First rainbow jerseys for top-rated XCM riders on 95km route in Dolomites
Anna Weinbeer (Switzerland) rides solo to first rainbow jersey in MTB Marathon discipline(Image credit: UCI MTB Elite Marathon World Championships / Newspower.it)
Both rode solo across the line in Primiero San Martino di Castrozza for the rainbow-striped jerseys, conquering the 95.2km route through the Dolomites. Elite races were held on the extended course used for the established Mythos Primiero Dolomiti Marathon MTB races, the long course adding up to 4,000 metres of elevation gain.
Weinbeer came in as a favourite, having won the Swiss and European championships, and she dominated the Worlds' course and field of 63 riders. She broke free after the opening 25km to ride alone for 70km, posting a winning time of 5:30:54. Claudia Peretti (Italy) won the silver while Mona Mitterwallner (Switzerland) repeated for bronze.
USA duo Melisa Rollins and Savilia Blunk rode just over two and three minutes back, respectively, to round out the top five.
(Image credit: UCI MTB Elite Marathon World Championships / Newspower.it)
Swiss Cycling called Weinbeer's year a "fairytale season" and that was confirmed Saturday with her first rainbow stripes. In addition to the Continental and national titles, the 31-year-old also won the UCI XCM World Cup title. Last year she finished second to Kate Courtney (USA) at Worlds.
A week prior to XCM Worlds, Seewald won the German national championship for the MTB marathon discipline a second time. He used that form to rocket away from a large home Italian squad, crossing the line solo in 4:33:47. Four Italians would follow in his wake, Gioele De Cosmo and Jakob Dorigoni riding side-by-side to secure the final medals at 3:12 back, with the European MTB XCM runner-up taking the silver and Dorigoni securing bronze.
(Image credit: UCI MTB Elite Marathon World Championships / Newspower.it)
"It still feels like a dream. All the hard work was worth it," Dorigoni posted to Instagram.
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"Standing on the podium at a World Championship is something I’ve always dreamed of. To make it even more special, I crossed the finish line together with my teammate Gioele De Cosmo. Sharing this moment with him was simply amazing,"
Last year's winner Keegan Swenson (USA) finished seventh, while 2025 runner-up and this year's MTB Marathon World Cup leader David Valero Serrano (Spain) was 11th.
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Andreas Seewald (Germany) wins elite men's race
(Image credit: UCI MTB Elite Marathon World Championships / Newspower.it)
Anna Weinbeer (Switzerland) wins elite women's race
(Image credit: UCI MTB Elite Marathon World Championships / Newspower.it)
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.
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