Luca Shaw (Canyon DH Racing) clinched a long-awaited first Men’s Elite win in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, presented by FACOM. Meanwhile, Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) made history as the first Elite rider to win the UCI Downhill World Cup at the venue twice.
Shaw powered his way to victory, denying home favourite Benoît Coulanges (Scott Downhill Factory), while quickest qualifier Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) rounded out the podium in third. The win ends a 14-year wait for Shaw, who hit speeds of up to 81 km/h on a fearless run down the fast, dry track in the French Pyrenees.
Höll dominated from start to finish, beating Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) into second, with Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) taking third. The dusty conditions and sandy corners resulted in test of bike handling, which caught riders out throughout the weekend.
In the Junior categories, familiar names returned to the top step: Rosa Zierl (Cube Factory Racing) edged a narrow win in the Women’s race, while Jonty Williamson (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) secured his second victory of the Men’s series.
SHAW POWERS TO MAIDEN ELITE UCI WORLD CUP VICTORY
Luca Shaw showed his power out of the gate before holding speed and form down the difficult Loudenvielle-Peyragudes course to take a slender victory in the Men’s Elite category.
The fast and rough bottom sections of the course caused problems all weekend. Previous round winner Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) was absent after crashing out during practice, while defending overall champion Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate), also missed the finals, failing to make it through qualifying after mistakes in both runs.
Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing/TRP) claimed his first Elite UCI Downhill World Cup victory at MONA YongPyong (South Korea) earlier this month. However, in Loudenvielle, the first-year Elite Men’s rider had to come through Q2 to reach the finals, resulting in an earlier start position. The youngster showed fearless riding on the technical lower slopes, but a crash cost him valuable time.
The slippery conditions made life difficult for all riders. Loris Vergier (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) looked set to take the lead before crashing out, while teammate Till Alran suffered a similar fate, sliding out on the loose terrain.
Tyler Waite (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team), however, avoided trouble and showcased his power on the exposed sections to build an advantage. The New Zealander held his advantage on the lower slopes, setting a benchmark time of 3:28.505 for the later starters - eventually finishing fifth.
Australian Troy Brosnan (Canyon DH Racing) was matching the quickest time with a consistent run, before going high on the final bend and falling seven hundreds of a second behind. Benoît Coulanges (Scott Downhill Factory) sent the home fans wild by hitting the corners perfectly to take the lead with an impressive time of 3:27.764.
Looking to avenge a puncture at the previous round, Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) rode with confidence, delivering a smooth run before fading in the final sector to finish fourth, just five tenths off the lead.
The opening section saw Shaw exploded into action, clocking 81 km/h through the speed trap and holding his pace on the lower section to snatch victory by one tenth of a second.
For penultimate starter Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction), it was another nightmare in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes as a further crash on the French track proved costly.
Fastest qualifier Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) lost over a second on the opening power section and continued to bleed time, trailing by more than two seconds heading into the most technical part of the course. The British threw everything at the final sector but ultimately fell six tenths short, finishing third.
Luca Shaw also leads the Elite Men’s overall standings after two rounds. Following his win, Shaw said: “It means so much to me. It’s been 14 years trying to do this. I’ve been so close, so many times. I’ve done everything but get the win, so this is the last thing that I needed to do.
“It’s a sweet one for sure. So many people were telling me that it was only a matter of time, and I wanted to believe that so badly…but you never know, racing is so hard and the level has never been higher. I’m so happy that I could. I was just pedalling, pumping and tucking. Giving it everything I had.”
DOMINANT HÖLL EXTENDS WINNING RUN
Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) completed a perfect weekend with a commanding display in the Women’s Elite race. Last year’s overall winner and UCI Downhill World Champion made light work of the dusty slopes in the French Pyrenees to back up her fastest qualifying time.
Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea FMD Racing) was a notable absentee from Loudenvielle-Peyragudes as she continues to recover from an elbow injury.
European Champion Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) put a consistent ride together as the Swiss rider looked faultless to clock a benchmark time of 3:56.222 – good enough for third.
There was time to be gained in the top section, but Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) lost ground through the technical middle sector, while Sacha Earnest (Trek – Unbroken DH) crashed out.
Valentina Roa Sánchez (MS-Racing) backed up her qualifying performance and tested Baumann’s lead throughout, before stopping the clock nine-tenths of a second slower for fifth. Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) started impressively and was over a second fastest, before hitting a hole and losing momentum. The Canadian remained focused and some aggressive riding helped her go one second faster than Baumann to finish runner-up.
Penultimate starter Myriam Nicole (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) was bidding to earn a home victory for France. The experienced rider led at the midway point, before losing time on the lower slopes and slipping down the order to fourth.
Höll was bidding for her second win at Loudenvielle-Peyragudes and was a commanding presence in the starting gate. The Austrian led in the top section before flying down the steep banks to pull out three seconds on her opponents. Finishing in a time of 3:51.920, which was 3.2 seconds faster than Hemstreet.
After winning the opening two rounds Höll also has a clear advantage in the overall competition.
“I’m happy it’s over,” said Höll. “I learnt pretty well from last year when I was pushing too much at the top and had no energy at the bottom. This time I tried to pace myself a little more. The bike helped a lot on the steep stuff, I’m happy with the set-up, with the team.
“With Lisa [Baumann] also on the podium, it’s so sick. I’ve got a big home race coming up, but I’m going to enjoy this one, recover mentally and physically for Saalfelden-Leogang.”
ZIERL AND WILLIAMSON MAINTAIN OVERALL CHARGE WITH WINS
Rosa Zierl (Cube Factory Racing) took victory by the closest of margins following a dramatic end to the Women’s Junior category. The UCI Downhill World Champion in the age group had to settle for the runner-up position in the previous round and qualified second fastest. She faced tough competition on the slope by fellow Austrian rider Lina Frener (Norco X Adidas Race Division). Frener set an impressive benchmark time which tested the last two riders out of the starting gate. Zierl was behind in the top and middle sections of the course, before finishing quickly and beating Frener’s time by 0.017 of a second.
Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) was the quickest qualifier by over five seconds and winner at the previous round in MONA YongPyong. However, the American had a nightmare first section, crashing and losing over five seconds on her rivals. The Canyon DH Racing competitor came fighting back in the lower sections and finished third just a second behind.
“My run wasn’t perfect but it was still pretty good,” said Zierl. “It was pretty tight with Lina [Frener] who also did well here last year. I knew she was going to be fast. With Aletha [Ostgaard] crashing, I’m sorry, but she was so fast at the bottom, so I still wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough for the win. I’m happy that I won.”
Meanwhile, Jonty Williamson (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) recorded his second victory from as many rounds after another dominant weekend in the Men’s Junior category. The New Zealander was without a win last season but already has two victories to his name this campaign.
Williamson qualified quickest the previous day and despite lines changing in the dusty terrain he produced a flawless display to run out winner in a time of 3:32.781.
Raoul Schneeberger (Santa Cruz Burgtec By Goodman) completed a career-best weekend by matching his second place in qualifying. Meanwhile, Sacha Brizin (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) continued his solid start to the season with a third placed finish.
“The track was changing heaps, and it was super loose,” said Williamson. “I was struggling a bit this morning to sort out my lines. I managed to put a good run down and I rode how I wanted to, smooth, it was good. I’m going to try and do the same thing and bring the momentum into Saalfelden-Leogang.”
Wins for Williamson and Zierl puts them at the top of the overall standings in their categories after two rounds. Meanwhile, Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres lead the team standings by a single point, ahead of COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction.
The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continues in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria) between 11-14 June with a full programme of events for all the Endurance and Gravity competitors.
The Salzburgerland venue is one of only two rounds on the 2026 calendar that hosts four UCI World Cup formats across one weekend – Cross-Country Olympic, Short Track, Downhill and Enduro.
