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LES GETS, FRANCE

Aug 24, 2026 | News | 0 comments

Round 7 – UCI MTB WORLD CUP

LES GETS, FRANCE

After a six week break, the World Cup circus returned to the iconic venue of Les Gets, France. The crowds were as wild as ever, with huge numbers of spectators in both races. With the entire team back racing and World Championships just one week away, Les Gets felt like the perfect warm up. Fuelled by brownies from Fabio’s mum, the team showed up excited to be back racing.

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SHORT TRACK (XCC)

Rain all day before the XCC made for some slippery conditions. Fabio fell victim to the mud, sliding out on an off camber corner mid-race and breaking his saddle, leaving him unable to finish the race.

“I had a crash in an off-camber corner. That was my race over in the middle of the race.”
FABIO PÜNTENER

Filippo was back racing World Cups for the first time since his injury two months ago.
Despite still not being in full form and making a mistake at the start, he still managed to have a solid race and finish in the top 20.

“The worst possible start ever. I missed a pedal, like, 25 times.”
FILIPPO COLOMBO

Björn was happy with his results, finishing in the top 10, but did not have the best feelings in his legs.

“My legs just felt pretty toast. My thighs were really heavy.”
BJÖRN RILEY

Emilly had a great start, but could not hold the pace and lost some positions at the end of the race.

“The start was good, but then the legs went lights out.”
EMILLY JOHNSTON

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CROSS COUNTRY (XCO)

Sunday brought a welcome change from the XCC’s rain, with hot and sunny conditions greeting riders on the start line. The Les Gets XCO course is a familiar challenge with long grinding climbs, man-made rock gardens and technical rooty sections.

Starting from the fourth row following his XCC crash, Fabio made a great start given the circumstances. He sat comfortably in 8th for most of the race before the legs faded in the closing laps, eventually crossing the line in 13th.

“Last two laps, I didn’t have the legs to hold the pace”
FABIO PÜNTENER

Filippo was happy to be back racing XCO, and despite a tough first lap, he stuck to his race plan and worked his way back to finish 15th, satisfied with his performance.

“I had some fun.”
FILIPPO COLOMBO

Andri was caught behind a big crash on the start line, leaving him off his bike and running before the race had barely begun. Despite losing significant time, he found his rhythm and worked his way back through the bunch, happy with his performance if not the result.

“I think I passed like 40 riders in the race so I am quite happy how I raced”
ANDRI FRISCHKNECHT

Björn had a hard day, not feeling like he had the struggling with back pain from the start of the race. Despite not feeling good, he had a solid race finishing in 20th and holding on to third place in the overall.

“Lowkey awful…Mentally that was the hardest race this year.”
BJÖRN RILEY

“Pretty brutal…
Everyone was so strong today.”
EMILLY JOHNSTON

Emilly got off to a strong start, moving well through the bunch and executing her race plan. When the pace lifted in the closing laps however, the legs just were not there to match it.

XCC RESULTS

9th Björn Riley

19th Filippo Colombo

31st Emilly Johnston

DNF Fabio Püntener

XCO RESULTS

13th Fabio Püntener

15th Filippo Colombo

20th Björn Riley

35th Emilly Johnston

41st Andri Frischknecht

A week out from World Championships, Les Gets served its purpose. The whole team got racing again, the course did what it always does, and the brownies were apparently excellent. Now off to the big one.

Photos by Piper Albrecht