Bjorn Riley achieves his first World Cup victory in Andorra

Bjorn Riley made his mark in the World Cup with a spectacular victory in the Short Track at Pal Arinsal. The American waited until the final moments of a fiercely contested race to launch the decisive attack and surpass Adrien Boichis and Chris Blevins, who finished second and third respectively.

Bjorn Riley surprises the favorites and achieves his first victory in the World Cup

Two hours before the start, a powerful storm had hit Pal Arinsal and affected the women's race, but the men's XCC Elite was able to start without rain. Among the main news was the return of Martin Vidaurre after the sprain suffered during training in La Thuile and the definitive absence of Victor Koretzky, who, despite initially being on the entry list, could not make a comeback in Andorra.

As is customary in the Short Track, the start was practically a sprint to reach the front positions before the group entered the narrower sections of the circuit. Charlie Aldridge initially took the lead ahead of Mathis Azzaro, Luca Martin, Adrien Boichis, and Bjorn Riley.

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The race was set for ten laps and the first significant incident came very early. On the second lap, a clash between Azzaro and Martin sent the Origine Racing Division rider to the last position, while Boichis took control at the front. Azzaro tried to continue, but ultimately ended up abandoning the race.

The pace remained high, although it did not manage to definitively break up an increasingly large front group. During the fourth lap, riders like Chris Blevins and Luca Schwarzbauer came from behind, while Boichis continued to be one of the most active cyclists.

The Frenchman tried again on the sixth lap with a new change of pace, but the move was not enough to select the race. Practically all the top favorites remained together, and any attack was quickly neutralized.

Luca Martin took the lead on the eighth lap and tried to control the race from the front position, but behind him, a very large group continued to roll. Charlie Aldridge was the next to try with an attack during the ninth lap that allowed him to open a few meters, although the persistence of Boichis and Martin ended up closing the gap again.

Everything was pending on the last lap.

As soon as the bell rang, Boichis launched a powerful attack that surprised even Luca Martin. The leader of the XCO World Cup lost positions and was relegated to fifth place, while Boichis faced the final moments accompanied by Aldridge, Riley, and Blevins.

The race still had two more laps reserved. First, Aldridge suffered a track exit that took him out of the fight for victory. Shortly after, Bjorn Riley seized the moment to launch the decisive attack.

The American opened a few meters and managed to maintain his lead until the finish line to achieve the first victory of his career in the World Cup. Adrien Boichis finished second just one second behind, and Chris Blevins completed the podium three seconds back.

Luca Martin had to settle for fourth place after losing contact in the initial attack of the last lap, while Luca Schwarzbauer closed the Top 5.

Top 10 XCC Elite Men – Andorra World Cup 2026

1. Bjorn Riley (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team) – 20:54
2. Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) – +1 s
3. Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) – +3 s
4. Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) – +6 s
5. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon XC Racing) – +8 s
6. Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) – +10 s
7. Juri Zanotti (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) – +13 s
8. Vital Albin (Thömus Maxon) – +16 s
9. Fabio Püntener (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team) – +17 s
10. Carter Woods (Giant Factory Off-Road Team XC) – +21 s