Former XTERRA World Cup champions Arthur Serrières and Alizée Paties of France claimed the 2026 XTERRA European Championship Full Distance titles on Saturday, June 20 in Molveno, Trentino, Italy.
The weekend, however, belonged to a community where off-road adventure thrives. With Lake Molveno sitting at 21°C, air temperatures rising to 29°C, and the Brenta Dolomites towering over three days of active and festive celebrations, the first European Championship in Molveno carried the familiar feeling that made the village a home of the XTERRA World Championship for four straight years.
As the XTERRA World Championship in Ruidoso, New Mexico approaches for the brand’s 30th anniversary, the Italian Alps have now become a continental homecoming of their own. Elite, Age Group, and Youth athletes represented the nations of the region with European titles on the line, while Kids races and Short Track closed out the weekend as this season’s World Cup Stop 7 proved to be one the most exciting places to follow the happenings of XTERRA, whether it was live from the lakefront or online.
Elite Full Distance Story
The Elite men’s Full Distance race ended in a French sweep, with Serrières winning in 2:35:38 to claim the sixth European title of his career. Felix Forissier finished second in 2:38:58, with Nicolas Duré third in 2:40:44.
“That was a different Molveno today,” said Serrières. “It was very dry and super hot. I’m quite happy about this win because I’m coming back from a big sickness. I wasn’t really prepared, but I took a shot, and Molveno suits me so well.”
Michele Bonacina from Italy opened the men’s race with the fastest swim in 20:26, while Sébastien Carabin produced the fastest bike split in 1:29:53. Serrières made his move where he has so often made the difference, recording the fastest run of the day in 40:58 to break the race open and return to the top step in a place already tied closely to his career.
“You come here and you see what’s special about it,” he said. “I travel a lot everywhere in the world, and finding a place like that is really unique. You have the lake, you have the Dolomites, you have everything. It’s a typical village, people are really good, the cuisine is good, so it’s a full experience. For me, it’s one of the best places I ever raced in my life.”
Paties, also from France, won the women’s race in 3:08:01 after building her advantage across the bike and holding it through a difficult run. Kerri-Ann Upham from Great Britain finished second in 3:14:09, while Marta Menditto from Italy brought the home crowd to life with the fastest women’s run of the day, moving through the field to take third in 3:16:33.
Isla Hedley from Great Britain was fastest in the women’s swim in 21:56, Paties was strongest on the bike in 1:47:37, and Menditto closed with the fastest run in 52:56. Paties said the win was far from expected after a difficult stretch away from racing.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to win today,” said Paties. “It’s just unbelievable. I’m very happy because I had a lot of hard moments. Last month was so hard, and now I feel so happy to be back here.”
“XTERRA is nature, outdoors, just have fun,” said Paties. “Even if you are on a bad day, you don’t care because you have good travel, good food here in Italy, and beautiful landscapes. Even a bad day is a good day.”
Upham described her second-place finish as the result of a measured effort through every section of the course. “We’ve just had the best week,” said Upham. “We got here on Sunday and it’s been like a little holiday. The weather’s been amazing, riding the dry trails and just relaxing before the race. It’s just a proper adventure out there. Up in the mountains, wonderful views, it’s amazing.”
Bonacina, the first Italian man across the line, said it was important to show the rest of the field what Molveno and the Dolomites have to offer. “For us it’s very important to show around this beautiful place,” said Bonacina. “We are in the Dolomites, one of the best places in the world I think, so I’m enjoying showing it to the other guys.”
Age Group and Youth Movement
For Tim Van Daele from Belgium, who said Molveno may have been his 120th XTERRA or more, the June date created a different race and a different atmosphere. After several years of late-season racing in cooler and wetter conditions, the dry trails and heat gave the course a new feeling. “We enjoyed the Italian food and the Italian atmosphere,” said Van Daele. “Tomorrow we stay as long as possible to see the Short Track and to like the Italian food, and then we go back to Verona to fly back to Belgium.”
The Age Group field brought the same championship energy to the Full Distance course, with Simon Gourgues from France finishing as the fastest male age grouper and Carole Perrot from Switzerland, racing in the 45-49 category, finishing as the fastest female age grouper. Across the divisions, athletes from across Europe and beyond continued the European Championship’s role as one of the widest gathering points in the sport.
Athletes aged 19 and under formed the largest group when compared against each decade-based age range, pointing to the strength of XTERRA Youth Tour, with the next-generation competing alongside Elite and Age Group athletes. Youth European titles were awarded across three divisions for athletes aged 14-19, under the same championship banner as the Elite and Age Group fields. Julian Anguera from France won the Junior race, while Mila Lantelme also from France won for the Junior women. In Youth A, Tommaso Frizzi Sorensen and Lea Fabbro made it two wins for Italy, and in Youth B, Tommaso Pedrini and Susanna Nalesso added two more Italian victories.
Anguera found redemption after a difficult race at the same venue two years earlier. “Two years ago here, my race was terrible,” said Anguera. “So I’m super happy to take my revenge and do the best race possible. The Dolomites, it’s a dream for me to travel around this part of the world.”
Lantelme, who had finished second at the 2025 European Championship in Zittau, Germany, returned to claim the Junior women’s win in Molveno. For her, the result came with relief and pride, but her reason for staying close to the sport was about much more than a podium.
“I’m really happy to win the European Championship this year and to have the title,” said Lantelme. “What makes me train every day for cross triathlon is the nature, being outside, and the beautiful landscape. Molveno is really a good way to express it because it’s the most beautiful place ever.”
All 2026 XTERRA European Champions will be honored here across Elite, Age Group, Youth, and additional divisions.
Short Track and Community Support
Sunday brought the weekend to a close with Short Track, where the XTERRA World Cup returned to the race village in a faster, tighter format. With air temperatures around 25°C, Felix Forissier from France took the men’s win, followed by Lukas Maes from Belgium in second and Maxime Chané from France in third. The top six men were separated by seconds, making the spectator-friendly event one of the sharpest races of the year.
In the women’s Short Track, Alizée Paties won again to complete a perfect weekend in Molveno. Isla Hedley from Great Britain finished second, with Romy Spoelder from the Netherlands third. Menditto followed in fourth, while Lantelme backed up her Junior European title from Saturday by stepping into the Elite Short Track field and finishing fifth against some of the top women in the sport.
Molveno’s European Championship weekend was made possible through the continued support of the local community and regional partners who have helped build the venue into one of XTERRA’s most recognized homes. XTERRA extends its thanks to Molveno Holiday, Dolomiti Paganella, the local organizers, volunteers, supporters, and everyone who helped bring the lakefront, trails, race village, and full weekend atmosphere to life.
As XTERRA moves through the World Tour and toward its 30th anniversary World Championship in Ruidoso, New Mexico, weekends like Molveno continue to carry the history forward.
The sport may have started in the United States and built a long world championship chapter in Maui before finding another home in the Italian Alps, but the path to the next homecoming still runs through places like this: where championship racing, youth pathways, age group ambition, family travel, outdoor culture, and community all meet on the same trails.
Full results from the 2026 XTERRA European Championship are available here.
Highlights are available on XTERRA Europe here.
World Cup news from Molveno and standings are available here.
