UCI Cross-Country World Cup: Cink & Pieterse win in the mud of Saalfelden Leogang

Ondřej Cink and Puck Pieterse coped best with the difficult conditions at the UCI Cross-Country World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang. The 34-year-old Czech was able to celebrate his first elite victory, while the Dutchwoman underlined her current dominance with a double win. Heavy rain had previously softened the course and turned the hunt for the fastest time into a muddy battle.

Cink surprises with maiden victory in the elite field

Czech mountain biker Ondřej Cink caused a big surprise at the UCI Cross-Country World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang. The 34-year-old from the Cube Factory Racing Team celebrated his first elite victory in the World Cup on a course that was turned into a mud battle by the rain. After a thrilling race, Cink came out on top by 18 seconds ahead of Swiss rider Mathias Flückiger. His compatriot Fabio Püntener completed the podium in third place.

Cink attacked six laps before the end and was able to hold on to the lead despite dwindling strength in the meantime. His lead fluctuated between 11 and 24 seconds before he was able to gain ground again in the final kilometres. At 34, Cink is the second oldest male XCO rider to celebrate his first World Cup victory. Only the US American Ned Overend was older when he won his first triumph in 1994.

It was only the eleventh elite victory in the history of the Mountain Bike World Cup for the Czech Republic. Cink himself was overwhelmed after the race: "I'm over the moon. I've waited a long time for this victory and have often finished second. I really like this place, I was U23 World Champion here in 2012. I actually thought my career was over because I'm one of the oldest in the field. I have no words for it."

Pieterse dominates the women's competition

In the women's race, Dutch rider Puck Pieterse underlined her current exceptional position. After her victory in the short track on Friday, the Alpecin-Deceuninck team rider also celebrated a commanding success in the Olympic cross country.

Pieterse pulled away from the field early on and rode to an unchallenged start-finish victory. She finished 50 seconds ahead of second-placed Samara Maxwell. The New Zealander thus extended her lead in the overall standings. Ramona Forchini from Switzerland came third.

Pieterse was unimpressed by the difficult conditions: "My goal was to have a perfect weekend. It's never worked out so far, but I'm super happy that it worked out today on this track. I was perhaps a little too impatient to go straight to the front, but I'm not good at waiting. So I decided to give it a go."

Mud battle challenges all drivers

The weather conditions in Saalfelden Leogang presented all participants with major challenges. Heavy rain had turned the track in the Epic Bikepark into a slippery mud battle. Many riders crashed or had to overcome technical problems. Even the winners Cink and Pieterse were not spared from minor incidents.

The difficult conditions meant that there was hardly any advantage to be gained from slipstreaming in a group. Instead, the advantages of a free choice of line dominated. Both Cink and Pieterse benefited from the fact that they were able to choose their own lines at the front. Pieterse emphasised: "Nobody had a perfect race without clicking out or a small crash. I also had some problems in the upper part of the course. But I knew that others would also make mistakes. As long as it only happens once, it's not a big problem."

Surprises and disappointments in the elite field

While Cink and Pieterse triumphed, some of the favourites had a dismal day. The Specialized Factory Racing Team, which had dominated all the men's elite races of the 2025 season so far, came away empty-handed in Saalfelden Leogang. Chilean Martin Vidaurre Kossman fell far behind after a good start and only finished 24th, while Victor Koretzky even had to abandon the race after being hampered by illness and the after-effects of a training crash. Christopher Blevins still managed to fight his way up to 17th place.

In the women's race, France's Loana Lecomte was unable to counter Pieterse's attack and even fell behind Tamara Wiedmann and Jolanda Neff as the race progressed. The Swiss rider Neff, known for her strengths in difficult conditions, secured fourth place with a strong final spurt. British rider Isla Short pulled off a positive surprise by finishing in the top 10 of a World Cup race for the first time in her career.

Overall rankings remain exciting

Despite the disappointment in Saalfelden Leogang, the Specialized Factory Racing Team retains the lead in the men's overall standings. Christopher Blevins was even able to extend his lead over his team-mate Victor Koretzky to 341 points. In the women's race, Samara Maxwell extended her lead in the overall standings to 290 points with second place in Saalfelden Leogang. Switzerland's Nicole Koller, second in the overall standings, was unable to finish higher than eighth.

Junior races with clear victories

There were also clear victories in the U23 races. Finn Treudler from the Cube Factory Racing Team came out on top in the men's race, celebrating the perfect weekend after his victory in the short track on Friday. The Swiss rider won by 47 seconds ahead of Germany's Paul Schehl, who took the Victory in the last race and this second place now puts them in fourth place in the overall standings.

The U23 women's race was won by Switzerland's Fiona Schibler. She distanced second-placed Monique Halter by just under a minute and Elina Benoit in third place by more than two minutes. The German Sina van Thiel finished in fourth place.

Schibler celebrated her first victory in the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series. Overall leader Ella MacPhee experienced her weakest XCO race of the season in seventh place, but was able to defend her lead in the overall standings.

Outlook for upcoming races

The next stop in the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series is just two weeks away. The cross-country and downhill riders will then meet in Val di Sole in the Italian region of Trentino for the half-time World Cup race.

After the surprises of Saalfelden Leogang, fans can look forward to seeing whether the established balance of power will return or whether the 2025 World Cup has more surprises in store.

XCO World Cup: Results in Saalfelden Leogang 2025

Results Elite Men:

1. Ondřej Cink (Cube Factory Racing), 1:25:05 h
2. Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon), +18 s
3. Fabio Püntener, +27 s

Results Elite Women:

1. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck), 1:26:39 h
2. Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford Racing Team), +50 s
3. Ramona Forchini (Bixs Performance Race Team), +1:26 min

Results U23 Men:

1. Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing), 1:14:02
2. Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountainbike Team), +47 s
3. Nicolas Halter, +52 s

Results U23 women:

1. Fiona Schibler, 1:12:44
2. Monique Halter, +57 s
3. Elina Benoit (Lexware Mountainbike Team), +2:23 min