The great revelation of the XCO World Cup ran with the future Cube AMS Zero99

Amidst the mud, breakdowns, and chaos left by the XCO World Cup in Mona YongPyong, one of the names that has surprised the most in the debut of the 2026 season has been Finn Treudler. The reigning U23 world champion arrived in Korea to compete in his first elite World Cup, and emerged as one of the first major revelations of the year, additionally showcasing the new prototype of what will be the new Cube AMS Zero99.

  The U23 world champion debuts in the elite World Cup with a new Cube AMS Zero99

Beyond the results, what impressed was the way he raced. On a completely new circuit and in extreme conditions, Treudler did not appear as a debutant trying to survive in the category. From the first lap of the Short Track, he positioned himself at the front alongside the top favorites and even took on the weight of the race at several moments.

In the XCC on Friday, he finished sixth, just seven seconds behind Mathis Azzaro's victory, after spending a good part of the race riding among the best. And on Sunday, he confirmed that it was not a fluke.

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In the XCO under the rain, he was the only rider able to initially keep pace with Dario Lillo when the Swiss opened a gap at the front. Treudler managed to ride in second place and was delivering a spectacular performance until the mud ultimately affected his race.

A mechanical problem hindered a spectacular performance

The Swiss rider's race changed completely on the third lap when he began to suffer from constant chain drops. As explained later, Treudler decided not to install a chain guide for fear that it would completely jam with the mud, a decision that ultimately backfired on him.

Every time he tried to accelerate or tackle the steep climbs, the transmission would fail again. The problem became so severe that he had to ride for several sections until reaching the technical zone, losing any chance to fight for the podium.

Even so, the data and sensations clearly indicate the level he showed during a large part of the race. Treudler recorded some of the best climbing times of the day and was one of the fastest riders in the most physical sections of the circuit, which is particularly striking considering it was his absolute debut in elite.

He debuted with the new Cube AMS Zero99

Treudler's weekend also left another important technical insight. The Swiss competed in Korea with a prototype of what seems to be the next generation of the Cube AMS Zero99.

Cube continues to set itself apart from current trends and maintains the Four-Bar suspension system of the current Zero99 instead of the classic monopivot that is ubiquitous in XCO. It also opts for internal cabling from the head tube instead of the current integrated systems. Additionally, this new version appears lighter thanks to a more streamlined linkage that seems to have changed its location, anticipating significant changes in the kinematics.

Cube is now reaping the rewards of a bet initiated in 2024

Treudler's performance also confirms the success of the strategy that Cube Bikes launched in 2024 with the renewal of the Cube Factory Racing. The German brand then bet on building a young team, with emerging talent and the ability to gain visibility in the elite of XCO. And to that project, they added the presence of Ondrej Cink in 2025, a signing that was then understood as a figure to transmit his experience to the young riders but that a few months later surprised with a victory in the World Cup.

Now it is clear that the project has been a success. Treudler has not only demonstrated that he can compete at the front in the elite World Cup, but he has also placed Cube in the spotlight both for performance and technical development. And seeing what happened in YongPyong, it seems clear that this is just the beginning.