Howard Grotts solidified a third-place finish in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup U23 cross country season standings with a third-place finish in Sunday’s season finale in Val di Sole, Italy.

The Durangoan and former Fort Lewis College rider tackled the course in 1 hour, 20 minutes, 12 seconds.

Great Britain’s Grant Ferguson won Sunday’s race in 1:18:31, and Titouan Carod of France took second in 1:18:57.

Caroud’s silver medal moved him into the top spot in the season standings, relegating Spaniard Pablo Rodriguez to second.

It was Grotts’ third top-three finish of the season, and he finished in the top-10 of all six events.

He also won the U.S. national cross country championship in July.

With the World Cup season over, Grotts’ attention will now shift to the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 in Vallnord, Andorra.

Grotts will ride in the U23 men’s cross country race with Durango High School graduate and CU-Boulder rider Sepp Kuss.

Christopher Blevins will compete in the junior cross country race.

The men’s juniors race is Sept. 3, and the U23 race will be the next day, Sept. 4.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com