Canadian riders Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race Division) and Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) proved their technical skills as they won the women’s and men’s Elite titles at round two of the UCI Downhill World Cup in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes (France), presented by FACOM.
Hemstreet recorded her first UCI Downhill World Cup victory, while Goldston marked his return from injury to take a third Elite career UCI World Cup race win. It was also the first time two North Americans have won both the Men Elite and Women Elite UCI Downhill World Cup races respectively on the same day since 1999. There was more history made for Hemstreet who became the first Canadian women to win a Women Elite UCI Downhill World Cup.
The cold and wet conditions experienced at the opening round in the Enduro Trails of Bielsko-Biała, Poland made way for warm, fast and dusty conditions in the French Pyrenees.
While several of her competitors crashed out Hemstreet completed a fearless run to take her maiden victory.
Goldstone won two Men Elite UCI Downhill World Cups during his maiden senior season in 2023. However, last season the young Canadian crashed into a tree and tore his ACL and MCL – ruling him out for the whole 2024 UCI Downhill World Cup series. Goldstone showed a masterful technique as he flew down the wooded slopes in the French Pyrenees.
The men’s Junior events saw another North American winner in the form of Bode Burke (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) who carried the most speed into the finish to snatch victory. Meanwhile, Austrian Lina Frener (Norco Race Division) provided the most commanding win of the day in the women’s Junior category.
GOLDSTONE COMPLETES ROAD BACK FROM INJURY WITH SKILLFUL DISPLAY
Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) pushed the course limits to take his first UCI Downhill World Cup win since 2023. The 21-year-old, former Junior UCI Downhill World Champion survived a blustery top section and then used his technical ability to set a blistering time in the wood section.
The UCI ‘DH World Cup’ trail was created especially for the 2023 UCI Downhill World Cup and dry and dusty conditions resulted in exciting racing.
Former UCI Downhill World Cup winner Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) set the quickest time of the weekend of 3:16.1 to put pressure on those waiting in the starting house.
The technical course took a host of early victims as Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (MS-Racing), Davide Palazzari (Rogue Racing – SR Suntour) and Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – DH) were amongst those who saw their hopes ended by mistakes.
After missing last season through injury Goldstone survived the blustery top section and then found new lines through the woods to set the quickest time through the final two sectors to post a quickest time of 3:13.1 – almost three seconds faster than Williams.
Four French riders were amongst the final five starters and provided hope of victory for the home fans.
Nathan Pontvianne (Goodman Santacruz) pushed the bottom section to the limits and his time of 3:16.3 was good enough for fourth.
UCI Downhill World Champion, Loris Vergier (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) struggled for speed throughout the course and he finished nearly four seconds back in seventh.
Last year’s overall UCI Downhill World Cup victor, Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), was quicker than Goldstone through the first sector before misjudging a ramp resulting in going 1.3 seconds behind. With time to find, Bruni was forced into mistakes and consistently lost time in the lower section to finish 15th.
Final starter Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) went close to the leading time, but some small mistakes on the lower section resulting in him finishing runner-up a second behind and Williams was third.
"It feels good to be back, I can’t believe that I won,” said Goldstone. “I really liked it and gave it everything in the bottom two splits.
“I got into a really good zone, I wasn’t nervous for some reason. I had so much fun out of there. Amaury [Pierron] had me on my toes there, he had such a good run going but the last two splits really helped me there. I’m stoked to pull it off.”
Talking about Canadian riders winning both the Elite events he added: “It’s huge for Gracey. I’m so stoked.”
After two rounds a second-place finish for Pierron gives him the series lead just 40 points ahead of French countryman Bruni.
HEMSTREET TAKES MAIDEN WORLD CUP WIN WITH FEARLESS RUN
British rider Harriet Harnden (Aon Racing - Tourne Campervans) was the biggest-name who failed to qualify for the finals, but many more left the French course disappointed after crashes.
Opting for full mud tyres on the slippery terrain, Swiss rider Camille Balanche (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing Team) sent a message to her rivals by setting an early leading time of 3:48.7.
The dusty and rutted terrain caught a host of riders out, with Eleonora Farina (MS-Racing) one of those who came down heavily on the track.
UCI Downhill World Champion Valentina Höll (YT Mob) showed formidable form as she mastered the slopes taking 1.8 seconds out of her rivals on the opening sector and increasing her advantage through each sector. Höll reached the bottom of the hill in a quickest time of 3:42.3 – over six seconds quicker than her nearest rival.
Marine Cabirou (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) and Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) were amongst those who saw their hopes ended by mistakes on the technical course. Meanwhile, 2024 UCI Downhill European Champion Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) looked to be heading towards a podium place before also being flung off her bike after getting her tyre stuck in a rut.
It was Gracey Hemstreet who would provide the ride of the day. Despite losing three seconds to Höll on the top section the Canadian came fighting back on the technical wooded part and took a three second lead at the finish - posting a quickest time of 3:39.1.
Opening round winner Tahnee Seagrave (Orbea/FMD Racing) was the penultimate rider to challenge the time and recorded the fastest opening split of the day. However, the fearless middle and bottom section of Hemstreet was too formidable, with Höll finishing second and Seagrave third.
After two rounds Seagrave has a healthy lead of 116 points in the overall standings.
“I can’t believe it,” said Hemstreet. “This has been a dream come true forever, and it has finally happened.
"I just tried the death grip and went as fast as I could. I was a bit scared of the loose stuff but was fully pinned everywhere else. I was just cautious in those sketchy areas and then let it go on the rest. The triple at the top, I couldn’t hit it, I rolled it, it was hard.”
FRENER AND BURKE SHOWCASE TALENTS TO WIN JUNIOR EVENTS
Lina Frener (Norco Race Division) and Bode Burke (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) provided masterful performances in the Women Junior and Men Junior UCI Downhill World Cups.
Burke recorded the quickest time in the final sector to win the men’s competition in 3:16.6. The American qualified in the middle of the pack and had to watch his rivals come close to his benchmark.
New Zealand’s Tyler Waite (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) was quick starting on the open sections but lost vital time on the bottom half as he finished five hundreds of a second behind in second.
Meanwhile, quickest qualifier Till Alran (Commencal-Muc-off by Riding Addiction) also suffered in the wooded latter stages and placed fourth, one place behind team-mate Max Alran.
Heading into the third round of the series Max Alran has a slender five-point overall lead over Waite.
“I’m so happy, I didn’t expect that,” said Burke. “I had a huge crash this morning. I’m so happy to get down. To do that was amazing for me. I took it easy in qualifying. Eleven seconds was going to be a stretch, but somehow it happened.”
In the women’s Junior event, Frener was a convincing winner and posted the quickest time on three of the four course splits. Frener went seven seconds quicker than her qualifying time to post a winning mark of 3:50.2.
Quickest qualifier Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) felt the pressure and needed to better her time from the previous day to take victory. The Kiwi went fastest at the first split before crashing out on a dusty left-hand corner to end her race challenge – eventually finishing fifth.
It was an Austrian one-two as Rosa Zierl (Cube Factory Racing) joined Frener on the podium, while USA’s Matilda Melton (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) placed third.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Frener. “I just get down and have fun on my bike. I changed some of my lines from qualifying.”
Gravity and endurance riders will meet next weekend when the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series heads to Saalfelden Leogang in Salzburgerland (Austria) from 6-8 June.
Competition starts on Friday with the UCI Downhill World Cup qualifying followed by the UCI Cross-country Short Track World Cup. The UCI Downhill World Cup final runs will take centre stage on Saturday, before the UCI Enduro World Cup and UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup concludes the action on Sunday.
