Rafelle Carrier is on a bit of a tear. After a double podium in Soldier Hollow’s World Cup debut, the Quebec racer is already back on the podium at the second U.S. round in Lake Placid. Carrier finished second on a rainy Friday in New York, adding to her significant tally of World Cup medals already accumulated in her first season of under-23 racing.
Carrier (Trinity Racing) couldn’t quite steal the win on Friday. That went to Bethany-Ann Jackson (GB) with Makena Kellerman rounding out the podium on home turf.
Not how Corvi wanted to end her season. Michal Cerveny / Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series
Carrier’s second place in Lake Placid secures her second place overall in the U23 XCC standings for 2026, again just 20 points ahead of Makena Kellerman. Canyon Factory Racing’s Valentina Corvi takes the U23 XCC World Cup overall, despite having a less-than-stellar final round in New York. Corvi touched bars with another rider in the final lap of Friday’s XCC and crashed. She would be unable to finish the race, but already had enough points to handily take the win.
Michal Cerveny / Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series
In the U23 men’s XCC World Cup finale, Mika Comaniuk added another fourth place finish to his impressive close to the 2026 season. The Pittstop Racing just missed his first World Cup podium in a big group sprint.
Paul Schehl (Lexware Mountain Bike Team) similarly takes the U23 men’s XCC World Cup overall despite not featuring on the podium in the final round. Alix André Gallis (Decathlon Ford) takes the final U23 men’s XCC win ahead of Benjamin Krüger and Naël Rouffiac (Origine Racing Division).