Arthur Forissier wins first XTERRA World Cup title by a single point, Marta Menditto goes back-to-back

Maxim Chané and Alizée Patiès won the Full Distance race on Sunday, November 1, at the final stop of the 2026 World Cup, giving France a double in Suzhou after their Short Track wins on Friday at Panmen Square. Those victories closed out a season of seven stops and twelve races across four continents. The finale featured a 1.5 km swim in Lake Taihu, a 30 km mountain bike through the Yuyang mountains and a 10 km trail run.

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All Elite athletes swam without wetsuits in 20.2°C water. At the start, the air temperature was around 20°C, and the sun got stronger as the morning went on.

Chané wins the final, Forissier takes the title by a point

Dutchman Hugo Bosscher led out of Lake Taihu, ahead of France's Elliot Labourdette and Italy's Michele Bonacina. Maxim Chané hit dry land 30 seconds behind the leader, while Arthur Forissier started his chase from a much bigger deficit.

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The other Italian, Federico Spinazzè, set the pace in a lead group. Labourdette rode with them for the first half of the loop. Bosscher's race ended after a crash on the bike.

“Federico Spinazzè did an incredible job. He was really strong on the bike today and I stayed on his wheel. I think the pace was perfect,” Bonacina said.

Forissier gradually clawed back time in the wooded, technical sections after he felt his rear tire losing pressure. “I was really in a good rhythm, so I decided to keep pushing. I almost made it back to the lead group,” he said. He eventually had to stop at the highest point of the course to reinflate his tire, losing precious seconds before heading to transition.

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Maxim Chané posted the fastest bike split, but Michele Bonacina started the run seven seconds ahead, with Federico Spinazzè close behind. “I started cramping two kilometers into the run, on the first climb, so I had to slow down a bit. I did the first lap with Maxim, then he opened a small gap. I tried to keep him as a reference point ,” Bonacina added.

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Chané made the difference after the first run lap and held his advantage to the line, finishing ahead of Michele Bonacina and France's Nicolas Duré, who had the fastest run split. Behind them, Arthur Forissier was still fighting for the position that would decide the World Cup overall winner. “Nicolas Duré passed me. I knew the overall standings would come down to very little, but I had nothing left, so I just kept pushing. Luckily, I saw Federico Spinazzè right ahead of me and managed to get past him. I almost cried. It was really, really hard.”

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I wanted it so badly, because I've been chasing this title from the start. The first year, I broke my collarbone. The second year, I broke my spine. And the third, I finished second behind Félix. I really needed this.

Chané's second place overall also comes after a season shaped by injury and a gradual return to racing.

Confidence and hope grew over the season and in the end I did everything to win. I gave it my all. I knew I had to win everything to have at least a chance.

Patiès wins again, Menditto makes history

In the women's race, Britain's Isla Hedley led out of the water. Dutchwoman Romy Spoelder and the French pair Alizée Patiès and Emma Ducreux set off in pursuit. Patiès was 1:45 behind the leader at that point.

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On the slopes of the Yuyang mountains, Patiès posted the fastest bike split. Italy's Marta Menditto started working her way through the field after leaving the water more than three minutes behind Hedley. The Scottish athlete quickly got back on her bike after a fall on the second lap, which was especially dusty.

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Alizée Patiès began the run almost six minutes clear of Menditto. She then ran the fastest split to win for the second time that weekend, after her Short Track victory. The Italian took second and Hedley completed the day's podium.

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“The bike course was really hard, pretty technical, and it took a huge amount of energy. The run was fairly fast, but I really enjoyed it ,” Patiès said. The win gives her a perfect record on the World Cup, six wins in six starts, with doubles at Molveno, Prachatice and Suzhou.

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Second place means Marta Menditto finished on the podium at all seven Full Distance rounds this season, without exception. Her wins in Australia and at Oak Mountain in the United States, combined with consistent results in both race formats, earned her a second straight overall World Cup title.

I tried to manage my effort on the run because I think I was a bit tired from the whole season. It's not just a win from one day. It's the result of many races and everything that happened during the season. The pressure has been there from the start of the series right to the end.

Isla Hedley's third place moves her up to second overall. The Briton was back racing in Suzhou after several months out.

Several punctures on the bike forced Emma Ducreux to retire. The Frenchwoman still keeps third place overall. Her first World Cup win in Greece, along with her second place at the Short Track in Weston Park, were among the results that kept her in the title fight until the last weekend.

Australia's Hannah-Lee Young finished fifth on Sunday and holds fourth place overall, ahead of Alizée Patiès and Romy Spoelder.