Chris Blevins breaks his collarbone, will miss the XCO in YongPyong and is uncertain for the upcoming events

The XCO World Cup 2026 loses one of its big names even before the race on Sunday. Christopher Blevins will not be able to start in the XCO of Mona YongPyong after suffering a collarbone fracture during a training session on Saturday.

Chris Blevins Injured in Korea and Will Not Race the XCO on Sunday

The American rider, the reigning overall champion from last season, arrived at this first event of the year as one of the main podium contenders. Although he did not make it into the top ten in the Short Track on Friday, his profile fit perfectly in an XCO circuit yet to be discovered, where he was expected to take a step forward.

The fall occurred during a course reconnaissance session, on a weekend already affected by a new, demanding layout and areas where a fall could have serious consequences. The Specialized Factory Racing team confirmed the injury through a statement explaining that “Chris suffered a fall during Saturday's training that resulted in a collarbone fracture. He will not be able to compete in this weekend's XCO and will be evaluated in the coming days to determine the exact extent of the injury and recovery timeline.”

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The team itself adds that the immediate goal is to stabilize the injury and define the treatment, leaving his presence in the upcoming events of the calendar uncertain. In the absence of more medical details, his participation in the next rounds of the World Cup remains in doubt.

This absence represents a significant blow for the YongPyong event and the start of the season, as he is one of the most consistent riders on the circuit in recent years. Additionally, the Specialized Factory Racing team is facing accumulating problems at the start of the campaign, as the absence of Blevins is compounded by that of Victor Koretzky, who is still recovering from a left humerus fracture suffered weeks ago.

With two of their main references out of competition, the team loses weight in one of the first major events of the year, in a context where the XCO of YongPyong was already presenting itself as an open race with no clear favorites.