The UCI Downhill World Cup’s penultimate round is upon us in Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York (USA), and with two more races before the curtain closes on a nail-biting 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, every point from qualifying and finals takes on even more importance in the race for the overall title.
It was a sunny day on the Whiteface Mountain course as riders laid down the venue’s first Downhill qualifying runs on what is a brand new 2.2km course.
All eyes were on Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Valentina Höll (YT Mob) and Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race Division) – the foursome the most mathematically likely winners of the overall next weekend.
HÖLL LAYS DOWN A MARKER
Vali Höll is still without a UCI World Cup win this season, but the Austrian isn’t letting that impact her qualifying, going fastest again in Q1 by almost six seconds to show that she was already up to speed on the New York State track. The 23-year-old was fastest in each intermediate split and dominated the hill from the start hut to the finish line.
Sacha Earnest (Trek Factory Racing DH) and Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) were the only two riders to get within six seconds of the UCI Downhill World Champion, who is looking likely to break her winless streak tomorrow.
Höll’s closest competitor in the overall series, Hemstreet, was forced to go again in Q2 after an error-strewn first attempt. The Canadian dusted herself down though to go fastest at the second time of asking – although her qualifying time was still nine seconds down on Höll’s.
Other riders who scraped through in Q2 include Marine Cabirou (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) and Louise-Anne Ferguson (Axess Intense Factory Racing). Jess Blewitt’s (Cube Factory Racing) weekend meanwhile is over, and the New Zealander will have to wait another week before going between the race tape.
Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) qualified in first for the women’s Junior Downhill finals.
SHAW PUTS ON A SHOW FOR HOME FANS
Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) might not have picked up a win year this series, but the American gave himself the best chance yet, crushing the Whiteface Mountain course in 3:09.29. The 28-year-old was fastest at the first intermediate split, but recovered after a slightly slower middle section to edge Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team - DH) by 0.176 seconds.
The Australian was the only rider to get within a second of Shaw, and would have probably edged it if the course had been slightly longer, recovering from 21st at the first intermediate split and setting the fastest speed on the speed check – 64.655km/h.
Benoit Coulanges (Scott Downhill Factory) edged compatriot Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) to go third fastest in Q1, but the Bike Kingdom-Lenzerheide (Switzerland) winner from two weeks ago shouldn’t be overlooked tomorrow.
Another worth keeping your eye on is Aaron Gwin (Gwin Racing) – the legendary American multi-time UCI World Cup overall winner and wildcard entrant qualifying ninth.
In the title race, both Bruni and Goldstone made it through in Q1 – Bruni remaining the only rider to have a 100% Q1 record this series. Both will have a long wait in the hot seat on their hands if they put in fast runs – Bruni qualifying 11th while UCI Downhill World Champion Goldstone was down in 18th.
Elsewhere, Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing), Reece Wilson (Aon Racing-Tourne Campervans) and Bernard Kerr (Pivot Factory Racing) were amongst the 10 riders who made it through in Q2. Some of the big names missing out on finals though include Laurie Greenland (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) and Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity).
Max Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) will be last off the ramp in tomorrow’s men’s Junior finals.
Racing gets underway tomorrow (Saturday, October 4) in Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York from 11:30 EST with the women’s Junior finals. Find out how to watch here.
