Cannondale Factory Racing Lands Career-First World Cup Podium On WTB 7X Hubs.

Cole Punchard takes second at Soldier Hollow as teammate Luca Martin holds the UCI XCO World Cup Men’s Elite Series overall lead aboard WTB’s 7X hubs.

MILL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA – September 21, 2026 – Cannondale Factory Racing team rider Cole Punchard (Canada) rode WTB’s Frequency 7X hubs to a career-first elite World Cup podium this past weekend at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, the penultimate round of the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Series. WTB sponsors Cannondale Factory Racing with Frequency 7X hubs in Reserve wheels at Cannondale’s request. Cannondale Factory Racing riders have tested and raced the hubs throughout the 2026 season, helping WTB fine-tune them ahead of their first commercial availability as part of WTB’ gravel wheelsets on September 29, 2026 . and WTB’s mountain wheelsets thereafter. 

Punchard  claimed the first elite World Cup podium of his career, finishing second in Elite Men’s Cross Country Olympic (XCO) just five seconds behind race winner Martin Vidaurre Kossmann after a race decided on the final lap. Teammate Luca Martin (France) finished seventh, 15 seconds back. In Saturday’s Elite Men’s Short Track (XCC), Martin took second and Charlie Aldridge (Great Britain) took third, both within one second of winner Sam Gaze.

“It is an honor to be sponsoring athletes at the World Cup level. Most recently, this last weekend, Cole Punchard won his first elite World Cup podium, which we can see as his first among many. This is exactly the kind of result we hoped to see when we partnered with Cannondale Factory Racing,” said WTB CEO Patrick Seidler. “These riders push equipment harder than anyone, and the feedback they have given us across a full season of racing is what will make the 7X hub dependable, light and high performing when it reaches riders everywhere.”

WTB Frequency 7X hubs weigh less than 300 grams per pair and are engineered to meet the demands of elite cross-country racing. Large-diameter Enduro bearings provide smooth rolling performance and long-term reliability, while a DLC-coated ratchet-ring drive system delivers responsive and efficient power transfer during accelerations, technical climbs and full-gas race efforts

All Cannondale Factory Racing riders have competed on Frequency 7X hubs laced to Reserve wheels throughout the 2026 season. The hubs have already carried Luca Martin to Men’s Elite XCO World Cup victories in Lenzerheide and La Thuile and helped the team to World Championship medals in Val di Sole, where Aldridge and Punchard took XCO silver and bronze. With one round remaining at Lake Placid, Martin leads the Men’s Elite XCO World Cup series overall. Testing and feedback from CFR riders have helped WTB fine-tune the hubs while proving their dependability, low weight and performance ahead of their expected commercial availability as part of WTB mountain and gravel wheelsets.

About WTB

Founded in 1982, WTB was formed in Marin County, the birthplace of mountain biking, to design better bicycle products. Renowned for saddles, tires, wheels, rims, grips, and accessories, this rider-driven company continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible through an unrelenting spirit of innovation and passion for two-wheeled adventure. See WTB.com. WTB also advocates to “Save the World with Bicycles” through the non-profit WTB-TAM, which focuses on improving mobility with integrated cycling systems that design around people. 

Read about WTB’s Frequency 7X Hubs HERE or scan the QR code below.

**Photo Credit: @mmondini_photo / Cannondale Factory Racing