The Swiss Alps provided a stunning stage for the cross-country marathon (XCM) races at the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais, Switzerland.
The ARA Australian Cycling Team had three riders in action in the marathon world championships — a 125km brute of a race across the Alps, featuring more than 5,000 metres of climbing between Verbier and Grimentz.
Nearly 100 riders lined up for the elite men’s field, setting off from Verbier just before daybreak.
James Kelly and Matt King ahead of the 125km marathon race.
The first checkpoint at Nendaz came around the 90-minute mark, but from there the climbing intensified and the race began to split apart.
For James Kelly, who recently took out the national marathon championships, his world championship debut didn't go to plan.
“I realised pretty quickly a couple of hours in that it was going to be a long one,” he admitted after battling on.
Fellow debutant Matt King also fought through the punishing climbs and the infamous final hike-a-bike to the 2,787m Pas de Lona, cheered on by huge crowds lining the course.
He crossed the line in 8:54:25.
In the women’s race, Canberra’s Monique de Abreu showed grit to complete one of the toughest events in mountain biking.
By checkpoint five, at the 100km mark, she had been racing for nearly eight hours with the biggest climb still to come.
She pushed on over the Pas de Lona before descending into the finish at Grimentz, stopping the clock at 9:24:22.
Monique de Abreu at the finish line in Grimentz.
Results
Elite Men
🥇Keegan Swenson (USA) 6:01:44.3
🥈Samuele Porro (ITA) +0:25.7
🥉Hector Leonardo Paez Leon (COL) +3:42.9
79 James Kelly (AUS) +1:18:34.3
92 Matt King (AUS) +2:52:40
Elite Women
🥇Kate Courtney (USA) 7:10:11.1
🥈Anna Weinbeer (SUI) +3:44.8
🥉Mona Mitterwallner (AUT) +4:59.1
44 Monique de Abreu (AUS) +2:14:11.3
Full results can be found here.
Main Photo Credit: SWPix