TakeWorldslast week
Sina Frei attacked on lap three of the Val di Sole XCO and simply rode away, soloing to a 1:07 margin over Martina Berta while defending champion Jenny Rissveds lost the front group before the race even settled. It's her first elite world title — a gap that looked overdue given everything else already on her palmares.
Frei arrived as favourite off an XCC/XCO European double and a World Cup opener win at Mona Yongpyong, and she raced like it, controlling from the front rather than surviving a sprint. Puck Pieterse, the multi-discipline threat, could only close to 1:25 back in fourth. What was missing from Frei's résumé — Olympic silver in Tokyo, repeat World Cup podiums, a European crown — was exactly this: a solo, no-argument elite XCO title.
Sources
Results: 2026 Val di Sole Elite XC World Championships - PinkbikePuck Pieterse Narrowly Misses Podium at Mountain Bike World Championships as Frei DominatesSuperb Sina Frei soloes to mountain bike world title, Pieterse just misses out on medal2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships: Pidcock and Van der Poel join XCO line-up | UCISina Frei