Boichis finds the perfect attack and wins his first Elite XCO World Cup in Leogang: Azzaro has been disqualified after finishing second

The 2026 XCO World Cup in Leogang crowned one of the great emerging stars of the global mountain bike scene. Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) took the victory in Austria after a vibrant, fast, and tactical race in which he starred in a completely French duel against Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) and Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing).

Update: After finishing the race, Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division), who finished second, was disqualified by the officials for entering an incorrect line in the feeding zone. The rider himself confirmed the incident after crossing the finish line. The sanction alters the final podium of the event, with Luca Martin moving up to second place and Bjorn Riley taking the third spot.

Adrien Boichis conquers Leogang after a spectacular French duel with Azzaro and Luca Martin

The three French riders arrived together at the last lap after more than an hour of constant attacks, changes of pace, and a battle that kept the uncertainty until the final minutes. In the end, it was Boichis who found the winning move to prevail by six seconds over Azzaro and eighteen over Martin.

From mud to dust in just a few hours

Unlike the women's race, which was held under rain and with a very slippery circuit, the men's event took place in completely different conditions. The track dried quickly during the afternoon and offered a much faster and more compact surface, although the technical areas still required maximum concentration.

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The start was explosive and left one of the most notable images for the Spanish fans. Jofre Cullell (BH Coloma Team), who was starting from the front row for the first time thanks to his great result in the Short Track, took the lead during the initial climb and led the first moments against the best riders in the world.

Boichis, Azzaro, and Martin break the race

After the initial loop, the group that would play a decisive role in the race began to form.

Adrien Boichis, Mathis Azzaro, Luca Martin, and Bjorn Riley were the first to open gaps over the rest of the favorites. Shortly after, Simone Avondetto managed to connect with them while important riders like Filippo Colombo began to suffer the consequences of a fall in the opening lap.

As the laps went by, the leading group lost members until it was reduced to the names that would dominate the race. Azzaro and Boichis were the most aggressive riders, continuously hardening the pace on the climbs to try to eliminate rivals.

By the halfway point of the race, they had already managed to definitively select the field. Martin continued to respond to all attacks, while Avondetto began to fade and the rest of the pursuers were left more than half a minute behind.

A constant battle between three Frenchmen

The race entered its decisive phase, turning into a true duel between three French riders.

Mathis Azzaro launched numerous attacks trying to replicate the displays that had allowed him to dominate the first two Short Tracks of the season. Boichis responded time and again, while Luca Martin used his greater speed on the descents to recover the ground he lost on the climbs.

The situation repeated itself for several laps. Each acceleration from Azzaro seemed definitive, but Martin always found a way to come back. Boichis, for his part, showed himself to be the most solid of the three and barely showed signs of weakness.

With a lap and a half to go, Azzaro led by just one second over Boichis and six over Martin. Everything was still completely open.

The attack that decided the World Cup

The last lap began with the three Frenchmen still together.

Martin was the first to make a move and launched an attack on the climb that forced his two rivals to react. However, the decisive moment came shortly after.

Boichis fought determinedly to enter the first position in the last major descent of the circuit. He managed to place himself in front and took advantage of that lead to chain a double change of pace on the next climb.

The acceleration proved decisive. Azzaro and Martin could no longer respond, and Boichis opened a gap of a few seconds that was enough for him to ride solo to victory.

The young Specialized rider crossed the finish line in 1:21:09 to achieve one of the most important victories of his career in the elite of the World Cup.

Bjorn Riley narrowly misses the podium and great performance from Jofre Cullell

Behind the French podium, Bjorn Riley delivered an outstanding performance to finish fourth despite having to stop during the race to fix a flat tire. The American confirmed once again that he is getting closer to fighting for victories in the World Cup.

Simone Avondetto completed the Top 5 after holding the pace of the three Frenchmen for a good part of the race.

Also noteworthy was the performance of Jofre Cullell. The BH Coloma Team rider had a spectacular start, led the race during the first minutes, and finished in a commendable sixteenth position after competing among the best for a large part of the event.

Top 10 XCO World Cup Leogang 2026 - Elite Men

1. Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) – 1:21:09
2. Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) – +6” DISQUALIFIED
3. Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing) – +18”
4. Bjorn Riley (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team) – +45”
5. Simone Avondetto (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team) – +1:05
6. David List (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) – +1:14
7. Mathias Flückiger (Thömus Maxon) – +1:39
8. Luca Schwarzbauer (Canyon XC Racing) – +1:48
9. Filippo Colombo (SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing Team) – +1:49
10. Filippo Fontana – +2:04