The 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup has been closer than ever, impossible to predict and already a record breaker.
Now, approaching the halfway point with three of eight rounds in the bag, it’s Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Camille Balanche (Dorval AM Commencal) who are leading the way in the elite fields coming into Andorra.
Goldstone is out front by a scant 12 points from his Canadian countryman Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity). In third place just 32 points further back is France’s Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity).
In the women’s, Balanche leads newly-crowned World Champion Valentina Höll (Rockshox Trek Race Team) by just 38 points. British downhill legend Rachel Atherton (Continental Atherton) lies in third after racing at just two of the first three 2023 rounds.
The UCI mountain bike World Series Downhill season kicked off at the start of June in Lenzerheide in Switzerland.
The form book was promptly torn up with two of the most notable wins in recent history - Britain’s Atherton took an unprecedented 40th UCI World Cup win after a break of several years.
The men’s race was won by another Brit but this one was a rider racing their first-ever elite level UCI World Cup - Specialized Gravity’s Jordan Williams.
The series then moved across the border to Leogang in Austria - a venue that always produces close racing.
History was made yet again with a double Austrian win on home soil.
Valentina Höll finally ticked off victory at her home track to get the crowd going before Andreas Kolb sent them into raptures with his debut UCI World Cup win after nearly a decade of trying.
The third round took place on one of the most terrifying tracks of all - Val di Sole Trentino.
Again, Höll struck gold with her second win of the season. Superb consistency however sees her great rival Balanche still sporting the overall points jersey. Will she still have it in her possession come Saturday evening in Pal Arinsal - Andorra?
The Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Jackson Goldstone had had enough of watching his rivals doing the winning and stormed to his debut elite win at Val Di Sole with one of the best runs of the season so far. Incredibly, it put the 18-year-old Canadian into the overall points leader's vest.
In the Junior standings after three rounds, it’s France’s Lisa Bouladou leading the women’s overall and Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) leading the men’s.
We can’t wait to find out who can take to the top step this weekend in Pal Arinsal Andorra. You can watch all the action across GCN+ (globally), on the Eurosport App, discovery+ and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel. To find out more, click here.
