The Spanish Thibaut François conquers Nové Město and is already leading the World Cup

Thibaut François continues to sign the best start of the season of his career. The Spanish rider from Canyon CLLCTV XCO achieved his first victory in the XCO World Cup this Saturday, it was in the Sub23 XCO in Nové Město and confirmed that his triumph in the Short Track in South Korea was not a coincidence.

Thibaut François conquers the XCO Sub23 World Cup in Nové Město and confirms his great moment

The Spaniard had already been one of the main protagonists of the first round of the World Cup held in South Korea, where he won the XCC and became the first Spaniard to win a Short Track event in the World Cup. Now he has taken another step by also achieving his first victory of the season in XCO.

After finishing seventh in the XCC on Friday in Nové Město, François again showed an enormous level in the Olympic event. The men's Sub23 race remained quite grouped during the first laps until the Canyon CLLCTV XCO rider launched the decisive attack on the fifth lap.

RECOMENDADO

The Tour de France is cutting its prize money in 2026: here's how the 2.3 million euros will be distributed

The UCI uses this index to determine when the heat is dangerous for cyclists

Impossible challenges and cycling legends: The 10 toughest mountain passes on the planet

Counter-steering, braking, and tracing: the basics for improving your curve handling

AURA N3X FL: Here's How the First Foam-Free Cycling Pad on the Market Works

This is how Pidcock organizes the screens on his Garmin to compete

From there, he managed to open up a gap and maintain a pace that was impossible for his rivals. Finally, he crossed the finish line with a 24-second lead over Alix Andre-Gallis and 41 seconds over Naël Rouffiac, completing a podium with clear French dominance around the Spaniard.

With this victory, François now has two wins in the World Cup this season and also places himself as the new leader of the overall Sub23 before the third round of the championship.

Top 5 XCO Sub23 Men – Nové Město 2026

1. Thibaut François Baudry – 1:12:00
2. Alix Andre-Gallis – +24 s
3. Naël Rouffiac – +41 s
4. Nikolaj Hougs – +1:10
5. Rens Teunissen Van Manen – +1:20

Katrin Embacher dominated the Sub23 Women's XCO clearly

The women's race was marked by the absolute dominance of Katrin Embacher. The Austrian, who had not participated in the first round in South Korea, returned to competition imposing a pace far superior to that of the other rivals from the first laps.

Embacher ended up winning solo with a 1 minute and 24 seconds lead over Anina Hutter, while Valentina Corvi completed the podium just four seconds behind the Swiss and maintains a prominent position in the overall World Cup standings.

Behind, Marušana Tereza Šerkezi finished fourth and Ella Macphee closed the top 5 in Nové Město.

Top 5 XCO Sub23 Women – Nové Město 2026

1. Katrin Embacher – 1:13:14
2. Anina Hutter – +1:24
3. Valentina Corvi – +1:28
4. Marušana Tereza Šerkezi – +1:42
5. Ella Macphee – +1:50