Blunk and Batten Finish Top 10 in Elite Women…

The 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships concluded Sunday in Val di Sole, Italy, with the Under-23 and Elite Cross-Country Olympic races, with Team USA placing two riders inside the top 10 in the Elite Women’s race.

Elite Men

Three Americans lined up for the Elite Men’s XCO battle: Riley Amos (Durango, Colo.; Trek Factory Racing), Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing), and Bjorn Riley (Boulder, Colo.; SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing).

The pace was high from the start, with the field stretched early as riders fought to stay connected to the front. Amos was among the quickest off the line, and Riley and Blevins were also in the mix early. By the end of the opening lap, all three Americans remained within roughly 18 seconds of the leaders as the race began to take shape.

As the pace continued, gaps began to open across the field. Bjorn Riley led the U.S. finishers in 19th, with Riley Amos finishing 34th and Christopher Blevins 37th.

Results:

1. Thomas Pidcock (GBR)

2. Charlie Aldridge (GBR)

3. Cole Punchard (CAN)

19. Bjorn Riley (USA)

34. Riley Amos (USA)

37. Christopher Blevins (USA)

Elite Women

Team USA’s strongest results of the day came in the Elite Women’s race, with Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon Ford Racing Team) and Haley Batten (Park City, Utah; Specialized Factory Racing) finishing back-to-back inside the top 10. Blunk started near the front and came through the opening lap in seventh. She rode consistently throughout the race before grabbing the group’s best result in 9th.

Batten moved quickly into the lead group, climbing from 11th on the start loop to fifth after the opening lap and remained inside the top 10 for the rest of the race. Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Trek Factory Racing) finished close behind the duo in 11th. Madigan Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Liv Racing) rounded out the American results in 19th.

Results:

1. Sina Frei (SUI)

2. Martina Berta (ITA)

3. Nicole Koller (SUI)

9. Savilia Blunk (USA)

10. Haley Batten (USA)

11. Gwendalyn Gibson (USA)

19. Madigan Munro (USA)

U23 Men

The American U23 men left it all on the course today. Nicholas Konecny (Breckenridge, Colo.; Lexwere Mountain Bike Team) led Team USA in the Under-23 Men’s race, staying near the top 20 from the opening lap. Konecny moved into 15th after the first full lap and remained within a few positions of that mark throughout the race before crossing in the top 20.

Behind him, Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.) and Dan English (San Ramon, Calif.; Trinity Racing) spent much of the race moving forward through the field. Spranger came through the start loop in 67th before steadily climbing to 29th by the finish. English had an even deeper start in 75th and gained 45 positions over the course of the race to finish an impressive 30th.

Results:

1. Nael Rouffiac (FRA)

2. Alix Andre Gallis (FRA)

3. Nicolas Halter (SUI)

19. Nicholas Konecny (USA)

29. Jack Spranger (USA)

30. Dan English (USA)

U23 Women

The Under-23 Women opened Sunday’s racing, with Bailey Cioppa (Durango, Colo.) leading the Team USA. After coming through the start loop in 48th, Cioppa made significant progress on the opening lap, eventually finishing 31st on the day.

Greta Kilburn (Burlington, Vt.; Bicycle Express Racing) delivered a strong performance, ultimately crossing the line in 38th.

Results:

1. Valentina Corvi (ITA)

2. Anina Hutter (SUI)

3. Monique Halter (SUI)

29. Bailey Cioppa (USA)

38. Greta Kilburn (USA)

DNF Makena Kellerman (USA)

USA Cycling’s participation in the World Championships is made possible through the support of dedicated donors and partners. Visit Bentonville and the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism are key partners of our Mountain Bike program, both sharing our mission to elevate the sport of cycling.

To support the USA Cycling National Team, USA Cycling members and fans can donate to the USA Cycling Foundation here.