Spain’s dominance in the FIM Trial des Nations (TdN) continued in spectacular fashion over the weekend at Tolmezzo, Italy, with both their men’s and women’s teams claiming the top honours.
Meanwhile, the United States triumphed in the International Trophy and Norway regained the Challenge des Nations crown, rounding out a weekend of thrilling international competition.
Returning to the scene of its 2011 edition, the 2025 TdN featured a demanding course of fifteen sections, many plotted through a dry riverbed and across steep, rock-strewn banks, which riders tackled twice. Spain, winners of the previous twenty men’s editions, fielded a powerhouse lineup of Toni Bou, Jaime Busto and Gabriel Marcelli, all of whom have dominated the top three of the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship since 2023. They began the weekend as clear favourites, but the fight for the remaining podium positions was wide open, with hosts Italy, France, and Great Britain all in contention.
In the men’s competition, a team’s two best scores from three attempts per section counted toward the final total. Early on, Jack Peace and brothers Harry Hemingway and George Hemingway put Great Britain in front after Spain added five penalty points in section four. Their advantage lasted only until section six, the last hazard among the massive riverbed boulders, where the reigning champions reasserted control. Despite picking up a further six penalties on the final section, Spain’s total of twenty-one at the halfway mark — including three time penalties — left them nineteen points clear of Great Britain in second.
Italy, represented by Matteo Grattarola, Lorenzo Gandola and Francesco Titli, had improved steadily but back-to-back maximum scores on sections four and five dropped them to third, a spot they could not regain despite heroic efforts in front of their home fans. Spain’s second-lap performance, scoring just nine, saw them finish on thirty points overall, a winning margin of forty-nine. The British trio celebrated a well-earned silver medal, their first podium for Peace and the Hemingway brothers, who were both making their TdN debuts.
“It has been fantastic to be here and to ride with this amazing dream team,” said Bou. “And, of course, I am so happy to win the FIM Trial des Nations again.”
France finished fourth on 138, forty points ahead of a determined Norwegian team comprising Sondre Haga, Jarand-Matias Vold Gunvaldsen and Jone Sandvik.
The Spanish women, led by newly-crowned TrialGP Women champion Berta Abellan along with Daniela Hernando and Laia Pi, had a point to prove after finishing third last season. They did not disappoint, holding a slim advantage over Italy and Great Britain by section six and gradually extending their lead. At the halfway mark, Spain led with twenty-six points — including three time penalties — from Great Britain’s Kaytlyn Adshead, Alice Minta and Alicia Robinson on thirty-two, with Italy on thirty-three.
Lap two saw Italy stage a spirited fightback, but Spain held firm, with both nations cleaning the final section to tie the scores. Spain ultimately took the title on a tie-break. “It’s a young team and we have made history and I’m so, so proud,” said Abellan. “I’ve enjoyed it like always – it has been an amazing event for us.” Great Britain claimed bronze with sixty-two points, eight clear of the Czech Republic, who were two ahead of France. Australia finished ninth.
The International Trophy saw a changing of the guard after two years of Japanese dominance. Japan’s Tsuyoshi Ogawa, Shinya Hirohata and Jin Kuroyama were forced to settle for second following an impressive performance from the United States team of Josh Roper and brothers Alex Myers and Will Myers. The US shared the halfway lead on four points with Germany, Japan just a mark behind, but on the second lap they maintained composure and dropped only one point to finish on seven, clinching victory by four ahead of Japan on a tie-break. “It’s been an amazing weekend and we have had such a good day today,” said Roper. “We rode phenomenally all day and were able to cover for each other, even on sections we messed up, so that really helped our score.”
Germany, Belgium and Poland rounded out the top four while Australia finished a respectable 7th, one behind the Czech Republic.
In the fourth edition of the Challenge des Nations, 2023 champions Norway — Jonas Jørgensen and Maria Ersland — comfortably regained the crown. After an opening lap of ten points to establish a six-point advantage over Great Britain’s Harison Skelton and Sophie Bailey, the Norwegians finished with eighteen on lap two, twenty-eight overall, ten clear of the British pairing. “It has been a great day,” said Ersland. “Me and Jonas did our best and it went very well. It was not very hard, but that meant it was important to stay focused.” Poland’s Wojciech Walczak and Justyna Lonycz secured the final podium step, one point ahead of Italy’s Fabio Mazzola and Laia Pichler.
For the winning Spanish men, this marked their 31st TdN title and 21st consecutive triumph, with Bou part of the winning team on 20 occasions and Marcelli claiming his third victory. Their first-lap score of 18 plus three time penalties was followed by just nine points on the second lap, cementing a dominant display. Bou reflected, “I’m very happy with this latest Trial des Nations. This year we had a great team, with my teammate Gabri and Jaime. It’s always a special competition, and we enjoyed the day. We managed to stay focused from the first section onwards and achieved our goal. I want to thank the Spanish Federation for choosing me for another year, and I’m very happy with this victory. Now we’re focusing on the next challenge: The X-Trial World Championship.”
Marcelli added, “This is my third participation in the Trial des Nations, and I’m very happy to have won another title. From the very beginning, we were very competitive, and it was great to be able to share a team with Toni and Jaime, who did a great job. I want to thank the Spanish Federation; it’s always a pleasure to be able to compete for my country. Our next challenge is Andorra, with the start of the X-Trial World Championship, and we’re going to work very hard to achieve a great result there.”
Riders will now turn their focus to the start of the 2026 X-Trial World Championship in Andorra on October 4th.
