Adrien Boichis conquers La Thuile after an intense battle with Luca Martin

Adrien Boichis took the victory in the Short Track of La Thuile after once again defeating Luca Martin in an intense duel between the two Frenchmen who are setting the pace in the World Cup this season. The Specialized Factory Racing rider launched several attacks on the final lap until he managed to open a definitive gap and crossed the finish line with a second advantage over the overall leader. Charlie Aldridge completed the podium after recovering from a fall while fighting for the win.

Boichis triumphs over Martin in another spectacular French duel in La Thuile

The first men's XCC race held in La Thuile started at full speed. Aware of the importance of being well positioned before the circuit narrowed, half the peloton engaged in a real sprint in the first few meters. Charlie Aldridge was the fastest and managed to lead the race ahead of Adrien Boichis, Luca Martin, and Bjorn Riley.

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One of the big news of the day was the return of the reigning world champion of XCO, Alan Hatherly. The South African made his first appearance this season in the World Cup, although a very delayed position on the grid made it very difficult to see him fight for the top positions on a circuit where overtaking was particularly challenging.

The race was set for nine laps, and from the very beginning, the pace was extremely high. The average speed was so high that aerodynamic wheels mounted by Aldridge and Luca Martin on their Cannondale Scalpel came back into the spotlight.

Mathis Azzaro was one of the protagonists at the start thanks to a very aggressive start that allowed him to position himself among the best. However, a harmless fall and the strong pace set by the leading men ended up distancing him from the fight for the podium. Jofre Cullell also quickly disappeared from the front positions, as after a good start he had to suffer some issues that relegated him to the last position in the group, forcing him to start a long comeback.

Meanwhile, Aldridge and Boichis were continuously hardening the race. Both pushed hard for a good part of the race and progressively selected the front group, although they did not manage to break it definitively. Behind, significant splits appeared, but between six and seven riders continued to resist at the front, contesting the victory.

The tension increased even more with just over two laps to go when Simone Avondetto suffered a fall at the same point where Azzaro had previously gone down. The Italian was then riding within the top 10 and lost any chance of closing in on the leading group.

The decisive action came a lap and a half from the finish. Aldridge, Martin, and Boichis launched a very hard attack that ended up selecting the race. However, in the midst of the acceleration, the Brit suffered a fall after his front wheel touched the rear of his teammate Luca Martin. The incident took him out of the direct fight for victory just when he seemed to have the legs to contest it.

With the bell for the last lap ringing, the outcome was reduced to a new duel between the two Frenchmen who also dominated the last XCO. Boichis attacked again and again trying to shake off Martin, while the overall leader responded to every move without losing his wheel.

Finally, the persistence of the Specialized rider paid off. Boichis managed to open a small gap in the final meters and crossed the finish line alone to add another prestigious victory. Martin had to settle for second place, while Aldridge managed to recover from his fall to secure a valuable third position.

Top 10 XCC Elite Men - La Thuile 2026

1. Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) – 19:39
2. Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) – +1 s
3. Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing) – +16 s
4. Bjorn Riley (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team) – +17 s
5. Dario Lillo (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC) – +22 s
6. Fabio Püntener (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team) – +28 s
7. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) – +34 s
8. Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) – +38 s
9. Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) – +43 s
10. Juri Zanotti (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) – +47 s