A historic day for Chilean and Latin American mountain biking. Martin Vidaurre (Specialized Factory Racing) dominated the men’s elite event of the XCO World Cup in Val di Sole, taking his first victory in the elite category and also securing Chile’s first win in an XCO World Cup in this category.
The men’s race got off to a very open start, with numerous riders riding within just 30 seconds of each other in the opening laps. Filippo Colombo was the first to make a move with a decisive change of pace on lap 3 that left him in sole control, but a puncture shortly afterward took him out of the podium fight. It was then that names like Mathis Azzaro, Luca Braidot, Charlie Aldridge, Julian Schelb, and a discreet but steady Martin Vidaurre, who climbed the rankings lap after lap, began to stand out.
On lap 6, Azzaro took the lead and appeared to have the situation under control, while Vidaurre was still riding more than 15 seconds behind the Frenchman. However, the Chilean didn’t rush and waited for his moment. Already on lap 7, he closed dangerously close, placing himself just 8 seconds behind, and at the start of the final lap, he launched his final attack.
With a final fastest lap of 10:39, Vidaurre rode off alone while Azzaro began to make mistakes due to fatigue. Nothing and no one could stop the Chilean, who crossed the finish line 23 seconds ahead, visibly excited.
The surprise of the day was once again Swiss rider Fabio Püntener, who is competing without a factory team and continues to put in outstanding performances. Today, he climbed onto the podium for the second time with a third place finish, consolidating his status as the season’s revelation.
With this victory, Vidaurre writes a golden page for Chilean MTB.
Final classification – Men’s Elite XCO – Val di Sole 2025
1.- Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (Chile) – Specialized Factory Racing – 1:27:42
2.- Mathis Azzaro (France) – Origine Racing Division – +23 s
3.- Fabio Püntener (Switzerland) – +39 s
4.- Luca Braidot (Italy) – Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team – +47 s
5.- Charlie Aldridge (United Kingdom) – Cannondale Factory Racing – +53 s