The Spanish men’s and women’s teams claimed the two biggest prizes up for grabs at the 2025 FIM Trial des Nations (TdN) at Tolmezzo in Italy today and there was victory for the United States in the second-tier International Trophy as Norway regained the Challenge des Nations title.
- Toni Bou, Jaime Busto and Gabriel Marcelli dominate men’s category
- Berta Abellan, Daniela Hernando and Laia Pi take women’s title on a tie-break
- United States win International Trophy and Norway regain Challenge des Nations title
An annual competition to determine which country has the right to call itself the sport’s undisputed number one for the next twelve months, this year’s TdN returned to the scene of its 2011 edition where a technical and testing course of fifteen sections – the majority of which were plotted in an imposing dry riverbed and on steep, rock-strewn bankings – was tackled twice.
Winners of the men’s competition for the previous twenty consecutive editions, Spain fielded Toni Bou (Montesa), Jaime Busto (GASGAS) and Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) – who have dominated the top three of the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship since 2023 – and started as clear favourites, but the remaining podium positions were too close to call with the home nation vying with France and Great Britain.
With a team’s two best scores from three attempts at each section counting towards the final result, it was Jack Peace (Sherco) and brothers Harry Hemingway (Beta) and George Hemingway (Beta) who seized an early advantage for Great Britain after the Spanish trio added five to their total in section four, but their lead only lasted until section six – the last hazard set among the massive riverbed boulders – before the reigning champions assumed control.
Despite adding a further six to their score on the final section that twisted up, down and around a steep bank with a series of big concrete steps, Spain’s total of twenty-one at the halfway mark – that included three time penalties – saw them nineteen clear of Great Britain in second.
Tied on observation with Great Britain, but with three additional time penalties, the Italian team of Matteo Grattarola (Beta), Lorenzo Gandola (Beta) and Francesco Titli (TRRS) had improved throughout the opening lap to pull clear of France’s Hugo Dufrese (Beta), Benoit Bincaz (Electric Motion) and Alexandre Ferrer (Montesa) who ended the lap on fifty-six.
As the Spanish began to tighten their stranglehold, Italy – silver medallists in 2024 – briefly moved ahead of Great Britain before back-to-back maximum scores of ten on sections four and five dropped them back to third, a position they could not improve on despite some heroic performances in front of their passionate home fans.
Following a second lap score of just nine that took their total to thirty, the jubilant Spanish team’s winning margin of forty-nine was an accurate reflection of their dominance, however, spirits were almost as high under the British awning where Peace and the Hemingway brothers – who were both making their TdN debuts – were celebrating snatching silver from Italy by just six marks.
“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.”
Just to underline how tough the trial was, fourth-placed France finished on one-hundred-and-thirty-eight and that was forty ahead of a determined effort by the Norwegian trio of Sondre Haga (GASGAS), Jarand-Matias Vold Gunvaldsen (TRRS) and Jone Sandvik (Sherco).
While their male counterparts’ victory was hardly a surprise, the Spanish women started the day with a point to prove after finishing third last season and newly-crowned TrialGP Women champion Berta Abellan (Scorpa) along with Daniela Hernando (Beta) and Laia Pi (Beta) did not disappoint.
Last year’s silver medallists, the home team of Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta), Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) and Martina Gallieni (Sherco) took an early lead from the British team aiming to take their third consecutive win, but by section six the Spanish held a slim advantage that they gradually extended as the lap progressed.
At the halfway mark Spain led on a total of twenty-six – that included three time penalties – from the British trio of Kaytlyn Adshead (Sherco), Alice Minta (Beta) and Alicia Robinson (Beta) on thirty-two and Italy on thirty-three.
Lap two saw a very competitive Italian team stage a spirited fightback as they clawed their way into contention. The British team did their best to stay with the leaders, but their challenge slowly fell away leaving Spain and Italy to fight it out at the front and after both nations cleaned the final section the scores were level with the Spanish taking 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.”
With their total of sixty-two placing them eight behind, Great Britain took the bronze medal with a seventeen-mark cushion back to Denisa Pechackova (TRRS) and Petra Budínová (TRRS) representing the Czech Republic who in turn were just two clear of a French team comprising Marine Aurieres (Beta), Margaux Pena (Electric Motion) and Alycia Soyer (TRRS).
Japan has dominated the International Trophy for the last two years, but time around their team of Tsuyoshi Ogawa (Beta), Shinya Hirohata (Montesa) and Jin Kuroyama (Sherco) were forced to settle for second following an impressive performance from a United States team comprising Josh Roper (GASGAS) and brothers Alex Myers (Scorpa) and Will Myers (Sherco).
On a low-scoring day where the ability to soak up pressure was vital, the US – last year’s silver medallists – shared the lead at the halfway stage on a total of four with the German trio of Jonathan Heidel (Beta), Johannes Heidel (Beta) and Paul Reumschuessel (TRRS) with Japan another mark behind in third.
Remaining incredibly calm and collected, on their second lap the US team dropped their score by a mark to finish on a total of seven, leaving them four ahead of a two-way tie for second with Japan getting the decision over Germany on a tie-break.
“It’s been an amazing weekend and we have had such a good day today,” said Roper. “We rode phenomenal all day and were able to cover for each other, even on sections we messed up, so that really helped our score.”
Contested by two-rider, mixed-gender teams, the fourth edition of the Challenge des Nations was won by 2023 champions Norway represented by Jonas Jørgensen (Beta) alongside Maria Ersland (Vertigo).
After parting with ten marks on the opening lap to establish a six-mark advantage over second-placed Harison Skelton (Scorpa) and Sophie Bailey (GASGAS) representing Great Britain, the Norwegians completed their second lap on eighteen with their final total of twenty-eight placing them ten ahead 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 focussed.”
Following a fierce fight for the final step of the podium, Poland’s Wojciech Walczak (GASGAS) and Justyna Lonycz (GASGAS) finished on a total of seventy-five, one ahead of Italy’s Fabio Mazzola (TRRS) and Laia Pichler (TRRS).
The TdN concludes top-flight outdoor Trial competition for another year, but for regular news check out our social media platforms on Facebook, X and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.