By Laura Strother
Photo #4 — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Sam Gaze (NZL), ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH, ended an 889-day wait for a UCI World Cup victory on Saturday, 19 September 2026, winning the men’s elite Cross-country Short Track (XCC) race in 21:54 at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. Racing through deteriorating weather at Utah’s Olympic venue, Gaze timed his sprint to perfection and defeated Luca Martin (FRA) and Charlie Aldridge (GBR) by one second at the penultimate round of the 2026 UCI Cross-country World Cup season.
Gaze Reclaims the Top Step
Soldier Hollow was making its debut on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar, with the event presented by SCOTT Sports. The Utah venue provided a demanding setting for an XCC race that became increasingly difficult as rain swept across the course.
Gaze remained patient through much of the contest, conserving energy and avoiding the wind while other riders committed to the race’s early moves. Rather than spending resources at the front, he bided his time and waited for the decisive moment.
That moment arrived in the finishing straight.
Gaze hit the front for the first time at the critical point of the race and powered clear to secure the victory. His winning time of 21:54 placed him one second ahead of both Martin and Aldridge, who completed the podium in 21:55.
Photo #321 — Jason Strother / JTS Media
The result ended an 889-day drought between UCI World Cup victories for Gaze. It also delivered the first men’s elite XCC victory at Soldier Hollow’s World Series debut.
“Incredible, I don't even know what to say,” Gaze said. “I came here just looking to have a bit of fun. This morning I felt pretty average, but with five laps to go we regrouped and it all came down to the finish straight. There's no time for confidence or doubt in those moments. For a second I thought I was boxed in, but I managed to find a way through.”
Official Men’s Elite XCC Results
The official Soldier Hollow results awarded 250 points to the winner, 200 to second place and 160 to third.
Photo #321 — Jason Strother / JTS Media
- 1. Sam Gaze (NZL), ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH, 21:54, 250 points
- 2. Luca Martin (FRA), CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING, 21:55 (+0:01), 200 points
- 3. Charlie Aldridge (GBR), CANNONDALE FACTORY RACING, 21:55 (+0:01), 160 points
The complete results are available through the official Soldier Hollow results page, while the official UCI MTB World Series XCC race report provides the event’s race narrative and standings context.
Martin Seizes Control of the Overall Battle
While Gaze controlled the final sprint, Martin used his second-place finish to make the most significant move in the men’s overall title race.
Pre-race overall leader Adrien Boichis of Specialized Factory Racing was absent from the final two rounds of the season while focusing on his road campaign. That absence gave Martin a critical opportunity to strengthen his position at the top of the standings.
Martin responded aggressively. On lap four, he attacked alongside Aldridge and helped force a select group clear. Mathis Azzaro of Origine Racing Division also joined the move. Azzaro entered Soldier Hollow as Martin’s closest remaining rival in the overall standings and shadowed the French rider’s every move throughout the race.
The breakaway was eventually reeled back in, but the attacks continued. The race demanded restraint as much as aggression: riders had to identify when to commit while managing the increasingly unstable conditions.
Photo — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Jordan Sarrou of BMC Factory Racing then launched a solo move that briefly threatened to reproduce the successful attacking strategy that had earned Martina Berta victory in the women’s race earlier in the day. Aldridge eventually brought Sarrou back, preventing the move from reaching the finish.
Martin’s second-place result moved him ahead of the absent Boichis and into the overall lead. He gained 50 points on Azzaro and, according to the official series report, enters the season finale with a 96-point advantage at the top of the standings.
Weather Turns the Finale Into a Test of Survival
The closing laps became a contest of survival as rain continued to affect the course. Aldridge led the field into the final stages, placing himself in position to challenge for the victory before the decisive sprint.
Several contenders were removed from contention by crashes on the final lap, including Cole Punchard of Cannondale Factory Racing and Martín Vidaurre of Specialized Factory Racing. With the weather deteriorating, maintaining control became essential, and the race’s outcome remained uncertain until the final straight.
Photo #13 — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Aldridge’s position at the front gave Cannondale Factory Racing two riders in the top three, but Gaze’s late acceleration ultimately stifled the team’s challenge for the win. Martin held second, while Aldridge completed the podium on equal time.
Gaze’s approach was defined by timing and discipline. He avoided unnecessary exposure at the front, conserved energy through the most turbulent portions of the race and waited until the finishing straight to reveal his full acceleration. In an XCC race decided by a single second, that patience proved decisive.
Soldier Hollow Opens a Decisive Weekend
The men’s elite XCC race formed part of the penultimate round of the 2026 UCI Cross-country World Cup season. Soldier Hollow’s debut brought the series to Utah’s Olympic venue for a weekend in which both individual victories and overall standings carried significant weight.
Gaze claimed the headline result, but Martin’s second place altered the championship picture. The French rider now leads the overall standings by 96 points, with Azzaro still positioned as the principal threat behind him. The absence of Boichis also reshaped the title battle and increased the value of every point earned at Soldier Hollow.
For Gaze, however, the significance was more immediate. After 889 days without a UCI World Cup victory, the New Zealander returned to the top step by executing the exact finish the conditions demanded.
Photo #12 — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Looking Ahead to Sunday’s Elite Men’s XCO Race
The Soldier Hollow weekend continued Sunday with the Elite Men’s Cross-country Olympic (XCO) race at the same venue. The longer-format race presented a different test after Saturday’s short-track intensity and rain-affected sprint.
Martín Vidaurre, who crashed on the final lap of Saturday’s XCC race, went on to produce the weekend’s next major statement. Starting 25th on the grid, Vidaurre charged through the field to win Sunday’s Elite Men’s XCO race.
That result added another dramatic chapter to Soldier Hollow’s first WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series appearance. Gaze’s Saturday victory ended an 889-day wait, Martin strengthened his overall title campaign, and Vidaurre followed with a comeback victory from 25th on the grid.
For the full event context and continuing coverage, visit JTS Media’s mountain biking coverage.
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