Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) and Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) claimed back-to-back victories at the UCI Downhill World Cup in Pal Arinsal – Andorra. For Williams, the triumph marked the third Men Elite UCI World Cup victory of his career and came just one week after ending a three-year wait for success in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta (Italy). The Brit delivered a masterclass in precision and technical riding to continue his impressive run of form. Höll, meanwhile, further underlined her dominance in the Women Elite category, collecting her fifth victory in six rounds of the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.
Set high in the heart of the Pyrenees, the Pal Arinsal Bike Park presented riders with a very different challenge to the demanding slopes of La Thuile. The 2.1-kilometre course, characterised by loose and dusty terrain, rewarded confidence and commitment, allowing riders to carry high speeds through a physically and technically demanding descent.
The next generation of talent also continued to shine, with Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) and Jonty Williamson (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) adding another victory to their growing collections in the Junior categories.
In the Teams competition, Canyon DH Racing emerged victorious in Andorra and COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction retained their place at the top of the overall standings after six rounds, taking a slender advantage into the six-week summer break.
BACK-TO-BACK VICTORIES PROPEL WILLIAMS TO SERIES LEAD
Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) surged to the top of the Men Elite UCI Downhill World Cup overall standings after claiming the third UCI World Cup victory of his career. The 21-year-old first announced himself on the sport’s biggest stage with a breakthrough win at Lenzerheide in his rookie Elite season in 2023. Having ended a three-year wait for victory in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta just a week ago, the Briton backed it up in style with a fearless and commanding run in Pal Arinsal, winning by more than two seconds.
The experienced Troy Brosnan (Canyon DH Racing) laid down the benchmark early, producing a clean ride through the course’s demanding technical sections to stop the clock at 2:45.321. His time ultimately secured seventh place as the pace continued to rise.
After topping Q2 the previous day, Ethan Craik (Scott Downhill Factory) saw his hopes dashed by a crash in the opening high-speed sector. Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing / TRP) also endured a frustrating run after dropping his chain.
Reigning UCI Downhill World Champion Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) continued his search for a first victory of the season. Although the Canadian gained time in the opening section, he lost ground over the lower part of the course and crossed the line more than three seconds off the winning pace in sixth.
With conditions demanding both commitment and composure, Reece Wilson (AON Racing) delivered a brilliantly controlled run to set a new fastest time of 2:43.997. Another highly rated rookie, Max Alran (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction), looked set to challenge for the podium before a chain issue ended his charge.
It proved to be a frustrating afternoon for COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction. Overall contender Amaury Pierron was on pace to challenge for victory before crashing in one of the course’s technical sections. Williams capitalised in emphatic fashion, building speed throughout his run and taking a remarkable 2.331 seconds off Wilson’s benchmark to post a winning time of 2:41.666.
Fellow Specialized Gravity rider Finn Iles had qualified ahead of Williams and arrived in Andorra on the back of a superb season. The Canadian was fastest through the opening sector, gaining three tenths of a second, but could not match Williams’ pace in the technical portions of the track and eventually finished fifth, three seconds adrift.
Wildcard entrant Bode Burke (Crestline Speed Shop) was still in podium contention when a crash ended his run, while fastest qualifier Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Trek – Unbroken DH) also fell victim to the fast and dusty conditions.
While Williams celebrated back-to-back UCI World Cup victories, the race marked a welcome return to the podium for Wilson, whose second-place finish was his first since 2021. Ryan Pinkerton (Mondraker Factory Racing DH) completed the top three to secure the first Men Elite UCI World Cup podium of his career.
Williams heads into the summer break as the overall series leader, holding a 63-point advantage over teammate Iles. Reflecting on his latest triumph, he said: “This is crazy. It’s something that you dream of. To go back-to-back is insane. I can’t thank my team, Specialized Gravity, enough. For us to get four wins in a row on the S-Works Demo 11 is incredible. After my first win in my first Elite race, I went a bit crazy afterwards and didn’t manage to back it up. Being in a team with Loïc [Bruni] and Finn [Iles], I’ve learned so much.
“To win by more than two seconds on a track like this, I honestly didn’t think was possible. I don’t know how I did it. I want to be number one, and now I want to keep this momentum going and fight for the championship.”
HÖLL EXTENDS HER DOMINANCE WITH FIFTH VICTORY OF THE SEASON
Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) continued her remarkable run of form with a fifth victory in six rounds, further strengthening her grip on the Women Elite UCI Downhill World Cup standings. Racing on the home turf of bike manufacturer Commencal, the Austrian delivered another flawless weekend to extend her overall lead heading into the summer break.
The Women Elite field was dealt a major blow before racing even began, with two-time UCI Downhill World Champion Myriam Nicole (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) ruled out of the finals after crashing during practice and suffering a dislocated and fractured finger.
After missing qualification in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta last weekend, Anna Newkirk (Frameworks Racing / TRP) rediscovered the form that carried her to victory in Lenzerheide last month. The American, who adopted race number 14 following that breakthrough win, attacked the dusty Andorran track with confidence to set an early benchmark of 3:10.185, a time that ultimately secured fourth place.
Jenna Hastings (Pivot Factory Racing) followed closely behind. Despite conceding nearly two seconds in the upper part of the course, the New Zealander produced a blistering lower section to finish just five hundredths of a second behind Newkirk in fifth.
The lower half of the track proved decisive throughout the afternoon. European champion Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) was building momentum and setting a competitive pace before her challenge ended in a crash. In contrast, Gracey Hemstreet (Norco x adidas Race Division) showed no hesitation on a course where she crashed twelve months earlier. Continuing her resurgence this season, the Canadian delivered a fearless middle sector and slashed 2.9 seconds from Newkirk’s benchmark to take the lead in 3:07.202.
Penultimate starter Sacha Earnest (Trek – Unbroken DH) nearly lost control straight out of the gate, narrowly avoiding a course marker at high speed. Although she dropped time in the technical middle section, the New Zealander held on to secure a podium finish, crossing the line 2.3 seconds behind Hemstreet in third.
As the final rider on course, Höll immediately demonstrated her intent, opening a six-tenth advantage through the first split. While she surrendered some time in the second sector, the reigning UCI Downhill World Champion responded when it mattered most, delivering a clinical final section to edge out Hemstreet by just 0.485 seconds with a winning time of 3:06.717.
The victory was Höll’s fifth of the season and further cemented her position at the top of the overall standings, where she now leads with 553 points.
Reflecting on her latest triumph, Höll said: “It’s insane. I had such a hard practice this morning and didn’t really feel like risking my life today. Somehow, once I left the start gate, my brain switched off and I managed to make it happen again. I’m happy to have the holidays now because this is so stressful.
“The bike is incredible. The Commencal bike is really helping me on tracks like these. I saw the Women Junior’s time [Aletha Ostgaard] this morning and thought, ‘I need to go faster than that’. Somehow I managed it, and I’m super happy. They’re inspiring, they’re pushing the level higher, and it will be both fun and stressful racing against them next year.”
OSTGAARD AND WILLIAMSON CONTINUE THEIR WINNING WAYS IN PAL ARINSAL
Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) once again underlined her exceptional talent with a commanding victory in the Women Junior category, claiming her third win of the season by nearly three seconds. As expected, the battle at the front came down to the category’s standout trio, who went head-to-head on the dry and dusty slopes of Pal Arinsal.
Lina Frener (Norco x adidas Race Division) arrived in Andorra chasing her third UCI Women Junior Downhill World Cup victory of the year. The Austrian rider put together a strong run through the technical sections to post an early benchmark of 3:10.987 and place the pressure on her rivals.
Marie Rosa Jensen (Specialized Gravity) looked poised to challenge for the top spot and remained locked in a close contest with Frener at every split. However, a small loss of time in the final sector proved decisive, with the Dane crossing the line just 0.002 seconds adrift to take third place.
Ostgaard had already signalled her intent by setting the fastest qualifying time of any Junior or Elite woman the previous day. The American attacked from the outset, carving out a 1.7-second advantage in the opening section before extending her lead at every split on her way to victory in 3:08.156 – an impressive 2.831 seconds clear of the field.
The result marked Ostgaard’s third win of the season and the seventh UCI World Cup victory of her Women Junior career. Only Valentina Höll has recorded more wins in the history of the category. After six rounds, Ostgaard now leads the overall standings by 25 points ahead of Frener.
Reflecting on her victory, she said: “It feels so good. My speed has felt really consistent lately, so to back it up again is amazing. I really had to push for that one, but it was a great run. Nothing compares to being in race mode. I come into the start gate with a completely different mindset than in qualifying. I’m always having fun, but racing is why I do this, and it’s important to enjoy these moments.”
In the Men Junior category, Jonty Williamson (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) returned to the top step of the podium after a frustrating weekend in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta. A crash in practice and a puncture during his race run had ended his winning streak, but the young New Zealander responded in style with another composed and clinical performance under pressure.
Despite a slight issue leaving the start gate, Williamson quickly found his rhythm, carrying impressive speed through the upper sections and building an advantage of more than a second. A late scare, when he momentarily unclipped a foot approaching the final sector, did little to halt his charge as he secured a dominant victory.
Kasper Hickman (Cube Factory Racing) finished as his closest challenger, 1.29 seconds behind, while Malik Boatwright (Continental Atherton) completed the podium in third.
The win was the fifth UCI World Cup victory of Williamson’s Junior career, drawing level with Jordan Williams and Asa Vermette on the all-time category list. With five wins from six rounds this season, he now holds a commanding 111-point lead in the overall standings. Following his victory, he said: “I’m so stoked. After last weekend, when I had a rough time with the crashes, this feels amazing. Today I rode exactly how I wanted to, apart from one small mistake. I’m just so happy.”
The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continues in Pal Arinsal – Andorra on Sunday with the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup. The UCI Downhill World Cup returns after the summer break in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie, from 20–23 August. Find out where to watch here.
