{"id":252404,"date":"2026-07-10T21:31:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/10\/us-mountain-biker-bjorn-riley-wins-first-career-world-cup-event\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T21:31:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T21:31:58","slug":"us-mountain-biker-bjorn-riley-wins-first-career-world-cup-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/10\/us-mountain-biker-bjorn-riley-wins-first-career-world-cup-event\/","title":{"rendered":"US mountain biker Bjorn Riley wins first career World Cup event"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-c441d30e-7c9e-11f1-afb7-0560df59644b\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/uci-mountain-bike-world-championships-2024\/short-track-cross-country-elite-men-and-u23-men\/results\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/uci-mountain-bike-world-championships-2024\/short-track-cross-country-elite-men-and-u23-men\/results\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/races\/uci-mountain-bike-world-championships-2024\/short-track-cross-country-elite-men-and-u23-men\/results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USA&#8217;s Bjorn Riley<\/a> (Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team) claimed first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup victory on Friday, making a late pass of hot-handed <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/jenny-rissveds-adrien-boichis-take-all-under-treacherous-rain-and-mud-conditions-at-the-leogang-mtb-world-cup\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/jenny-rissveds-adrien-boichis-take-all-under-treacherous-rain-and-mud-conditions-at-the-leogang-mtb-world-cup\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/jenny-rissveds-adrien-boichis-take-all-under-treacherous-rain-and-mud-conditions-at-the-leogang-mtb-world-cup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">French rider Adrien Boichis<\/a> (Specialized Factory Racing) in a two-up sprint to decide the elite men&#8217;s cross-country short track race at Pal Arinsal.<\/p>\n<p>On the elite women&#8217;s side, <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/your-value-is-not-based-on-your-results-olympic-champion-jenny-rissveds-on-balancing-road-mountain-and-mental-health\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/your-value-is-not-based-on-your-results-olympic-champion-jenny-rissveds-on-balancing-road-mountain-and-mental-health\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/your-value-is-not-based-on-your-results-olympic-champion-jenny-rissveds-on-balancing-road-mountain-and-mental-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jenny Rissveds<\/a> (Canyon XC Racing) pulled out a thrilling sprint victory from a lead group of five riders, with Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) and Ronja Bl\u00f6chlinger (Live Factory Racing) finishing two-three and all on the same time.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-c441d30e-7c9e-11f1-afb7-0560df59644b-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Short track course at Pal Arinsal hosted the sixth stop for this year&#8217;s global cross-country competitions, the trails above the town of La Massana in Andorra confirmed as the highest altitude for races on the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container=\"\">\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Growing up in Boulder, Colorado, Riley was no stranger to high elevation. He had racked up 12 medals at US mountain bike nationals since beginning as a junior in 2018, including holding the stars-and-stripes jersey since 2024 in the XCC discipline. But he had never won on the international circuit, until Friday.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\u201cEvery race feels like the fulfilment of a dream. Winning is something you dream about your whole life, so actually doing it feels surreal. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fully sunk in yet. Maybe later tonight, when I\u2019m trying to sleep, it\u2019ll hit me and I\u2019ll end up lying awake thinking about it. Right now, it just feels incredible,&#8221; Riley said in a UCI press release.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;So many people had been telling me they wanted to see me win. It\u2019s amazing that people believe in me like that. Race by race, I\u2019ve felt myself improving. I\u2019ve spent a lot of time on the road recently, and now that I\u2019m back fighting at the front, my confidence is growing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">French riders had everyone&#8217;s attention when the race started Friday, Boichis coming off back-to-back XCC wins and compatriot Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) leading the World Cup standings. Britain&#8217;s Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) got the party started by leading the first three laps, with Azzaro and Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-road) behind him, and then Boichis tagging along.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-XuGk9MzUg4TLpw82K27Qvc\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-XuGk9MzUg4TLpw82K27Qvc slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Azzaro would crash before the mid-point of the race, and was forced to depart. Then USA&#8217;s Christopher Blevins joined his Specialized teammate Boichis at the front on the next lap as they battled Aldridge and Martin. It wasn&#8217;t until lap seven that Riley bridged to the front four.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">As the final lap began, Boichis kicked on the climb and only Aldridge held his back wheel while Riley reacted to stay in third place. Then Aldridge skidded and collided with a tree as he tried a different line in the woods, taking him down, though he&#8217;d finish but in 30th place. Riley went all-out on with two corners to go, and the risk worked.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We all know each other\u2019s strengths, and heading into the final climb I knew Boichis has an explosive kick. I could tell he didn\u2019t quite have it on the climb today, and that\u2019s something I\u2019d been thinking about over the last couple of days,&#8221; the 24-year-old America recounted.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Normally, I don\u2019t take big risks on the final lap because I\u2019m already happy with a podium but today felt different. I did get a bit nervous because when I looked back on the finishing straight, he was right there behind me. I\u2019m not used to having to sprint for the win, so that was a little scary.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Boichis relented for second place, with Blevins in third. Boichis moved into first place in the season standings with his runner-up finish. He now holds with more than 100 points to his advantage over two other French riders, Azzaro in second and Martin in third.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-29885790-7ca6-11f1-a17f-d365d3667b79\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"last-lap-decides-elite-women-s-race-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Last lap decides elite women&#8217;s race<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"elk-29885808-7ca6-11f1-8138-556c818c1fe6\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:2000px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.65%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jenny Rissveds of Sweden and Team CanyonFactory XC Wins the XCC Women Elite Race at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series In Andorra\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-1200-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NnvoArxh5uw4eCQaCTjtnc.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] inline\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Jenny Rissveds of Canyon Factory XC wins the XCC elite women&#8217;s race in Andorra <\/span><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-29885876-7ca6-11f1-a5cd-1dde56c83fcb\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The women&#8217;s race had an even tighter finish. Switzerland&#8217;s Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) came in the favourite as the XCC World Cup series leader. Only Rissveds could catch the Swiss star, but had 170 points between them in the standings. Rissveds had the momentum, coming off the XCC win at La Thuile a week ago.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Rissveds led the field on the opening lap with company from Jolanda Neff (Cannondale Factory Racing) as thunder roared and rain fell. Across the next handful of laps, Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) and Stigger took Neff&#8217;s place at the front with the Swede.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Reigning UCI XCC world champion Alessandra Keller (Th\u00f6mus maxon) then tagged along at the mid-point of the race. She made a surge on lap seven, which saw Berta and Frei fall off the pace.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Keller slipped out of her line on the penultimate lap, which allowed Stigger to move into second place, the pair chasing Rissveds. On the bell lap, Rissveds went clear with a long-range attack. The fight for podium spots ensued between Stigger, Bl\u00f6chlinger, Keller and<strong> <\/strong>Nicole Koller<strong> <\/strong>(Lapierre PXR Racing).<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Rissveds rode easily across the line in the European champion&#8217;s jersey, as the chase played out just behind her, Stigger sprinting ahead of Bl\u00f6chlinger on the line for second.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Frei would finish eighth in the race, and Rissveds edged closer to her XCC lead, now just a 30-point margin at the top of the standings after the Andorra race.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Racing continues on Sunday in Pal Arinsal with the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup rounds for U23 and elite riders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/im-not-used-to-having-to-sprint-for-the-win-so-that-was-scary-risky-move-pays-off-for-bjorn-riley-with-his-first-uci-mountain-bike-world-cup-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>USA&#8217;s Bjorn Riley (Scott-SRAM MTB Race Team) claimed first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup victory on Friday, making a late pass of hot-handed French rider Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) in a two-up sprint to decide the elite men&#8217;s cross-country short track race at Pal Arinsal. On the elite women&#8217;s side, Jenny Rissveds (Canyon XC [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":252405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-252404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}