The Frenchman and the Austrian successfully defend their E-Mountain Bike Cross-country titles at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Val di Sole-Trentino after also winning in Valais in 2025
The opening day of racing at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Val di Sole-Trentino got underway with the favourites delivering on expectations. On Wednesday, August 26th, Jérôme Gilloux and Anna Spielmann successfully defended their E-Mountain Bike Cross-country UCI World titles in Daolasa di Commezzadura. For the 32-year-old Frenchman, it is his fifth world title in the last six years, while the 28-year-old Austrian has claimed back-to-back victories at the UCI World Championships.
E-XC: FIFTH UCI WORLD TITLE FOR GILLOUX
The pre-race favourite lived up to expectations as Jérôme Gilloux claimed his fifth E-Mountain Bike Cross-country UCI World Championship title. The Frenchman won his first world title in the discipline right here in Val di Sole in 2021, and today in Daolasa di Commezzadura, he had to dig deep to overcome the challenge of Switzerland’s Joris Ryf, the only rider other than Gilloux to have won gold in the last six editions.
After a blisteringly fast start from Ryf, Gilloux embarked on a determined pursuit, taking four laps to close a gap of around ten seconds. Behind them, Stéphane Tempier consolidated third place, with Italian rider Daniele Braidot following 31 seconds behind.
On the fifth lap, the Frenchman finally bridged the gap and caught Ryf. Two laps later, Gilloux made his decisive move, opening up a lead of a few seconds that he managed to hold all the way to the finish.
Gilloux crossed the line 8 seconds ahead of Ryf and 2 minutes 10 seconds ahead of Tempier, a true mountain bike veteran who claimed his fourth World Championship medal across three different disciplines: Olympic Cross-country, Team Relay and E-Mountain Bike Cross-country. Braidot was the top-placed Italian, finishing fourth, 2 minutes 41 seconds behind the winner.
SPIELMANN CROWNED E-XC UCI WORLD CHAMPION AGAIN
The Women’s race followed the script too, with Austria’s Anna Spielmann taking the win and successfully defending the title she claimed in 2025 in Valais, Switzerland.
After Switzerland’s Kathrin Stirnemann made a fast start, the 28-year-old Tyrolean gradually closed the gap on the second lap, stepping up the pace through the middle section of the race. Once she had built a lead of around ten seconds, Spielmann focused on managing her advantage over the final laps, securing Austria’s first gold medal of the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. Waiting for her at the finish was her partner Lukas Pöstlberger, the 2017 Giro d'Italia pink jersey and winner of the 200 km race at The Traka last May, today in the unfamiliar role of her mechanic
Behind Anna Spielmann, Stirnemann took silver, finishing 11 seconds behind the winner. Bronze went to another Austrian, Tamara Wiedmann, who crossed the line in third, 44 seconds back.
