Stars to watch at the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships XCO
With both Paris 2024 Olympic XCO champions (Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tom Pidcock) absent from the 2025 World Championships, unpredictability reigns.
On the men’s side, the spotlight inevitably falls on Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutch powerhouse has already conquered road, gravel, and cyclocross world titles in the past, leaving XCO as the missing piece in his all-discipline collection. If he can stay clear of the mechanical misfortunes that have dogged his mountain bike outings before, he will be one of the riders to beat.
Mountain bike legend Nino Schurter of Switzerland, meanwhile, lines up for what could be his final World Championships appearance, aiming to add yet another chapter to his extraordinary career on home soil.
The Swiss rider has an Olympic medal of every colour to his name (bronze from Beijing 2008, silver from London 2012, and gold from Rio 2016 ) alongside a glittering record that includes 10 world titles, nine overall World Cup crowns, 36 individual World Cup victories, and three Cape Epic triumphs. His last world championship run will not be one to miss.
Also in contention are world leader and Paris 2024 silver medallist Victor Koretzky of France, World Cup ranked second Christopher Blevins and Paris 2024 bronze medallist Alan Hatherly of South Africa.
Watch too for the next generation looking to take over Schurter’s baton of greatness. Last year’s U23 champion, Luca Martin, moves up to the elite category, rising Swiss rider Fabio Püntener continues to edge closer to a major win, and Britain’s Charlie Aldridge has shown he can spring a surprise on the biggest stage.
The women’s race also promises intrigue.
Dutch cyclist Puck Pieterse will be on a mission to defend her XCO world title, but will face strong competition from a field that includes Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds, a former Olympic champion, and USA’s Olympic silver medallist Haley Batten.
New Zealand’s Samara Maxwell has emerged as one of the revelations of the season, while home hopes will rest heavily on Swiss duo Alessandra Keller and Nicole Koller, both consistent front-runners.
South Africa’s Candice Lill remains a strong outside pick for the podium, her endurance and technical ability often putting her in the mix when it matters most.
With no Ferrand-Prévot or Pidcock on the line, this year’s XCO titles may well go to riders ready to seize the opportunity left by absent champions.