Arthur Forissier claimed his first XTERRA World Cup title by a single point at the finale in Suzhou, China, where Marta Menditto became the first woman to win the series in consecutive years.
France’s Maxim Chané and Alizée Patiès won the Full Distance finale on Sunday, November 1, completing a Suzhou double after their Short Track victories at Panmen Square on Friday. Their wins closed a seven-stop, 12-race series across four continents.
The final race combined a 1.5K swim in Lake Taihu, a 30K mountain bike through Yuyang Mountain and a 10K trail run. All Elite athletes swam without wetsuits in 20.2°C water, with air temperatures around 20°C at the start and increasing sunshine through the morning. A large, vocal crowd welcomed the field to the finish.
Chané Wins as Forissier Holds On by One Point
The Netherlands’ Hugo Bosscher led the men out of Lake Taihu, followed by France’s Elliot Labourdette and Italy’s Michele Bonacina. Chané emerged 30 seconds behind the leader, while Forissier began his pursuit further back.
Italy’s Federico Spinazzè set the pace for a leading bike group containing Bonacina and Chané. Labourdette rode with them through the opening half-loop. Bosscher’s race ended after a bike crash. “Federico Spinazzè did an amazing job. He was so strong today on the bike, and I stayed on his wheel. It was the perfect pace, I think,” Bonacina said.
Forissier was gaining ground through the wooded singletrack when he felt his rear tyre losing pressure. “I was really in a good flow, so I decided to continue, to keep pushing, and I almost caught the lead group,” he said.
He eventually stopped to add air at the course’s highest point, losing time before continuing towards transition. Chané recorded the fastest bike split, but Bonacina began the run seven seconds ahead, with Spinazzè close behind.
“I had some cramps after 2K on the first climb, so I had to slow down a little bit. I did the first loop with Maxim, and then he took a small gap. I tried to use him as a reference point,” Bonacina added.
Chané went clear after the first run loop and held his advantage to win in 2:17:40, with Bonacina second in 2:18:04. France’s Nicolas Duré produced the fastest run, 33:14, to take third in 2:18:38 and repeat Friday’s men’s podium. “I had the watts, so I was able to maintain the gap,” Duré said of the bike. “I caught up with a lot of people on foot.”
Behind them, Forissier was still fighting for the position that would decide the World Cup. “Nicolas Duré passed me. I knew it would be very, very tight for the overall ranking, but I had no extra power, so I kept pushing. Fortunately, I saw Federico Spinazzè just in front of me and I was able to pass him,” he said.
Fourth place gave Forissier the title with 830 points, just ahead of Chané’s 829. Bonacina moved above Duré to finish third overall, with Spinazzè fifth. “I almost cried. That was very hard,” Forissier remarked.
After finishing runner-up to his younger brother Félix in 2025, Forissier became the third man to win the series, following Arthur Serrières and Félix. His victory made it three consecutive World Cup titles for the Forissier family, following Félix’s wins in 2024 and 2025.
“I wanted it so much because since the beginning I've been chasing this title. The first year I broke my collarbone. The second year I broke my spine. The third year I finished second behind Félix,” he said. “I really needed it.”
Chané’s path to second overall included recovery from his own injury. “Confidence and hope were building during the season, and finally I did everything I could to win. I did my best. I knew I needed to win everything to at least have a chance,” he concluded.
Patiès Wins Again as Menditto Makes History
Britain’s Isla Hedley led the women out of the water in 19:16, with the Netherlands’ Romy Spoelder, Patiès and France’s Emma Ducreux heading the pursuit. Patiès had 1:45 to recover on the swim leader.
On Yuyang Mountain, the Frenchwoman produced the fastest bike split, while Menditto began working forward after leaving the water more than three minutes behind Hedley. The Scottish athlete remounted quickly after a fall on the dusty second lap. “Alizée passed me on the first lap. Marta passed me halfway through the second lap, after my fall,” Hedley said.
Patiès began the run nearly six minutes ahead of Menditto and added the fastest run split to finish in 2:38:48. Menditto took second in 2:46:15, with Hedley completing the podium in 2:49:57.
“The mountain biking was really hard, quite technical, and it took an enormous amount of energy. The run was quite fast, but I really enjoyed it,” Patiès said.
Her victory completed six wins from six World Cup starts, following doubles in Molveno, Prachatice and Suzhou. “I love it. I think I’ve trained well, and since June I can feel my form improving. I’m riding that wave,” she added.
Menditto’s second place completed an unbroken run of podium finishes across all seven Full Distance races. Wins in Australia and Oak Mountain, USA, supported by consistent results in both formats, carried the Italian to her second World Cup title. “I tried to manage on the run because I was a bit tired, I think, from the entire series,” Menditto said.
Hedley’s third place lifted her to second in the final standings after a return to competition in Suzhou following several months away. “This was like a battle against myself. I didn’t really have many expectations,” she said. “But really happy, and just so good to be back.”
Multiple bike punctures forced Ducreux to withdraw, but the Frenchwoman secured third overall. Her first World Cup victory in Greece and second place in Weston Park’s Short Track were among the performances that kept her in the title contest until the final weekend.
Australia’s Hannah-Lee Young finished fifth on Sunday to retain fourth overall, ahead of Patiès and Spoelder.
“It’s not really a one-day win. It’s the summary of a lot of races and a lot of things,” Menditto said. “It’s pressure from the start of the series until the very end.”
From Dunsborough to Suzhou
The fourth edition of the XTERRA World Cup began in March with Forissier and Menditto winning through rain and rough water in Dunsborough, Australia. Forissier added another victory in Vouliagmeni, Greece, where Ducreux celebrated her breakthrough win.
Weston Park in the United Kingdom brought doubles for Félix Forissier and Hedley, who then claimed a third consecutive victory in Oak Mountain’s Short Track. American Reed Legg earned his first World Cup win in the same format before Chané took his own first victory in Sunday’s Full Distance. Bonacina left Alabama leading the men’s standings.
In Molveno, Italy, Serrières and Patiès won the Full Distance, with Félix taking the men’s Short Track. Serrières and Patiès then swept both formats in Prachatice, Czech Republic, leaving the title contenders to carry their remaining chances to China.
Suzhou delivered the final two races in contrasting settings: Friday’s compact course inside Panmen’s historic walls, followed by Sunday’s lake swim and technical mountain trails. Each athlete’s best six Full Distance and four Short Track results determined the final standings. After months of racing, one point separated the leading men.
“There are so many people, so many sponsors, so many trainers, so many medical staff. Half of Saint-Étienne helped me to win this title,” Forissier said.
Full results, splits and final standings are available on the Suzhou World Cup stop page. Follow XTERRA Asia-Pacific and XTERRA Planet on Instagram for race highlights and reels from the World Cup final.
