Laura Smulders reclaimed the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Cup Women Elite overall title on the final day in Sarasota, Florida. The Dutch rider closed the season on 3,721 points, finishing ahead of Bethany Shriever in the only American round of the calendar.
The plate lost on Saturday, won back on Sunday
Smulders had arrived at the Sarasota BMX Track with the overall lead, just 11 points clear of Shriever. Saturday's Round 9 was dry, and Shriever won it to take the leader's plate into the last day. That put the pressure on Smulders.
Showers fell on Sunday and tested the riders on the final day. In the final, Shriever tried to pass Smulders on the third straight, but the move backfired. Leila Walker then came past Shriever in the final turn to take third.
Zoé Claessens won Sunday's Round 10 final. Smulders rode a calculated race to cross the line second, while Shriever could only finish fifth. The result returned the overall lead to Smulders by 98 points.
A veteran answers in the season finale
Smulders is the Dutch rider with more World Cup wins than anyone else in the discipline. The title closed a long season of ten rounds across four stages, with the overall honours shared by four riders from three nations.
Smulders had taken the Women Elite final at Papendal in the Netherlands, and again in China at Beijing and at Zhangjiakou. Shriever answered at Chongli and in Sarasota on Saturday. The duel carried all the way to the last final, which FatBMX said went to the wire.
Behind them, Shriever finished second overall on 3,623 points. Claessens secured third on 3,199 points, helped when Molly Simpson failed to reach Sunday's final. The Sarasota rounds brought the 2026 season to a close.
