Thrilling Season Opener in Araxà, Brazil

The 2025 UCI World Series could not have been launched better, than in energizing Brazil. Some up’s and down’s for SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing, but all in all a promising kick-off for the 2025 WC racing season.

Araxà, Brazil. Having only two weeks and lots of traveling in between Cape Epic and the World Cup season opener in tropical Araxà, there was a strong question mark as to how fresh Filippo Colombo and Nino Schurter would be for their first big XCO race. The preparation and schedule was not the best for the 2025 Cape Epic champions, nevertheless their strong performances in Araxà, showed just what these two are capable of.

The unfortunate news is that Emilly Johnston had a bad crash in the XCO, after she showed an excellent race in the XCC. However, after a check at the hospital, the all-clear was given, as the injuries were not as serious as they first appeared. Unfortunately, also US champion Bjorn Riley had a bad start into the season. He’s back home in the US as part of his recovery process.

Imagery by Piper Albrecht

With a spectacular race track surrounded by tropical forest and huge enthusiastic crowds, everything was set for a great weekend of racing. Starting with the XCC on Saturday, Filippo unfortunately had some bad luck. Well positioned with two laps to go, he dropped back with a mechanical. Nino impressed with some fast XCC legs to secure a front row start.

On XCO day it was then Nino Schurter missing the luck on his side. He suffered a rear flat already in the first lap, while sitting in 3rd position just behind the leading duo. Entering the second lap he was in 38th position, 1:09 back behind the leaders. But from this moment on we saw why N1NO is the called the GOAT. With an incredible chasing effort all on his own, he made a comeback to battle in a sprint finish for 3rd place.

Paying tribute to his big effort chasing back, he finished in 5th place, only 30 seconds behind winner Koretzky. Impressive! This was Nino Schurter at his best!

Starting further back because of his XCC finish, Filippo Colombo first had to make his way to the front. While the two Specialized leaders were already way ahead, Filippo played an active role in the chasing group throughout the whole race. In a very hectic final where 3rd and 13th place were only 20 seconds apart, he finished in 6th, just a tenth of a second behind his Cape Epic partner. Same as with Nino, he’s more than happy about his performance, coming straight from Cape Epic. Colombo is hungry to improve when everything unfolds his way.

Emilly in action before her crash. We hope we have her back for the next weekend.

Last but not least, Andri Frischknecht had a pretty solid race. He didn’t move up in the ranks as much as he was hoping for, but a 34th place finish moves him in the right direction.

The second round of the World Cup is at the same venue in Araxà, only that the race track is more or less reversed. Same same but different. With a new race and chance, let’s cross our fingers!

Discover Filippo Colombo’s Swiss Champion Special Edition Spark RC World Cup

A one-of-a-kind bike for SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing athlete and 2024 Swiss Champion Filippo Colombo. Strong, versatile, and sharp, Filippo’s new Special Edition Spark RC World Cup is the tool he needs to chase podiums in the 2025 racing season!

As the current Swiss National MTB Champion, the time was right to present Filippo Colombo with a special Swiss Champion Edition SCOTT Spark RC World Cup: a pure-bred race tool, specially designed to help him tackle the 2025 racing season. Fully kitted out with the latest SRAM innovations, all-new SRAM Motive Ultimate brakes and new RockShox Reverb AXS dropper post, this bike ticks all the boxes! Filippo Colombo has already had a sensational start to racing in 2025: a season-opening win at the Big5MTBChallenge in South Africa and then a fierce victory in the overall rankings at the Absa Cape Epic 2025 with his SCOTT-SRAM teammate Nino Schurter. The new World Cup season is now underway in Brazil, where Filippo secured a strong P6 finish at the opening race in Araxa. The first race lining up with the Swiss Champion jersey on his shoulders in 2025 – and a special bike to race with – for sure, this World Cup season will be one to remember. Discover Filippo’s Swiss Champion Special Edition Spark RC World Cup and take a deep dive into the detailed spec of the bike further below.

The Bike – SCOTT Spark RC World Cup Swiss Champion Special Edition

For SCOTT-SRAM’s Athlete Filippo Colombo, his World Cup race bike comes with a very special setup featuring RockShox Flight Attendant Suspension System, SRAM XX T-Type Eagle AXS Drivetrain, all-new SRAM Motive brakes & RockShox Reverb AXS Dropper Post, Syncros Fraser iC SL combo and the Syncros Tofino saddle. Talk about a tricked-out bike, this rig ticks all the boxes.

Spec Highlights:

Frame: SCOTT SPARK RC CARBON HMX SL CUSTOM
Fork: ROCKSHOX SID ULTIMATE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, 120MM TRAVEL, 44MM OFFSET
Rear Shock: ROCKSHOX SIDLuxe ULTIMATE FLIGHT ATTENDANT CUSTOM
Remote: SRAM AXS POD ULTIMATE CONTROLLER
Handlebar: SYNCROS FRASER IC SL WC / -25° / 110MM / 700MM
Seatpost: ROCKSHOX REVERB AXS 100MM, TITANIUM BOLTS
Saddle: SYNCROS BELCARRA REGULAR SL CHANNEL
Grip: SYNCROS SILICON
Pedals: HT COMPONENTS LEOPARD M2T SHORT AXELS
Rear Derailleur: SRAM XX SL EAGLE TRANSMISSION AXS/ 12SPEED
Shifter: SRAM AXS POD ROCKER CONTROLLER
Crank Set: SRAM XX SL EAGLE AXS TRANSMISSION POWERMETER CRANKSET, 170MM/ 38T CHAINRING
Chain: SRAM XX SL EAGLE TRANSMISSION FLATTOP CHAIN
Cassette: SRAM XX SL CS-1299 EAGLE TRANSMISSION / 10-52T
Brakes: SRAM MOTIVE ULTIMATE
Wheels: SYNCROS CARBON WHEELS
Tires: FRONT MAXXIS ASPEN 29×2.40WT 150TPI EXO/TR / REAR MAXXIS ASPEN ST 29×2.40WT 150 TPI EXO/TR
Bottlecage: TOPEAK SHUTTLE CAGE Z 3K CARBON
Bottle: CAMELBAK PODIUM
Computer: GARMIN EDGE 840