Frenchman and Briton power to Sunday victories in rain and snow at 2025 MTB World Cup opener.

Four-time Mountain Bike World Cup downhill champion Loïc Bruni started the 2025 season in style with victory at the Bielsko-Biała opener as Briton Tahnée Seagrave got her women's title tilt off to a brilliant start with victory in the rain and snow.

- Frenchman Bruni topped the timesheets in qualifying and he looked on as compatriot Amaury Pierron put down a fast Sunday race run that looked hard to beat, however Oisin O'Callaghan put it all together late on to bank a brilliant time that Bruni bettered by just 0.156 of a second.

- With race conditions improving but still causing several riders to lose control, five-time world champion Bruni lost a second between the last two intermediate time checks however hung onto his slender advantage to avoid a second agonising defeat in as many years in Poland.

- Bruni, 31, said: "Last season was a bit stinky with finishing so close to the win. I didn't think I had it in me with the offseason a bit complicated and the weather being so far from my favourite conditions but I just kept on riding. To me it was not so perfect, it was really rough, and I was getting caught off guard with the braking. I just had to give everything.”

- With this podium, he equals his hero, Nicolas Vouilloz, with 44 career podium finishes. On watching Bruni's run, Irishman O'Callaghan added: "It definitely gets the heart racing more than the run."

- In the women's race earlier, Seagrave mastered the rain and snow in the Szczyrk Mountain Resort to get her season off to the perfect start as she looks to get back on top after a series of bad injuries.

- Only American Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing / SDEV) could get anywhere close to her in finishing second 1.711 back as German Nina Hoffmann rounded out the podium with Austrian Vali Höll fifth.

- The penultimate rider, Seagrave set the fastest time at split one and built her lead up until the third split - losing over one and a half seconds in the fourth sector but hanging on for the win.

- Seagrave, 29 said: "Because of the conditions, my brakes weren't working very well so I think that helped. You've just got to make the best of it, I kept pumping the brake to make it work. I had a little sketchy moment at the end because I forgot to do that, but glad I managed to put it together."

- In terms of her maiden title hopes, she added: "I feel the healthiest I have been and I'm back from a series of horrible injuries. I'm ready to give it my all again."

Elite Men result

1) Loïc Bruni FRA 3:04.867

2) Oisin O'Callaghan IRE 3:05.023

3) Amaury Pierron FRA 3:05.675

4) Richie Rude USA 3:06.463

5) Thibaut Daprela FRA 3:06.886

Elite Women result

1) Tahnée Seagrave GBR 3:34.340

2) Anna Newkirk USA 3:36.051

3) Nina Hoffmann GER 3:39.075

4) Camille Balanche SUI 3:39.835

5) Vali Höll AUT 3:41.817