The 18-year-old multi-discipline rider took control on the second of five laps of the Val di Sole Circuit, eventually beating the Austrian Michael Hettegger by well over a minute. Swiss rider Marwan Barhoumi was third, a further 27 seconds down.
Wright is a rising star, winning on and off-road and recently signing with Tudor Pro Cycling’s Development team.
In the women’s race, the Swiss rider Anja Grossman took the rainbow jersey, the 17-year-old taking the lead from Barbora Bukovska on the second of four laps, eventually beating her Czech rival by 48 seconds, with French rider Agathe Vauchamp in third place.
Like Wright, 2026 has been an excellent season for Grossmann, during which she has won European and national titles.
Results
Men Junior Cross-Country Olympic
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Position
Rider (Country) Team
Time Gap
1
Connor Wright (Aus)
1:00:09
2
Michael Hettegger (Aut)
+1:16
3
Marwan Barhoumi (Swi)
+1:43
4
Daan Bakelaar (Ned)
+1:59
5
Mathieu Ghibaudo (Fra)
+2:10
6
Noa Filippi (Fra)
+2:24
7
James Climo (NZl)
+2:34
8
Michael Ortner (Aut)
+2:37
9
Leonardo Bernardes de Castro Filho (Bra)
+2:39
10
Niko Terho (Fin)
+3:12
11
Emilien Belzile (Can)
+3:21
12
Lucas Rodriguez (Fra)
+3:30
13
Marlon Riess (Ger)
+3:32
14
Johannes Braedstrup-Holm (Den)
+3:32
15
Luke Trafford (GBr)
+3:37
Women Junior Cross-Country Olympic
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Position
Rider (Country) Team
Time Gap
1
Anja Grossmann (Swi)
57:57
2
Barbora Bukovska (Cze)
0:00:48
3
Agathe Vauchamp (Fra)
0:01:26
4
Nikoletta Bettina Kiss (Hun)
0:02:42
5
Mariachiara Signorelli (Ita)
0:03:18
6
Lise Revol (Fra)
0:03:56
7
Daniela Gaviria Ramirez (Col)
0:04:20
8
Lou-Anne Halter (Swi)
0:04:44
9
Giorgia Pellizotti (Ita)
0:04:46
10
Adina Daubner (Ger)
0:04:46
11
Zelie Lambert (Fra)
0:04:52
12
Aida Linton (USA)
0:05:27
13
Eva Terpin (Slo)
0:05:50
14
Jeanne Duterne (Fra)
0:05:56
15
Angelica Gatto (Ita)
0:05:59
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A recent addition to the Cyclingnews staff, Owen Rogers is an experienced journalist, working as a freelancer covering the sport for various magazines and websites for more than 10 years.
Initially concentrating mainly on the women's sport, he has covered hundreds of race days on the ground and interviewed some of the sport's biggest names.
Living near Cambridge in the UK, when he's not working you'll find him either riding his bike or playing drums.
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