A NOTE FROM BRAZIL
XC correspondent and racer Zoe Cuthbert writes from the first round of 2025 MTB World cup racing in Araxá, Brazil
Words: Zoe Cuthbert
Photo: Piper Albrecht
Far across the world in the town of Araxá, Brazil, there is a small coffee shop so overrun by caffeine-crazed cross-country riders that the owner had to call in reinforcements. This can only mean one thing: it’s World Cup season.
The 2025 season begins with an unprecedented double weekend of racing at the same venue – round one last weekend and round two coming up at the end of this week. Fortunately, the venue is a Brazilian jungle oasis, complete with a lake and roaming capybara. The challenging course features sections of natural tech, man-made rock- and log-gardens, and considerably more jumps than cross-country riders are used to.
The track is not the only thing that pushes riders out of their comfort zones. Outside the venue, Araxá is a very different city from the usual venues. Despite the signs down the main street advertising Araxá as the ‘mountain bike capital of the world,’ there are no trails beyond the course, leading to a lot of riding up and down the same road. (On arrival here last week, the real challenge fell to the team staff, who had to embark on the impossible task of finding suitable yogurt.)
Racing began with the opening XCC race on a relatively long track with bottleneck sections that forced the bunch to string out into a single file. World Champion Evie Richards showed her strength and form to win the women’s XCC. But perhaps the most notable rider was young Sammie Maxwell, who raced boldly, attacking on the penultimate lap to split the bunch and finish in second place. This was Maxwell’s first elite podium as well as her first World Cup back after taking time off the previous year to focus on her health.
The men’s XCC saw a reverse of last year’s results, with Christopher Blevins taking the win over his teammate and XCC World Champion Victor Koretzky. An impressive result for Koretzky having found himself off the bike after getting a wheel stuck with another rider on the second-to-last lap, costing him positions to fight back. Impressively, Thomas Litscher finished in fourth after riding from last place with no team support at the race.
Maxwell may have impressed in the XCC, but she solidified herself in history by winning the XCO and becoming the first New Zealand woman to win an elite World Cup. Jenny Rissveds led a group of six before Maxwell attacked on the penultimate lap and remained untouchable. Second place went to Nicole Koller in a sprint with Savilia Blunk.
The men’s XCO was a Specialized masterclass: a win for Koretzky, second to Blevins, and third to teammate Martin Vidaurre. With the new UCI three-person podium rule, this should have meant an all-Specialized podium. However, Lars Forster (fourth) and Nino Schurter (fifth) stormed the podium in protest after a week of riders demanding the original five-person podium. Schurter’s ride was especially notable after gaining back thirty positions following a flat. Also of note: three Brazilian riders in the top twelve had the already-rowdy crowds going wild.
Now riders have a few days to recover and continue to overload the coffee shop before it’s on again this Friday for round two.
Watch the XCC and XCO highlights (40 mins) and find the results from XC World Cup R1 2025 in Araxá, Brazil, on our site.
