Sandra Mairhofer returned to competition on Sunday.

In comeback: Mairhofer misses out on top placement

Sandra Mairhofer made her return to the Marathon World Cup on Sunday. However, she played no role in the battle for the top positions at the Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon in Kirchzarten (Germany).

July 26, 2026

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Sandra Mairhofer has been taking a break since mid-May. The sports teacher from Taisten has been struggling with health problems, including muscle pain and lack of strength. This is why she missed the HERO Südtirol Dolomites in June, where she was the defending champion.

On Sunday, the 34-year-old celebrated her comeback. At the Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon, the fifth and penultimate stage of this year's HERO UCI World Cup, she had to settle for 15th place after 118 kilometers and 3.509 meters of elevation gain, finishing in 5:40:51. Anna Weinbeer secured the victory in 4:55:11. The Swiss rider thus extended her lead in the World Cup standings. She finished four minutes ahead of Spain's Natalia Fischer Egusquiza. Third place went to Italy's Claudia Peretti (+7:41 minutes).

Alleman victorious

In the men's race, Belgian Wout Alleman took the victory in 4:14:07, ahead of Spaniard David Valero Serrano (+12,5 seconds) and Italian Davide Foccoli (+19). Valero Serrano thus defended his overall lead in the World Cup standings. The two South Tyrolean marathon specialists, Fabian Rabensteiner from Villanders and Jakob Dorigoni from Pfatten, skipped this World Cup race.