There's been a lot of team movement over the winter break in the XC world, so we've rounded up who's going where and riding which bikes.
The winter break from the 2024 season has been pretty lively, with riders switching teams like it’s like musical chairs. We’ve seen some shock departures and some more expected announcements, so to keep track of everything, we’ve rounded up all the team news for 2025 so you know who will be racing in which colours when the season kicks off in April. If you want to know about the downhill, check out our article on who’s riding where on on the DH circuit.
If you need a reminder of the upcoming season, here’s a quick breakdown of the racing calendar for 2025:
- April 3–6: Araxá, Brazil
- April 10–12: Araxá ,Brazil
- May 23–25: Nové Město Na Moravě, Czechia
- June 5–8: Leogang, Austria
- June 20–22: Val di Sole, Italy
- July 9–13: Pal Arinsal, Andorra
- August 21–31: Haute-Savoie, France
- September 18–21: Lenzerheide, Switzerland
- October 3–5: Lake Placid, USA
- October 9–12: Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada
Jennny Rissveds joins the Canyon CLLCTV Factory XC
Jenny Rissveds joins the Canyon CLLCTV Factory XC team
Rio Olympics gold medallist, Jenny Rissveds, has joined the Canyon CLLCTV Factory XC race team for 2025 after Team 31 Ibis Cycles Continental’s closure at the end of last season. She, and the other riders on the roster, will be racing aboard the Canyon Lux World Cup CF.
The 30-year-old Swedish rider is the reigning national champion, and racked up points during the 2024 season with a win in Brazil and several podium finishes throughout. She joins Valentina Corvi and Noa Filippi, two “rising stars” in cross-country racing. Rissveds commented on the team announcement:
“Joining the Canyon CLLCTV is a huge opportunity for me. I’ve been riding bikes for so long now, but I still feel like there is so much for me to learn, and so many ways to improve. I’m really looking forward to this journey and to see how we can learn and improve together. I’m really happy about this new chapter of my career.”
Neff leaves Trek after several seasons, joining Cannondale Factory Racing team
Charlie Aldridge and Jolanda Neff headline Cannondale Factory Racing team
Aldridge has already seen success with Cannondale, having ridden for them for the last two seasons
Punchard was Canadian U23 national champion in 2023, and Martin is the current U23 World Champion. They’ll be riding the Cannondale Scalpel with the distinctive Lefty fork.
Gold medallist Pidcock is swapping Pinarello for Scott on the road… but not on the XC track
Tom Pidcock switches teams…but remains on Pinarello bikes
Henderson leads an almost entirely new lineup for the Orbea Fox Factory Team.
Rebecca Henderson joins Orbea Fox Factory Team
Australian superstar, Rebecca Henderson, has joined the Orbea Fox Factory Team for 2025, alongside Simon Andreassen and Jennifer Jackson.
The team announcement comes as Orbea looks to “solidify its reputation as a global powerhouse in MTB”. Just last week we saw Tahnée Seagrave’s DH team, FMD Racing, announce it has partnered with Orbea, so it looks to be a big year for the Spanish brand on the World Cup circuit.
The team will be managed entirely by Orbea, with a new Service Course in the Basque Country set to provide mechanical support for the MTB team.
Pierre de Froidmont, Belgian XC champion, remains for 2025. The team will use the Orbea Oiz and Orbea Alma bikes, with Fox suspension. Shimano will provide the groupsets, and other partners include Fizik, Maxxis, Oquo and Enduro Bearings.
Hatherly won bronze for South Africa in this year’s Olympics in Paris, as well as the World Championships.
Alan Hatherly leaves Cannondale for Tour de France dream
Current XC World Champion Alan Hatherly has left Cannondale for pastures new, after announcing he will be combining road and MTB racing for 2025. The South African racer has joined Team Jayco AlUla where he will race in the WorldTour on the road, with eyes on the Tour de France in the summer.
The 28-year-old has signed a 2-year contract, and will have Giant bicycles (the team’s bike sponsor) made available to him for his MTB racing. While it might seem like a big leap for some, Hatherly has suggested he’d like to race the Tour de France previously. He released a statement on the news:
“I am incredibly excited for this new chapter in my cycling career and very grateful for the opportunity to ride for GreenEDGE Cycling for the next two seasons. I think now is the perfect moment for me to get out of the comfort zone and develop even further. Moving to a WorldTour road team is of course something totally new for me, it will be a steep learning curve, and I will be learning from the best. Combining road and MTB is new and refreshing and I am really looking forward to where this journey can go!”
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Loana Lecomte moves to BMC Factory Racing
After announcing she would be leaving Canyon at the end of the 2024 season, Frenchwoman and 11 time Elite World Cup winner, Loana Lecomte has revealed she will be racing for the BMC Factory Racing team in 2025.
Her Instagram announcement included a shot of her holding a big wheel of BMC labelled cheese, in case you forgot that BMC is from Switzerland. She will be joining Jordan Sarrou and Titouan Carod, after Juri Zanotti and Steffi Häberlin announced they were leaving the team.
Who remains unconfirmed for 2025?
Unfortunately there are always a few racers left without contracts at the end of a season, particularly as the sport continues to develop and programmes change. Kate Courtney announced late last year she’d be leaving Scott, with something “new and different” on the horizon for her. Whether that means she will remain in Elite XC racing hasn’t been confirmed yet, and we’ve seen no team news to suggest she’s been signed by anyone.
Anne Tauber also remains unconfirmed for 2025 after leaving Orbea. The 29-year-old Dutchwoman had a difficult 2024, with her highlights including a podium finish in Crans-Montana in the XCO race.
Another former Orbea racer, Chiara Teocchi has not confirmed her 2025 team – although has alluded to there being ‘a team’ in a recent Instagram post. We’ll update this if we find out more.
Anton Cooper has left Trek after 8 years, but has not yet confirmed his new team for 2025. He has said in an Instagram post that he has “exciting news” coming in a few weeks, so we’ll keep our beady eyes open for the NZ rider’s announcement.