Ella MacPhee on her World Cup win: ‘I still can’t put it into words’
The Canadian took the biggest victory of her career, but she still has plenty more she wants to accomplish
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UCI MTB world series/Instagram
On Sunday, Squamish’s Ella MacPhee claimed the biggest win of her career in the Czech Republic, capping off a terrific weekend for Canada’s under-23 women. The day before, Ava Holmgren (Lidl–Trek) led a Canadian sweep of the podium in the short track event in Nové Město na Moravě. Her sister Bella finished second, followed by MacPhee (Wilier–Vittoria Factory Team) in third.
It was a big win for MacPhee—she’d had several podiums before, but the victory had still eluded her.
An incredible day at the races
“I still can’t quite put into words the feeling I have after this weekend. 2023 felt like a breakthrough year, then 2024 topped that, and now I feel like I’ve made another major jump forward in 2025. If someone had told me at the start of my under-23 years that I would win a World Cup, I don’t know if I would have believed it,” she said. “I’ve set sustainable goals each year, and so far I’ve surpassed them every season. Going into the Brazil World Cups, I thought maybe a podium was possible—but I wasn’t sure. Then I came fourth in the XCC, which is usually harder for me. That gave me a major confidence boost and helped me reach my first two World Cup podiums, with second and third in the two XCO events.”
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MacPhee said she started her race with an all-time five-second power record and the best start of her career. The 20-year-old led most of the start loop—something she’d never done before. She remembered coming around the corner at the front, stunned, jaw dropping. Normally chasing from behind, she said the strong start was a major accomplishment and helped set up a successful race.
“I climbed in the lead group and by the final descent, Bella had created a small gap—but unfortunately, she crashed. I came around the corner leading the small chase pack and didn’t see her, only finding out she was out of the race at the bottom feed zone. I was so sorry to hear that, but I’m really happy she’s okay!”
From that point on, MacPhee knew she was battling for the win.
Staying composed and calm
“It was my first time at the very front of a World Cup, and I had to stay composed and not get too excited. I led most of the race but also followed Fiona Schibli at times and noted where she was stronger and where I had the advantage,” she explained.
On the first lap, they reached the Shimano Expert Climb—a steep section where the Swiss rider could always gain a few bike lengths. To counter that, MacPhee made sure to lead into that section in later laps—a smart tactic to hold her position.
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“I think Fiona and I were super evenly matched on this course, both technically and physically. We pulled away from the other two riders who had been with us and worked really well together to push the pace and stay up front battling for the win,” she said.
This is MacPhee’s first year with the Italian-based Wilier–Vittoria Factory Team, and she said things are going great so far. “I really want to thank the amazing staff on my team—Wilier–Vittoria Factory Team—who were everywhere on the course, as well as my coach, Catharine Pendrel, for her great mid-race advice.”
Although she does well in the short track, MacPhee prefers the XCO. It’s always been her stronger discipline, and she wanted a front-row start spot on the grid, which meant cracking the top 8 in the short track.
Pre-race nerves
“I was super nervous for the Nové Město XCC—it’s always really tactical and results can get shaken up quickly. It was crazy because we actually had four false starts. On the final false start, the lights didn’t work. Only Bella and I went on the whistle, and when we got to the end of the straight, no one else was there—so we turned around. After all that chaos, I didn’t reset my gear or pedal position and completely missed my pedal at the real start. I was at the back, but I made one smart move on the start/finish straight to get back to the front,” she said.
MacPhee said her Canadian rivals—and friends—Bella and Ava Holmgren played their tactics well. She chased back a few times but eventually realized it was best to stay calm and lead the big chase group, working toward her own first XCC podium.
“Ava had a good lead, and we had a pack of about eight riders. Bella and I both powered up the grass climb and gained a slight gap. We sprinted and crossed the line just behind Ava to complete the first all-Canadian podium in history. It was an incredible moment. We all lay down on the ground celebrating,” she said. “It was my first podium in the short track, but just being part of an all-Canadian podium and making a little history was so cool. That was Saturday of the World Cup weekend. And I already had so much to celebrate. Little did I know what would happen the next day.”
What’s next for her this year?
Her main focus is the World Cup calendar. She’s currently in Leogang, Austria, preparing for the next weekend’s World Cup. After that, she’ll race in Val di Sole—a stop she’s especially excited for given her place on an Italy-based team. Following that, there will be a short break before the Andorra World Cup. During that time she’ll complete an altitude training block. She’ll return home to Victoria just in time for the Canadian national championships. Then, at the end of August, she’ll be back in Europe to resume the World Cup season and compete at the world championships.
MacPhee grew up in an outdoorsy family and tried mountain biking as a kid. However, it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that she truly fell in love with the sport. Drawn to the challenge of pushing her physical and technical limits, she joined Team Squamish in late 2020. With many events cancelled, her competitive debut came in September 2021 at the BC provincial championships.
That was followed by the nationals in Quebec. Though mechanical issues left her in last place, the experience ignited her passion for racing.
In 2022, she raced with Charge BC XC Racing, competing in most of the Canada Cups. Later that year, she began working with coach Catharine Pendrel. This set the stage for a breakthrough 2023 season. As a first-year under-23 rider, she shocked herself with a second-place finish in Arkansas—her first podium and top Canadian result, which earned her a spot on the national team.
2023 breakthrough season
That year, she raced three World Cups and the world championships. In 2024, she joined Pivot Cycles–OTE, raced the full World Cup calendar, and finished top 10 overall in both XCO and XCC. The highlight of that season was back-to-back 5th-place finishes—meeting her goal of a top-10 World Cup result.
She’s already achieved her main goal for the season: a World Cup podium. But there’s still plenty of racing left.
“I also set a goal to finish top 5 in the overall World Cup standings. There’s a long season ahead with seven more races, but I want to enjoy every moment of racing with the number one plate and wearing the leader’s jersey at the Leogang World Cup next weekend. I hope I can stay consistent and keep working hard while having so much fun living the dream. I haven’t set a specific goal for World Championships, but I definitely want to race well there,” she said.
Although it’s still a long way off, she’s incredibly excited to represent Canada at the world championships in September, alongside a very strong under-23 women’s field. One of her goals this season was to win a championship jersey—and she’s already ticked that box.
“A couple of weeks ago, I won the continental championships! I’m so proud of how composed I stayed throughout the race, despite both internal and external pressure. It was another huge goal checked off, and I loved racing in the new jersey at the Nové Město World Cup,” she said. “Now that jersey will go away for a bit while I wear the World Cup leader’s jersey, but I feel so proud and motivated every time I train in my Pan American champion kit. This season has felt like a dream—truly.”