Ella Conolly (Cannondale) delivered a masterclass in resilience and racecraft to take the Elite Women’s win—her first podium finish at Val di Fassa. After a challenging Day 1 that left her trailing by a second, Conolly came out swinging on Day 2, winning the opening stage by a commanding 7.7 seconds. She never looked back.

“It’s really cool to win in a place where I’ve not been on the podium before,” said Conolly. “Every stage today I feel like I found that intensity.”

Her final time of 40:23.277 secured the top step, with Nadine Ellecosta and Simona Kuchyňková rounding out the podium.

In the Elite Men’s race, it was a Maxxis-powered sweep of the podium. Slawomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) held off fierce competition and searing heat to take the win with a total time of 34:41.943. His consistency across all seven stages kept him just ahead of teammate Richie Rude, who finished second despite switching his focus to downhill racing.

“I tried to stay smooth and had good momentum through the whole day,” said Łukasik. “The heat was the real challenge.”

Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) proved why you never count a champion out. After finishing Day 1 in 9th place, Melamed clawed his way back with a clean, aggressive Day 2 performance—capitalizing on a mechanical from Charles Murray to secure third place with a time of 34:59.353.

“I thought they did a great job with the course this year, some classics, some freshness, and some good loops linking it all together. It took a lot of mental and physical fortitude to get through it all so kudos to everyone on that.”

From the steep descents of Titans to the loose corners of Tutti Frutti, Maxxis tires proved their mettle once again. Whether it was the Assegai, Minion DHR II, or High Roller III, Maxxis athletes had the traction and control to push the limits on every stage.