By Laura Strother
Photo — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Martina Berta completed a historic XCC–XCO double on Sunday, 20 September 2026, winning the Women Elite Cross-country Olympic race at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, during the penultimate round of the UCI Cross-country World Cup season. Racing at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series event presented by SCOTT Sports, Berta secured victory for ORIGINE RACING DIVISION in 1:15:51, becoming only the 11th elite woman to win both formats during the same weekend.
Soldier Hollow, Utah’s Olympic venue, made its debut on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series calendar during a decisive weekend for the 2026 UCI Cross-country World Cup. Less than 24 hours after becoming the first Italian rider to win a UCI XCC World Cup round, Berta asserted her authority over the longer Olympic-format race and was recognised by the official series report as the event’s rider of the weekend.
Her victory came after a tightly contested opening phase, a decisive fourth-lap acceleration and a final-climb response that stifled Gwendalyn Gibson’s late challenge.
Berta Controls the Opening Phase
Berta moved to the front from the opening lap alongside overall leader Jenny Rissveds of Canyon XC Racing. Rissveds applied early pressure, but the initial aggression proved short-lived as the Swede was dropped around the midway point.
The change reshaped the race at the front. Berta remained part of a select lead group that included Sina Frei of Specialized Factory Racing, Gibson of TREK – UNBROKEN XC and Alessandra Keller of Thömus Maxon. Each rider remained within striking distance as the early exchanges established the principal contenders for the podium.
Photo #98 — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Local favourite Haley Batten of Specialized Factory Racing then delivered one of the race’s defining efforts. Batten, who grew up less than 20 miles from Soldier Hollow, bridged across to the leaders with a solo effort that energised the home crowd and added another significant presence to the front of the race.
The developing group, however, could not remain intact once Berta made her move.
Photo — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Lap Four Acceleration Splits the Race
Berta launched a decisive acceleration on lap four, immediately shattering the lead group. Only Gibson could match the Italian’s pace as the pair separated from the chasers and established a commanding position.
The two leaders worked clear while Frei, Keller, Batten and the other contenders fought to limit the damage. Berta continued to apply pressure on the climbs, and the lead over the chasing riders grew to around 30 seconds.
That advantage gave Berta and Gibson room to contest the victory directly, but it did not remove the tactical tension from the closing stages. Gibson remained close enough to attack on the final ascent, attempting to catch Berta off guard before the last decisive section of the course.
Berta responded immediately. Cresting the climb, she launched a counterattack and opened a small but crucial advantage. From there, the Italian carried the gap to the finish and secured the second half of a landmark weekend.
“It’s insane, I can’t believe it,” Berta said. “After yesterday, I knew I had good legs, but to do the double is amazing. There are a lot of emotions right now. I’m just so happy.”
The victory delivered Berta’s second major result of the Soldier Hollow weekend and confirmed her place among the elite women who have won both XCC and XCO at the same World Cup round.
Gibson Claims First XCO World Cup Podium
Gibson held on for second place, finishing 13 seconds behind Berta in 1:16:04. The result marked the first UCI XCO World Cup podium of her career.
The American’s challenge on the final ascent represented her last opportunity to disrupt Berta’s control of the race. Although the attack did not produce the win, Gibson remained clear of the remaining contenders and secured a breakthrough result at the Utah Olympic venue.
Frei completed the podium in third, finishing in 1:16:39. She outsprinted Savilia Blunk of Decathlon Ford Racing Team for the final podium position.
Frei’s result also strengthened her position in the overall championship contest, although Rissveds retained control of the title race heading into the final round.
“My mindset is just fighting until the finish line,” Frei said. “There is still one race left, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Photo #14 — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Women Elite XCO Results
The official Soldier Hollow results awarded 250 points to the winner, 200 to second place and 160 to third.
Photo — Jason Strother / JTS Media
- 1st, Martina Berta (ITA), ORIGINE RACING DIVISION: 1:15:51, 250 points
- 2nd, Gwendalyn Gibson (USA), TREK – UNBROKEN XC: 1:16:04, +0:13, 200 points
- 3rd, Sina Frei (SUI), SPECIALIZED FACTORY RACING: 1:16:39, +0:48, 160 points
The complete classification is available through the official Soldier Hollow results page.
Rissveds Maintains Control of the Title Picture
While Berta claimed the race and Frei gained valuable ground, Rissveds preserved her advantage in the 2026 UCI XCO World Cup title battle.
Evie Richards of Trek – Unbroken XC gained ground on Rissveds during the closing stages, costing the overall leader valuable points. Rissveds nevertheless maintained a 220-point advantage heading into the season finale.
With a maximum of 330 points still available, the championship remains mathematically active. The result at Soldier Hollow, however, ensured that Rissveds will arrive at the finale with control of the standings and a substantial margin over the chasing field.
The final round in Lake Placid will determine whether that advantage is enough to secure the title. Frei’s third-place finish keeps her within the broader championship picture, while the remaining contenders will need to convert every available point in the final race.
Photo — Jason Strother / JTS Media
A Historic Debut for Soldier Hollow
Berta’s victory capped an important first appearance for Soldier Hollow on the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series schedule. The venue, located in Midway, Utah, hosted the penultimate round of the 2026 UCI Cross-country World Cup season at Utah’s Olympic venue and provided a demanding setting for the weekend’s elite races.
Photo #27 — Jason Strother / JTS Media
For the women’s elite field, the XCO race developed through several distinct phases: Rissveds’ early pressure, Berta’s control at the front, Batten’s determined bridge to the leaders, the decisive fourth-lap split and Gibson’s final-ascent attack. Berta answered each challenge with discipline and timing, ensuring that her Saturday XCC victory was followed by an equally authoritative performance in the Olympic-distance race.
Her win also gave ORIGINE RACING DIVISION a defining result at the series’ Soldier Hollow debut. Berta’s 1:15:51 established the winning mark, while Gibson’s 13-second deficit and Frei’s 48-second gap completed a podium shaped by late-race separation.
The official UCI MTB World Series XCO race report described Berta as the rider of the weekend. That assessment reflected more than a single victory: her back-to-back wins made her only the 11th elite woman to complete the XCC–XCO double at one World Cup weekend and placed her performance among the defining achievements of the 2026 season.
The series now moves to Lake Placid for the finale, where Rissveds will defend her 220-point advantage and Frei will continue fighting through the final finish line. Soldier Hollow, meanwhile, belongs to Berta, whose historic double transformed the venue’s debut into a landmark weekend for Italian cross-country racing.
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