Anna Spielmann is the E-MTB Cross-country world champion once more. The Austrian retained her title at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, taking a second consecutive world crown. It was the first rainbow jersey awarded of the week.
A second rainbow jersey, settled in the closing laps
The E-MTB races opened the programme in Daolasa di Commezzadura on the Wednesday. Spielmann covered the nine laps and 21.6 kilometres in 48:26, riding a Haibike Hybe with a Bosch motor. Kathrin Stirnemann of Switzerland shadowed her throughout.
Neither rider had an easy day. Spielmann had to wait almost until the end to resolve the duel, crossing the line 11 seconds clear of Stirnemann. The course proved severe: of the nine starters, only five completed the full distance.
Austria takes gold and bronze, a nation on top
Tamara Wiedmann made it a double for Austria, finishing third at 44 seconds. Anna Oberparleiter came fourth at 1:47, with Tereza Kurnicka closing the top five. The win also gave Austria back-to-back E-MTB golds alongside France's Jérôme Gilloux in the men's race.
The result confirms the 27-year-old as the leading rider in the discipline. A year earlier she took her first world title in Bellwald, Switzerland, beating Stirnemann there by 35 seconds. She also won the overall UCI World Cup for the format in 2024.
The margin was tighter this time, but the outcome was the same. Spielmann has now defended the jersey she first earned, and the pattern of her career holds: leading from the front, tightening the race lap by lap.
Two titles, one rider, and a discipline that now looks toward her every season.
