After the Andorra World Cup, I had 5 days off the bike and started to feel a bit fresher with some time spent at my European base in Morzine, France. I had three weeks there before heading to another altitude camp in Livigno, Italy to help prepare for World Champs in Switzerland which was also to be held at altitude.
I felt solid at altitude and halfway through my time there went to the HC Swiss Cup race in Basel where I felt strong and performed well, racing in the lead group until the last half a lap even though I had a broken suspension lockout to contend with most of the race. I left feeling frustrated I could not contest for a podium given that I felt I had the legs to achieve that, but also in good spirits that things were tracking along nicely with my form.
It all came crashing down shortly after however with a poor performance in the Les Gets World Cup, which also followed a couple of weeks later at the biggest race of the season, World Champs in Crans Montana. The symptoms of fatigue I thought I was starting to shake had returned, and with such a packed race and travel schedule I knew I was just going to have to do my best to make it through to the end of the season.
It’s always an honour to represent NZ and wear the silver fern on the world stage. Despite my poor performance in the World Champs XCO I was happy with a result in the 30s for the XCC, although I felt a little frustrated not to have been able to make more out of it, especially with the good feeling I had on the bike. It was a scrappy start and then if felt like I’d gain two places one lap, only to lose two places at the next pinch point. I think many riders would have felt the same upon reflection and looking at how tight the times were (just 18secs across positions 9-38).
I fared slightly better in Lenzerheide. After a strong start, I held on to actually finish on the lead lap for a change, something I had not been able to do in Les Gets or Crans Montana.
It was incredibly special to race in front of ten’s of thousands of passionate Swiss fans, who were there to see the final race of Nino Schurter and some other very talented Swiss riders signing off on their careers.
With the final European race of the season for me done it was time to turn my attention to the last two World Cup rounds of the year in North America.
The first in Lake Placid was a much better feeling on the bike for me; I finally felt like I could push again and my heart rate was a little more responsive, which was a nice change. A top fifty finish gave me a few more points to carry into next season.
The final race of the year in Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec, Canada was one I had looked forward to. It is one of my favourite courses and one of the nicest places to hang out and train on race week too. Unfortunately, we will not be returning in 2026, so it was important to enjoy it one last time! While it was a tough race, I was still able to finish on the lead lap, grab some more points for the 2026 season and round off the year on a more positive note than the last few races in Europe.
After a nice, relaxing off season it is already time to get back into some scheduled training. There will be lots of changes and exciting things to look forward to in 2026. See you at the races!