Samara Maxwell makes history for New Zealand with cross-country win on elite debut at UCI Mountain Bike World Series

Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford) claims elite XCO World Cup victory on her debut at the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2025 brazil opening round
Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford) claims elite XCO World Cup victory on her debut at the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series 2025 brazil opening round (Image credit: WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series)

It was already one heck of a debut in the elite ranks of the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series for Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford) after she took the runner up spot at Saturday's short track race in the opening round in Brazil but then her opening volley in the cross-country Olympic round on Sunday turned out to be history making.

The 23-year-old crossed the finish line solo in Araxá in astonishment, as she became the first-ever elite women from New Zealand to claim an XCO World Cup, an achievement even more impressive given that she delivered at the first opportunity.

Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.

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