France wins the Team Relay World Championship 2025 after a close battle with Italy and Switzerland

France has been crowned the Team Relay world champion at the 2025 MTB World Championship held in Crans-Montana. The French team, one of the top favorites alongside Switzerland and the United States, emerged victorious after an exciting six-lap race where positions were constantly changing.

France wins the 2025 Team Relay World Championship

Italy started strong thanks to Juri Zanotti (Men's Elite), who put his team in the lead after the first lap, closely followed by Switzerland with Finn Treudler (Men's U23) and France with Adrien Boichis (Men's U23).

In the second relay, the Italians confirmed their ambition with Elian Paccagnella (Men's U23) maintaining the lead, while Switzerland with Lewin Iten (Junior Men) and Canada with Carter Woods (Men's Elite) stayed close. France, with Lucas Teste (Junior Men), was just a few seconds behind.

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The third lap was crucial: Italy put Martina Berta (Women's Elite) on the track, France had Loana Lecomte (Women's Elite), and Switzerland had Ramona Forchini (Women's Elite). Italy and France were neck and neck, with Switzerland still in the mix and Canada solidifying their fourth place thanks to Ethan Wood (Junior Men).

In the fourth lap, France took the lead thanks to Olivia Onesti (Women's U23), although a mistake in the handover almost compromised their chances. Onesti had to touch her teammate and had to get off the bike and run back to tag her so they could avoid being penalized, an incident that cost them a few valuable seconds but was not decisive. Italy put Elisa Ferri (Junior Women) on the track and Switzerland had Fiona Schibler (Women's U23), keeping the fight for the medals alive.

Olivia Onesti misses the handover

Quick reactions as she jumps off her bike and goes back to tag Lise Revol.

The Women Junior rider is off to a good start but catch her and Valentina Corvi moves into the lead. #Valais2025 #CransMontana pic.twitter.com/3wIWNR2eQk

— UCI MTB (@UCI_MTB) September 11, 2025

From the fifth lap, the fight for the podium became clear: France with Lise Revol (Junior Women) remained strong, Italy with Valentina Corvi (Women's U23) held onto second place, while Switzerland, with Anja Grossmann (Junior Women), stayed in third. Canada, with Isabella Holmgren (Women's U23), solidified their fourth place.

In the final lap, Joshua Dubau (Men's Elite) finished the job for France, crossing the finish line in 1:05:14 with a 34-second lead over Italy, where Ettore Fabbro (Junior Men) closed. Switzerland entrusted their final relay to Nino Schurter (Men's Elite), securing the bronze at 1:33, while Canada finished fourth just one second behind with Cole Punchard (Men's U23).

2025 MTB World Team Relay Championship Standings

1. France - 1:05:14
2. Italy - +0:34
3. Switzerland - +1:33
4. Canada - +1:34
5. Czech Republic - +3:05
6. United States - +3:26
7. New Zealand - +3:48
8. Germany - +4:02
9. Poland - +5:20
10. Denmark - +6:47
11. Spain - +6:56
12. Brazil - +9:50
13. Argentina - +11:07
14. DNS Great Britain