The 2024 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series returned this weekend for the penultimate round of competition of the UCI Downhill World Cup, and the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
The Loudenvielle – Peyragudes round of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series was billed as a possible title decider for both the men’s and women’s Elite titles ahead of October’s final race in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
And at the end of a thrilling day of racing reigning overall UCI Downhill World Cup champions Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Valentina Höll (YT Mob) both secured overall victory for a second season running.
The two Elite gravity racers defended their titles in style, wrapping up the season with one round to spare, despite hugely tough conditions on the wet and wind-swept mountainside in the Pyrenees.
Neither rider could replicate their winning rides in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes last year, but it was a glorious day for the huge crowd nonetheless. Home riders Myriam Nicole Commencal/Muc-Off Riding) and Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) won the women’s and men’s Elite races and Max Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off By Riding Addiction) kicked off the French medal rush earlier in the day with victory in the men’s junior race.
Höll’s second place in the Pyrenees was enough to seal the overall title as her closest rival Tahnee Seagrave (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) crashed out of contention, finishing 10th in a bitter blow for the Brit. Bruni had looked on course to take the series victory by the halfway point of his race to but he faded to fourth, only realising he had done enough to win the overall when he was told in his post-race interview.
Storms battered the Louron Valley all week and the weather wreaked havoc on Saturday’s schedule, forcing the cancellation of the Elite semi-finals and limiting practice runs. Sunday dawned thankfully dry but conditions rapidly worsened, with clouds rolling in at the height of the mountain and poor visibility making the highest top sections even tougher, before the heavens opened during the women’s race.
The stunning spot in the Pyrenees has hosted stage finishes of the Tour de France and famously featured in James Bond movies, and it was once again a theatre for high drama after its debut in the UCI Downhill World Cup series last year.
Following last week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pal Arinsal, Andorra, this penultimate round of the UCI Downhill World Cup was just a short hop over the border, with a fleet of new rainbow jerseys leading the charge.
HÖLL SECURES UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP OVERALL VICTORY AS SEAGRAVE CRASHES OUT OF CONTENTION
The women’s Elite UCI Downhill World Cup title was decided amidst driving rain as YT MOB’s Valentina Höll sealed victory with a second-place finish just a week after winning the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
Home favourite Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) took her first win since 2022 as she surged to victory in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, besting overall race leader Höll by 1.145 seconds. But second place was enough for Höll to secure the overall series win with one round to spare, as her closest challenger Tahnee Seagrave crashed amid dismal conditions at the close of the race.
Britain’s Phoebe Gale (Canyon CLLCTV FMD) set the fastest time early on, but it was another Brit and Canyon rider, Seagrave, who had laid down the marker in qualifying. The Fort William winner was the only rider who could have prevented Höll from doubling up on rainbow stripes and UCI World Cup glory, and the crowd was buzzing ahead of their hotly-anticipated clash.
Höll put disappointing fifth places in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) and Val di Sole, Trentino (Italy) behind her last week as she charged to a third straight UCI World Championships title in Andorra. The 22-year-old lost 0.277 seconds to Gale in the top section in Loudenvielle, where the visibility continued to deteriorate, but she only got better as the course went on. The Austrian qualified seventh, 8.657 seconds off the pace, but had clearly saved her best for when it mattered. She built up speed and attacked every part of the course to best Gale’s hot-seat time by 3.657 seconds.
Myriam Nicole had come second to Höll in last week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships by just half-a-second and the Frenchwoman – who qualified third fastest here - was clearly determined Loudenvielle-Peyragudes wouldn’t see the same result.
After a succession of top-five finishes she was due a win and, roared on by the home crowd, she slipped into the provisional lead by just 0.047 seconds at the second time split. She dropped 0.363 down at the third split but a flying run saw her power back into the lead, and she crossed the line 1.145 seconds ahead of her Austrian rival to move into the hot seat.
The exposed, open top section of the mountain was almost completely obscured by thick fog as the race continued, with the faster qualifiers setting off in white-out conditions and unable to see the lines in front of them.
A result of fourth or better for fastest qualifier Tahnee Seagrave would guarantee the title would go down to the wire in Canada, but it was to be a bitter disappointment for the Brit.
Seagrave posted a faster time at the first split but her hopes of taking her first senior title came to a crashing halt as she hit the deck in the early section. The Brit has been back to her best this season but went down in the lashing rain and couldn’t recover, finishing 10th.
Speaking after her win, Loudenvielle – Peyragudes winner Myriam Nicole said: “It means the world, it’s not good with these conditions, but despite this I’m really happy. What a comeback, I’m super stoked, and winning today with a French crowd…
“I gave it to the end, it was a tough track, at the start it was super windy, so we had to adapt. I pushed to the bottom, and I didn’t give up. Being back at the top, it’s an incredible feeling, and in France it’s even better. I’ve been through everything, I’m super super lucky to have [my team] with me.”
New UCI Downhill World Cup winner Höll said: “It’s insane, even if it’s not the conditions I wanted to fight for overall. It’s the first time I’m happy not starting last. I’m really sorry for Tahnee [Seagrave], she was riding so strong, I hope she’s not injured. On my side I’m really happy and stoked and I can go on holiday next week!
“It’s way more stressful than last year [having close competition for victory], I’m not really enjoying it but it’s a different kind of nerves. When you do your best and it works out at the end it’s an amazing feeling. I was just lacking commitment [yesterday], I was just on the breaks the whole time, I wasn’t really feeling it, obviously I was tired from the World Champs. It’s not an excuse, but I’ll take it!”
COULANGES WINS IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD AS BRUNI LOCKS UP FOURTH UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP TITLE
It was double delight for the French fans in the men’s Elite race as series leader Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) sealed a fourth UCI Downhill World Cup title with a fourth-placed finish in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, while compatriot Benoît Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) took victory in the penultimate round of the season.
It was a second series victory for Coulanges, who qualified just 16th-fastest but was unstoppable in grim conditions in the Pyrenees, posting a time of 3:40.480. Reece Wilson (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) came second, 2.231 seconds down, with European champion Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) third.
One of many fast Frenchmen in contention, Coulanges (Dorval AM Commencal) was able to take advantage of the track before it was completely destroyed, and his assured performance meant he moved into the hot seat with the fastest time. The Frenchman celebrated with the crowds as he crossed the line but faced a nervous wait as racer after racer dropped in. Ultimately not even the series winner could better his time as Commencal bikes took a clean sweep of all four races in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes this weekend.
Bruni capitalised on a late drop-in time and the drying track to post the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying of 3:35, and got off to a similar start in Sunday’s race, fastest at the first two splits and expertly negotiating the toughest corners. The Frenchman had a point to prove after crashing out of contention for an incredible sixth rainbow jersey in Andorra, where he finished 78th.
Ultimately victory would be beyond his grasp but fourth place on the day was enough to secure yet another UCI Downhill World Cup title, as his closest rival Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) crashed and could only manage 10th.
Pierron, who was fifth at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships last week, was 0.269 seconds off the pace at the first split but paid the price for his blistering start as he got caught in a rut and crashed into the mud. It was a heartbreaking finish for the Frenchman, who was the only man within touching distance of Bruni for the overall, as he finished 10.499 seconds off Coulanges’ time.
Newly crowned UCI world champion Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) was powering down the mountainside and hoping to mirror his triumph in Andorra but just missed a rut on a corner and tumbled off his bike, impressively managing to rescue his run to finish 14th.
Fourth-fastest qualifier Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) came unstuck in an early left-hander that brought several other riders to grief, dropping down to seven seconds off the pace. In third place overall at the start of the day, he was straight back on his bike and fighting on, but he slid out on a swerving corner, finishing the course coated head to toe and mud and with the title out of his grasp.
Speaking after his victory, Coulanges said: “Vive la France! Thank you to the French fans, I feel a bit lucky today. I’m really stoked to win my second World Cup here in France. I really like muddy conditions, you hear the sound of the rain, the water on the ground, makes you feel like you’re riding really fast. I just love it.”
Bruni was another to cheer in delight as he was told in his post-race interview that he had secured the overall victory, saying: “I didn’t know! No way, actually? Oh my god, sick – Apart from that, I was really happy with today’s performance. We have a bad spell on the World Cup at the moment, we see conditions change on the last minute so it’s quite difficult to deliver proper race runs. I’m really proud of my performance and my team, we tried to stay confident, so super happy.
“My mechanic one minute and a half before I dropped in showed me [Amaury’s crash], which lifted some pressure, he’s an absolute danger-man in these conditions, so it kind of released a little bit of pressure. Most of the lines were destroyed, so it was a new kind of ride… struggle-bus! I tried to have fun, the crowd was still pretty amazing, so can’t complain. I knew if I could put aside the negativity of failing [at the UCI World Championships] I could keep riding pretty solid, and I think I showed this weekend the pace is good, and even on wet conditions we are not too shabby!”
UCI WORLD CHAMPION VAN LEUVEN CHARGES IN UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP OVERALL LEAD WITH WIN IN LOUDENVIELLE – PEYRAGUDES
It was a dramatic start to the day as Downhill Junior UCI Mountain Bike World champion Erice van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) took her win at Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, snatching the overall series lead from compatriot Eliana Hulsebosch (Union-Forged by Steel City Media).
Van Leuven triumphed in Pal Arinsal, Andorra last week to retain the rainbow stripes and carried on that fine form to beat Heather Wilson (Muc-Off Young Guns) by just 3.034 seconds, posting a winning time of 4:09.898.
Sacha Earnest (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) was the fastest qualifier, and van Leuven faced a nervy wait in the hot seat for her fellow Kiwi to finish her run, but last year’s winner in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes ran out of gas and finished third.
Former series leader Hulsebosch suffered an early crash and never quite got back into contention for a spot on the podium. She finished fifth despite hitting the deck, but it wasn’t enough to keep hold of her UCI Downhill World Cup lead as she slipped to third overall, with Wilson rising up into second.
It’s tight at the top of just 20 points separating first from third the women’s junior standings with, and with just one UCI Downhill World Cup round left, the fight for the overall title will go right down to the wire in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
Speaking after the race, Van Leuven said: “I was really motivated, it’s always really good to back it up after getting the stripes again. Just really proud of myself and stoked as to how my run went. First day of practice was crazy, [it was] a mudbath. This morning it was a bit slick, but then race-run track was awesome, just had to let it rip and have some fun. I obviously don’t take it [the UCI World Champion’s jersey] for granted, but when you put it on, I just smile and think of how proud of myself I am.”
FRENCHMAN MAX ALRAN WINS IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD, WAYMAN THIRD DESPITE HUGE CRASH ON THE LINE
The drama continued in the men’s junior race as European champion Max Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) took the win at the death, completing the course in 3:31.707 to soar into the overall lead in the UCI Downhill World Cup series. Alran qualified fastest and was the last rider to take to the start line, riding into provisional first despite being fifth at the first time split and snatching the win from Tyler Waite (Yeti Fox Factory Race Team) by 1.64 seconds.
The race was dogged by crash after crash on the mountain as the riders threw themselves down the course. Bode Burke (Outlaw United), third in last week’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, was among those to hit the deck and did not finish, but hardly any riders managed a clean run on the fast and furious track.
Luke Wayman (Gravity Cartel - Rogue Racing) made it into third place despite crashing right on the line. The young Aussie flew through the course, second at the first two splits and first at the final two and looked certain to post the winning time before he spectacularly flew off his bike at the final turn. He hit the deck hard but was carrying so much speed that he and his bike made it over the line to record the fastest time of 3:36.098, and he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and made his way to the hot seat, where he stayed until first Waite and then Alran beat his time.
UCI Mountain Bike Downhill Junior World champion Asa Vermette had shaved three seconds off Wayman’s time at the second split but was another to crash as the conditions worsened, with mist rolling in and making the visibility near-zero at the top. The Frameworks Racing rider flew over his handlebars after getting caught in between the left and right side of a rut, making a huge impact and putting an end to his hopes of victory to back up his rainbow jersey-winning ride last week in Andorra. He eventually finished 20th and now sits 33 points behind Alran in the overall standings with one race to go, with Wayman 54 points off the lead in third.
Alran was nearly speechless as he posted victory in front of a thrilled home crowd, saying after his win: “It was so good, I really enjoyed the track. Pretty hard but so fun to ride. I gave it all I had. It’s just incredible – thanks everyone, my parents are here, really, really happy to win here, incredible place.”
The final round of the UCI Downhill World Cup heads to Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada in October (4-6), where the Junior titles will be decided.
