Sina Frei wins the first Short Track of the year in a very close finish

Sina Frei has inaugurated the XCC World Cup 2026 with a top-level victory in Mona YongPyong, prevailing in a Short Track that was much more physical than usual and resolving the race in a very tight finish against Evie Richards. The Swiss rider thus marks the first triumph of the year on a completely new circuit that has already made it clear that it does not allow for mistakes.

Sina Frei takes the first XCC of the year in YongPyong after a non-stop race

The debut of the Short Track in the 2026 World Cup confirmed that the Mona YongPyong circuit is nothing like the usual layouts of this discipline. Far from the flat and explosive routes that typically characterize the XCC, the Korean design introduced a much more demanding physical component from the very first lap.

With just 960 meters, the circuit was structured around a climb divided into three steps, each harder than the last, followed by a technical, narrow descent with hardly any recovery zones. This approach turned the race into a continuous effort and forced competitors to fight for every position from the start.

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The start was as explosive as usual, but the course itself quickly made a pre-selection. The initial climb broke the group, and the need to position well before the descent defined a first split of about ten riders at the front. In that group were all the favorites, with names like Evie Richards, Martina Berta, Jenny Rissveds, Haley Batten, Sina Frei, Jolanda Neff, and Rebecca Henderson.

After completing the first lap, the race was set for ten laps, around twenty minutes of continuous effort. Despite the toughness of the course, no significant gaps were created. The front group stretched and compacted constantly, with continuous position changes and no attack managing to definitively break the race.

The first key moment came on lap five, when Haley Batten fell after hitting a tree while attempting an alternative line on the descent. The fall left her out of the fight for the front positions in a race where any mistake was costly.

From there, more serious attacks began. Jenny Rissveds tried to increase the pace on lap seven, but the group responded without leaving any gaps. One lap later, Sina Frei and Laura Stigger attempted to break the race, also without success yet. There were no clear splits, but the fatigue was starting to become evident.

The decisive move seemed to come on the penultimate lap, when Laura Stigger launched a strong attack on the climb and managed to open a gap of several seconds just before the bell. However, behind her, Evie Richards reacted with a very high pace and managed to close the gap, leaving everything open for the final lap.

 

 

 

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The resolution was once again decided in the final meters. Sina Frei topped the last climb in first position, took the lead on the descent, and held off Richards' final sprint to claim victory in this first Short Track of the season.

Top 10 Elite Women of the XCC in YongPyong

1. Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) — 23:20
2. Evie Richards (Trek – Unbroken XC) — +0:01
3. Martina Berta (Origine Racing Division) — +0:01
4. Laura Stigger (Specialized Factory Racing) — +0:03
5. Jenny Rissveds (Canyon CLLCTV XC Racing) — +0:06
6. Gwendalyn Gibson (Trek – Unbroken XC) — +0:06
7. Anne Terpstra (Lapierre PXR Racing) — +0:08
8. Rebecca Henderson (Orbea Fox Factory Team) — +0:15
9. Mona Mitterwallner (Mondraker Factory Racing XC) — +0:15
10. Kira Böhm (Cube Factory Racing) — +0:23