Cole Punchard showed up at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships with his trademark confidence and a fresh set of flames rising up the back of his head. The Cannondale Factory Racing rider turned heads with the bold look before the start line in Switzerland. By the end of the U23 XCO race, he’d earned even more attention. This time for riding to a silver medal on the world stage.
The Ontario rider powered through the Swiss course in 1:21:19, finishing just 54 seconds behind race winner Finn Treudler of Switzerland. Denmark’s Gustav Pedersen rounded out the podium in third.
“The target of the season”
Punchard had set his sights squarely on the world championships this year. After a full season of elite level racing with Cannondale Factory Racing, he returned to the U23 ranks hungry for results.
“This is the big goal,” Punchard said before the event. “The target of the season.”
That focus paid off. Coming off a tenth-place finish at the Les Gets World Cup where he led much of the race before a mechanical forced him into the pits, the silver medal marks a major step forward for the Canadian rider.
From Novar to the world stage
Punchard grew up in Novar, Ontario. A small town north of Huntsville. He started riding at the now-closed Buckwallow trail centre. From those modest beginnings, he quickly rose through the national ranks, earning the Canadian short-track title in 2024 and the elite XCO national championship in 2025.
“Last year I won the short track, but it was sort of unexpected,” Punchard said. “This year, nationals was a big goal. I wear the jersey with a lot of pride.”
Eyes on the future
With his second-place finish at worlds, Punchard joins a growing list of Canadian riders making their mark internationally. And while the flames painted on his hair might have drawn the cameras early in the week, it was his riding on race day that stole the show.
The silver medal signals that Punchard isn’t just a rider with style. He’s one with serious speed and ambitions for even bigger results ahead. On to Lenzerheide!