Bjorn Riley Wins Men's Short Track as Rain Hits Pal Arinsal World Cup

The 11th edition of the Mountain Bike World Cup at Pal Arinsal Bike Park kicked off with the short track cross-country finals, crowning the first winners despite challenging rain and storms. American Bjorn Riley claimed victory in the elite men's race, finishing in 20 minutes and 54 seconds after outpacing France's Adrien Boichis by one second and compatriot Christopher Blevins by three. In the women's elite event, Sweden's Jenny Rissveds, a resident of Andorra and current overall leader, surged ahead in the final sprint to beat Austria's Laura Stigger and Switzerland's Ronja Blöchlinger, clocking 21 minutes and 50 seconds.

Earlier in the day, the under-23 categories set the pace. Italy's Valentina Corvi topped the women's race in 19 minutes and 29 seconds, with Norway's Lisa Kristine Jorde just 0.14 seconds behind. Canada's Rafaëlle Carrier and Chile's Florencia Monsálvez Rojo tied for third, 1.6 seconds off the pace. The men's under-23 race delivered a thriller, as Germany's Paul Schehl edged out Spain's Thibaut Francois Baudry by 0.02 seconds and Switzerland's Nicolas Halter by 0.09 seconds, with Schehl at 20 minutes and 45 seconds.

Downhill qualifications also took place on the Fontanals track, where New Zealand's Lachlan Stevens-McNab posted the fastest men's time of 2:46.100, and Austria's Valentina Höll led the women with 3:15.147. Most top contenders advanced to Saturday's finals, starting at 11am for juniors and 12:30pm for elites, with the women's elite run first.

Saturday's schedule follows with downhill finals from 11am, while Sunday features the Olympic cross-country highlight, beginning at 9am for base categories and 13:30pm for elites. Andorran rider Roger Turné will compete in XCO, building on his career-best 37th place in the season opener in South Korea.

Friday's training sessions had seen strong showings, including France's Marine Cabirou leading women downhill ahead of Colombia's Valentina Roa and Höll, with Austria's Andreas Kolb fastest among men over France's Max Alran and Amaury Pierron.

The day included a minor incident when a rider was airlifted to hospital after a fall, though injuries were not serious due to access difficulties.