The Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team presents its team for the 2026 season

The Wilier-Vittoria MTB Factory Team faces the 2026 season without significant changes to its sports structure. The Italian team has decided to keep the core of riders and the technical approach that yielded such good results last year, opting for small adjustments and continuity as the foundation of its project in international cross-country.

The Wilier-Vittoria team maintains its core and presents its lineup for 2026

The official presentation of the Italian team, as is tradition, took place at Vittoria Park, where their lineup was unveiled along with the new equipment designed by Gobik. In competition, the riders will once again use the Wilier Urta Max SLR, the team's reference model for XCO and XCC events.

From the brand's management, the Gastaldello brothers emphasized the importance of project stability and the continued support of sponsors, as well as the team's evolution from its beginnings to its current exclusive focus on cross-country, a discipline they consider key for its international projection. In the same vein, Stijn Vriends, CEO of Vittoria, highlighted the value of "Made in Italy" and collective work as pillars of the team's performance, which concluded the last season with a third place in the team classification of the World Cup and sixth place in the overall ranking.

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In the sports section, the team retains all the riders from 2025, a roster that placed them among the top 10 teams of the year (6th) and has granted them a World Series Team license for two years.

In the elite men's category, leadership once again falls to Simone Avondetto and Luca Braidot, who were key players in a very solid season both in the World Cup and in major stage events. Both had a remarkable joint performance at the Absa Cape Epic, where they achieved three stage victories and finished second overall. Avondetto also finished seventh in the World Cup overall and won the silver medal at the XCO World Championships, while Braidot, the reigning Italian champion, had his season finale affected by a collarbone injury.

Alongside them will continue Juri Zanotti, national short track champion, and in the elite women's category, Sofie Heby Pedersen will return, having shown clear progress during the past season.

The U23 squad remains one of the major strengths of the project. Gustav Heby Pedersen was one of the standout names of 2025, finishing second in the U23 XCC World Cup, third in XCO, winning in Nové M?sto, and earning a bronze medal at the World Championships. He will be joined by Elian Paccagnella, winner of a World Cup short track event in Araxá, and Canadian Ella MacPhee, who finished third overall after leading the championship for much of the year.

The team's general director, Marco Trentin, emphasized that the complete renewal of the roster was "the most logical decision," with the goal of continuing to grow and compete for results on all fronts. Among the major challenges of the season, he pointed out as dreams the U23 world title with Gustav Heby Pedersen and the possibility of competing for the elite rainbow jersey with Avondetto.

The season will once again revolve around the World Cup circuit, whose calendar maintains a structure similar to that of 2025. The World Cup will kick off from May 1 to 3 in South Korea and conclude from October 2 to 4 in the United States. The 2026 World Championships will be held in Val di Sole, an extra incentive for a team that will be racing practically at home.

Another highlighted point will again be the Cape Epic, which will take place from March 15 to 22. In addition to the Avondetto-Braidot pair, the team will also include Zanotti, who will team up with Frenchman Mathis Azzaro for this event.