Some race weekends are about results.

Others are about unfinished business.

Just two weeks after claiming my first-ever UCI podium in Romania, I was back on the biggest stage of the season: the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Leogang, Austria.

But this wasn’t just another World Cup.

It was the place where, one year earlier, my 2025 season had come to an abrupt end with a fractured collarbone after a heavy crash.

I’d be lying if I said coming back here didn’t bring back memories.

Every descent. Every corner. Every section of trail carried a familiar feeling. Not fear, exactly—but respect. Returning to the scene of a crash always asks a little more of you mentally than physically.

Adding to the déjà vu, the weather looked almost identical to 2025. Four days of relentless rain were forecast.

This time, however, the organisers had learned from previous editions. Significant work had been carried out on the course to improve drainage and rideability despite the continuous rainfall. For once, the race conditions would be exactly the same as those experienced during practice—a rare luxury this season.

While most of my teammates chose more versatile tyre combinations, pairing the Schwalbe Racing Ray and Racing Ralph, I decided to prioritise confidence and grip. My UNNO Horn was equipped with Schwalbe Rocket Ron tyres front and rear, favouring security over outright speed.

The objective

Like every World Series round, the priority remained learning.

Racing against the world’s best is an opportunity that teaches something every single lap.

But this weekend, I carried another goal.

I wanted to finish the race that I had been forced to abandon twelve months earlier.

With 85 riders on the start list, my UCI ranking placed me on the last row of the grid. From there, the objective was ambitious but realistic: fight for a Top 60 finish, which would already represent my best European result in the World Series after finishing 84th previously.

Settling into the race

As always, the pace exploded from the gun.

World Series starts leave no room for hesitation, and I still find it difficult to produce maximum intensity from the very first metres.

Even so, I managed to stay attached to the long line of riders stretching through the opening sections.

At the end of the opening lap, I crossed the line in 75th position.

Not spectacular.

But importantly, still in the race.

Finding my rhythm

Unlike my previous World Series appearance, I could feel that my legs were there.

The fitness was real.

During the second lap, I finally settled into my own rhythm and began moving forward. Position after position, I started closing the gap to the riders ahead.

By the end of lap two, I had climbed to 68th place.

The confidence from Romania was still there.

For the first time in a World Series race, I wasn’t just surviving—I was racing.

An unexpected obstacle

The momentum continued.

I kept passing riders and gradually closed in on the group battling around 62nd place.

The Top 60 was becoming a realistic target.

Then my stomach had other plans.

Whether it was accumulated stress, the intensity of the effort, or simply one of those unpredictable race-day moments, my stomach suddenly refused to cooperate.

I never completely cracked.

But I could no longer ride at the pace I knew I was capable of.

The challenge became managing the discomfort while continuing to move forward.

Another step forward

Eventually, the 80% rule brought my race to an end.

Officially, I was pulled from the course.

Emotionally, however, it felt very different from previous World Series weekends.

I wasn’t disappointed.

I wasn’t discouraged.

Instead, I looked at the names surrounding mine on the results sheet.

Experienced World Cup riders.

National champions.

Athletes I wouldn’t have imagined competing alongside only a few months ago.

The result may not fully reflect the race I was building, but it clearly reflects something else:

Progress.

Real, measurable progress.

Returning to Leogang was never just about crossing a finish line.

It was about proving to myself that the crash no longer defined this place.

That chapter is closed.

There is still plenty of work ahead, but every World Series round confirms the same feeling:

We’re moving in the right direction.