Dario Lillo announced himself on the elite World Cup stage in emphatic fashion on Sunday — riding away from the field on lap one of the inaugural UCI XCO World Cup in YongPyong, South Korea, and never looking back. The 24-year-old Swiss rider from the Giant Factory Off-Road Team crossed the line 1 minute 46 seconds clear of Luca Martin (Cannondale Factory Racing), with teammate Charlie Aldridge completing a Cannondale 1-3 in third at +2:39. In the women’s race, Sina Frei (Specialized Factory Racing) delivered a masterclass in patience and timing to overhaul a dominant Jenny Rissveds in the closing stages, winning ahead of the reigning world champion and a superb Madigan Munro (Liv Factory Racing).
History Made in South Korea
Sunday’s races at MONA YongPyong were already historic before a wheel had turned. The first-ever UCI XCO and XCC World Cup rounds held on Asian soil, they were part of a wider milestone weekend that also featured the first UCI Downhill World Cup on the continent in 25 years. The course had looked fast and dusty in practice. By race day, it was unrecognisable — overnight rain had transformed the circuit into a slick, muddy slog where pushing on foot was as common as pedalling, and survival instincts proved as decisive as raw engine.
Men’s Race — Lillo Leads from the Gun
Lillo had read the forecast. Before the start, he flagged to his team that the deteriorating conditions could play directly to his strengths. He was right. Attacking on the opening climb, he immediately put 15 seconds into the field — young Swiss rider Finn Treudler (CUBE Factory Racing) his closest pursuer — and simply never relinquished that lead. Treudler showed real early promise to establish himself in second, but repeated chain mechanical problems wrecked his race and eventually dropped him to 13th at +4:18.
Through laps three, four, and five, Lillo tapped away with clinical precision while riders behind him haemorrhaged time to mechanicals and crashes. French national champion Luca Martin rode back through the field to claim second. British champion Aldridge — also Cannondale — took third. Jordan Sarrou (BMC Factory Racing) was the best of the rest in fourth at +2:59, with Cannondale placing three men in the top seven through Cole Punchard in seventh.
“When it started raining in the night and I woke up in the morning it was like, ‘OK today is the day’ — I was so nervous before the start. I’ve never felt something like this in my life.”
— Dario Lillo, Race winner
Lillo’s win, combined with his XCC third place on Friday, places him at the top of the overall World Cup general classification standings heading into Round 2.
Women’s Race — Frei’s Patience Proves the Decisive Weapon
The women’s five-lap race was, as Rissveds herself put it, something else entirely. “This is not fun for anyone — we ran 50% of the lap,” the reigning world champion said afterwards. Rissveds had opened aggressively from the gun — she had similarly blown the field apart in last year’s Mont-Sainte-Anne round — and used that track record to build a 25-second gap over Frei and Munro by the end of lap one, extending it to 30 seconds by lap three.
But the effort exacted a toll. In lap four, Frei and Munro clawed back to within nine seconds of the leader. When Frei made her move on a rocky technical section — both she and Rissveds off the bike and running — it was decisive. Back in the saddle, Frei stretched away through the final lap to win her first elite XCO World Cup victory. Behind her, Munro caught and passed Rissveds in a muddy running section in the closing kilometres; Rissveds held on for second at +0:26, with Munro just two further seconds back in third — the best elite result of her career and an outstanding debut showing for Liv Factory Racing.
Loana Lecomte crashed on the opening straight and never figured at the front. Evie Richards (Trek–Unbroken XC) crashed heavily on lap two but recovered to finish 12th. Jennifer Jackson (Orbea Fox Factory Team) was a solid fourth at +0:35, with Laura Stigger (Specialized) sixth at +1:48.
“Patience was for sure crucial today and for me it was important to try and ride my own race, my own regiment.”
— Sina Frei, Race winner
Frei, who also won Friday’s XCC short track, completed a perfect weekend double — confirming her form and versatility early in the 2026 season. The 28-year-old Swiss rider now leads the women’s overall standings. Worth noting: the men’s field was missing several headline names — Nino Schurter, Alan Hatherly, Tom Pidcock, and Mathieu van der Poel among them — leaving the door ajar for breakout performances. Lillo walked right through it.
What’s Next
The WHOOP UCI MTB World Series continues with Round 2. Teams and riders have limited time to regroup before the next stop on the calendar. Lillo will carry the overall leader’s plate and the momentum of a debut win; Frei will arrive with a double and a point to prove that 2026 is her season.
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