Martina Berta claims debut victory at La Thuile-Valle d’Aosta as Luca Martin extends lead at top of overall World Cup standings
Published 05/07/2026 at 20:40 GMT+1
React to this story
Martina Berta claimed her first ever Women’s Elite UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup victory at her hometown course at La Thuile-Valle d’Aosta on Sunday, while in the men's race, Luca Martin asserted his lead at the top of the standings.
Highlights: Martin delivers masterclass in La Thuile with convincing win
Video credit: TNT Sports
Berta (Origine Racing Division) - racing on the new course located just a few miles from where she is from - had to come from behind after Ronja Blochlinger (LIV Factory Racing) exploded out of the blocks in Italy.
But with the support of the crowd in her favour, the 28-year-old made her way to the front of the pack with some powerful riding.
Just when it looked as if Berta would race to a comfortable victory, Savilia Blunk (Decathlon Ford Racing Team) mounted a dramatic comeback, closing the gap Berta in first to just four seconds heading into the final lap of the 3.2-kilometre course.
A tense final lap looked in store, but Berta managed to produce her fastest lap of the race to seal her maiden victory in the competition.
As well as her debut UCI XCO World Cup win, Berta also became the first Italian Elite woman to win an event on home soil.
"I’ve dreamed about this day since last year when the calendar came out," she said afterwards. "I saw La Thuile-Valle d’Aosta on the calendar and told my coach I wanted to win here, it was a dream.
"From dreaming it, to actually doing it, is a long journey. It’s just amazing. I’m so grateful for all the support. In the final part of the race I was really suffering because Savilia [Blunk] was coming back.
"I couldn’t disappoint all the people here. I still can’t believe what I did today, and it will probably take a few days to fully realise it."
Blunk finished in second, 12 seconds off Berta.
In the men's race, Martin showed why he sits top of the overall UCI XCO World Cup Men Elite leaderboard as he secured back-to-back UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup victories in Italy.
The Cannondale Factory Racing rider was locked in a three-way battle with Adrien Boichis (Specialized Factory Racing) and Mathis Azzaro (Origine Racing Division) for much of the race over the Alpine course.
But when Boichis and Azzaro faltered, the Frenchman stayed strong and claimed victory by over a minute. The win extends Martin's lead in the overall UCI XCO World Cup standings to 343 points after five rounds.
- Williams seals dramatic La Thuile win by 0.9 seconds
- Holl pips team-mate Baumann to La Thuile triumph
"It is so special. I’m so happy to have raced here. This track was a real mountain bike track, with incredibly technical and dusty descents," he said afterwards.
"When we reached around 45 minutes into the race, I felt it was the right moment to attack because I was feeling really good.
"I live in Nice and the terrain is quite similar, with the same type of dirt and descents, so I felt very comfortable riding this course."
In the under-23 races, Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountainbike Team) and Valentina Corvi (Canyon CLLCTV XCO) secured victories to complete the perfect weekend after wins in the UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup events on Friday evening.
Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.
Watch and stream top cycling action - including the 2026 Tour de France - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement