie Aldridge, Mathis Azzaro, Cole Punchard, Luca Schätti, Mathis Guay, and Vidaurre. The pace remained high, but repeated attacks failed to create a decisive gap.
Several incidents then changed the race. Blevins crashed while exiting a berm. Schätti crashed in a rock garden, while Filippo Colombo suffered a puncture after joining the leading group.
Charlie Aldridge was also involved in a spectacular crash on the penultimate lap after misjudging a landing. He remounted, but damage to his bike ended his challenge for the victory.
The decisive moment arrived late in the final lap. Mathis Azzaro was forced to unclip on a technical slab, producing a small split in the leading group. Vidaurre immediately attacked.
The Chilean rider opened the gap and refused to give his rivals another opportunity. Cole Punchard chased hard but could not close the five-second deficit. Mathis Guay finished third, only seven seconds behind the winner.
Vidaurre's victory was his first UCI XCO World Cup win of the 2026 season. Punchard's second place was his first Elite World Cup podium.
U23 Results
U23 XCC
| Race | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Rafaelle Carrier | Makena Kellerman | Bloeme Kalis |
| Men | Nicolas Halter | Nikolaj Hougs | Gustav Pedersen |
The U23 XCC races were decided by extremely small margins. Carrier and Kellerman finished on the same time in the women's race, while Halter won the men's race by only one second.
U23 XCO
| Race | Winner | Time | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Valentina Corvi 🇮🇹 | 1:20:17 | Rafaelle Carrier +32s | Makena Kellerman +44 |
| Men | Benjamin Krüger 🇩🇪 | 1:17:49 | Naël Rouffiac +49s | Alejandro García Vázquez +1:21 |
Valentina Corvi continued her remarkable U23 season with another XCO victory. It was her seventh race win of the season. Benjamin Krüger produced the equivalent result in the men's U23 race, winning by 49 seconds.
World Cup Standings After Soldier Hollow
Soldier Hollow changed the championship picture significantly. In the women's XCO standings, Jenny Rissveds remained first, but Sina Frei reduced the gap to 220 points.
Women's XCO Overall
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jenny Rissveds 🇸🇪 | 2,045 |
| 2 | Sina Frei 🇨🇭 | 1,825 |
| 3 | Martina Berta 🇮🇹 | 1,630 |
| 4 | Savilia Blunk 🇺🇸 | 1,511 |
| 5 | Laura Stigger 🇦🇹 | 1,395 |
| 6 | Ronja Blöchlinger 🇨🇭 | 1,207 |
Men's XCO Overall
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luca Martin 🇫🇷 | 1,819 |
| 2 | Adrien Boichis 🇫🇷 | 1,619 |
| 3 | Bjorn Riley 🇺🇸 | 1,227 |
| 4 | Simone Avondetto 🇮🇹 | 1,023 |
| 5 | Dario Lillo 🇨🇭 | 1,017 |
Adrien Boichis did not race in Utah after shifting his focus to road racing. Luca Martin therefore extended his advantage. Boichis remains the only rider mathematically capable of challenging Martin for the XCO overall title, but his absence from the remaining cross-country rounds leaves Martin in a commanding position heading toward Lake Placid.
Women's XCC Overall
After Soldier Hollow, Sina Frei led the women's XCC classification with 1,490 points, ahead of Jenny Rissveds on 1,390. Savilia Blunk was third on 1,070.
Men's XCC Overall
Luca Martin moved into the men's XCC lead with 1,240 points. Adrien Boichis was second on 1,210, followed by Mathis Azzaro on 1,144.
Martina Berta's Historic Weekend
Martina Berta was the defining rider of Soldier Hollow.
Her first achievement came in XCC, where she became the first Italian rider to win a UCI XCC World Cup race. Less than 24 hours later, she won the XCO race as well.
The double was significant because XCC and XCO demand different racing skills. XCC rewards explosive acceleration, positioning, and tactical awareness over a short race. XCO requires sustained climbing power, technical control, pacing, and the ability to manage equipment and energy over a much longer distance.
Berta succeeded in both formats on a new course, which makes the weekend one of the strongest performances of her 2026 season.
Rissveds vs Frei: The Women's Title Battle
Before Soldier Hollow, Jenny Rissveds held a 282-point lead over Sina Frei. After the Utah round, the difference was reduced to 220 points.
Frei's third-place XCO finish gave her an important points haul, while Rissveds could manage only eighth. The two riders therefore leave Utah with the overall championship still unresolved.
Rissveds remains in front, but Lake Placid will decide the final order. The maximum points available from the remaining XCO and XCC races mean Frei still has a mathematical route to the overall title.
Luca Martin and the Men's Title
The men's championship situation is different.
Luca Martin entered Soldier Hollow as the XCO leader and increased his advantage during the weekend. His seventh-place XCO finish was not spectacular on its own, but his consistency and the absence of Adrien Boichis became crucial.
Boichis had already confirmed that he would not contest the remaining North American cross-country rounds because he was returning his attention to road racing.
Martin therefore leaves Utah with 1,819 points against Boichis' 1,619. Bjorn Riley is third with 1,227 points.
The final championship outcome will be confirmed in Lake Placid, but the Soldier Hollow round substantially strengthened Martin's position.
What Made the Soldier Hollow Course Difficult?
Soldier Hollow was a new venue for the UCI Mountain Bike World Series. The site is better known for its Olympic winter-sport history and hosted cross-country skiing and biathlon during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The mountain bike course combined sustained climbing with technical descents, rocky features, and faster sections. That combination rewarded riders who could maintain speed without losing control when the terrain changed.
The course also produced significant racing consequences. Crashes, punctures, and technical mistakes repeatedly changed the order in the men's Elite XCO race.
For the women, the course rewarded Berta's ability to maintain a high pace while controlling the final stages of the race. Gibson's second place also demonstrated the advantage of strong local familiarity with the terrain.
Why Soldier Hollow Mattered
Soldier Hollow was more than another World Cup round. It was the penultimate cross-country stop of the 2026 season and therefore carried major championship consequences.
- Martina Berta: completed an XCC-XCO double.
- Martín Vidaurre: won the men's XCO after starting 25th.
- Gwendalyn Gibson: recorded a career-best Elite World Cup result with second place.
- Sina Frei: reduced Jenny Rissveds' XCO overall advantage.
- Jenny Rissveds: retained the XCO lead despite finishing eighth.
- Luca Martin: strengthened his position at the top of the men's XCO standings.
- Sam Gaze: returned to the top step in XCC after a long wait for another World Cup victory.
- Valentina Corvi: continued her outstanding U23 season with another XCO victory.
- Soldier Hollow: successfully hosted its first WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series weekend.
Lake Placid Finale
The cross-country season now moves to the Lake Placid Olympic Sites in New York for the final 2026 XCO and XCC round from October 2-4.
That final weekend will decide the remaining overall championships. Jenny Rissveds and Sina Frei remain separated by 220 XCO points, while Luca Martin holds a substantial advantage over Adrien Boichis in the men's classification.
For the complete 2026 season schedule, see our 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Soldier Hollow 2026 women's XCO race?
Martina Berta of Italy won the women's Elite XCO race in 1:15:51.
Who won the Soldier Hollow 2026 men's XCO race?
Martín Vidaurre of Chile won the men's Elite XCO race in 1:28:55.
Who won the Soldier Hollow women's XCC race?
Martina Berta won the women's Elite XCC race in 22:06.
Who won the Soldier Hollow men's XCC race?
Sam Gaze of New Zealand won the men's Elite XCC race in 21:54.
Did Martina Berta win both XCC and XCO?
Yes. Berta won both Elite women's races at Soldier Hollow, completing an XCC-XCO World Cup double.
How did Martín Vidaurre win the men's XCO?
Vidaurre started from 25th on the grid and gradually moved through the field. He made his decisive attack late in the final lap and finished five seconds ahead of Cole Punchard.
Who leads the women's XCO standings after Soldier Hollow?
Jenny Rissveds leads with 2,045 points, followed by Sina Frei with 1,825.
What is the gap between Jenny Rissveds and Sina Frei?
Rissveds leads Frei by 220 points after Soldier Hollow.
Who leads the men's XCO standings?
Luca Martin leads the men's XCO standings with 1,819 points, ahead of Adrien Boichis on 1,619.
Where is the 2026 cross-country World Cup finale?
The final XCO and XCC round takes place at the Lake Placid Olympic Sites in New York from October 2-4, 2026.
Was Soldier Hollow a new World Series venue?
Yes. Soldier Hollow made its WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series debut in 2026.