The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series’ first visit to the spiritual home of downhill racing didn’t disappoint, delivering drama, disqualifications, surprises and unforgettable performances in front of a feverish crowd that roared riders through every pedal stroke.
Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing / TRP) emerged from the chaos with both the victory and the Elite Men’s overall lead. The last man down the hill produced a blistering run to put four seconds into an already rapid Max Alran (COMMENCAL / MUC OFF by Riding Addiction), the rider who beat Vermette to the Junior Men’s UCI Downhill World Cup overall title only last season.
While the battle for the men’s crown remains wide open, Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) showed why her grip on the women’s is stronger than ever. The Austrian fulfilled a lifelong dream by triumphing in Whistler and, in the process, became the joint-third most successful rider in Women’s UCI Downhill World Cup history.
Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) became the first rider to claim a UCI Downhill World Cup victory in Whistler, sealing the Junior Women’s overall title in trademark dominant fashion. She was more than nine seconds clear of the field, setting a time that would also have been fast enough to win the Elite Women’s final.
Camden Rutherford (Nukeproof Axess Racing) claimed his maiden Junior Men’s UCI Downhill World Cup victory with a barnstorming run, continuing New Zealand’s dominance of the category despite the absence of injured overall champion Jonty Williamson (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team).
VERMETTE SEIZES CONTROL AS TITLE FIGHT GOES TO THE WIRE
After qualifying had served up plenty of shocks, there was no obvious candidate to take control of the hotseat early on. So it was hardly a surprise when Continental Atherton’s Luke Wayman went green as the ninth rider out of the start gate, after Jackson Connelly (The Alliance) had opened the Elite Men’s final with a crash just seconds into his run.
What nobody could have predicted was just how long Wayman would stay there. For around 90 minutes, barring a brief interruption from Lachie Stevens-McNab (Trek-Unbroken DH), his time remained unbeaten. Even more remarkably, he finished eight seconds ahead of UCI Downhill World Cup overall leader Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity), who kept his run upright but struggled to find his usual speed and eventually crossed the line in 21st.
Stevens-McNab had briefly appeared to have produced one of the rides of the day, setting a time that would ultimately have been good enough for second. But his run was later disqualified after replays showed he had briefly gone off course.
That put Wayman back in the hotseat, with Canadian outsider Jacob Jewett (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – DH) incredibly holding onto second alongside him until Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL / MUC OFF by Riding Addiction), the fourth-fastest qualifier, finally edged ahead by less than a second.
Henri Kieffer (Canyon DH Racing) then looked poised to take over, only for disaster to strike at the final jump. He unclipped just before take-off and was already halfway off the bike before touching down, crashing heavily but thankfully walking away from the incident.
Instead, it was Max Alran who raised the bar, dethroning his teammate Pierron with a blistering run and leaving just one rider at the top of the mountain: Asa Vermette.
The American delivered when it mattered most. Vermette turned the final three time checks green before storming across the line four seconds clear of Alran, sealing the victory and taking control of the Elite Men’s overall standings with a sensational run that came within seven tenths of the fastest possible combined splits.
“Like I dreamed of it, first in qualifying, dropping last, I was like ‘let’s just put it down for the fans’, they were insane,” Vermette said. “I’m just so stoked, I did the run that I wanted to. [My team] told me that Jordan [Williams] didn’t have the best run, so I was just like ‘let’s put a good one down’ and we got it. [Lake Placid] is not very close to home but it’s in America so I’m stoked to lay it down.”
The result turns next week’s finale at Lake Placid Olympic Sites, New York, United States into a three-rider showdown for the title. Vermette heads there with a 96-point advantage over Williams, while Pierron remains in contention, 174 points back, with 250 still available.
HÖLL HOLDS OFF HEMSTREET TO CLAIM DREAM WHISTLER WIN
Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea FMD Racing) needed a Q2 run just to make the final, but she made that extra track time count, setting the early benchmark in Whistler. Myriam Nicole (COMMENCAL / MUC OFF by Riding Addiction) and Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) were unable to dislodge her before Gloria Scarsi (MS-Racing) eventually edged ahead by just half a second.
But Höll blew the contest wide open moments later, going seven seconds faster to lay down the first truly formidable benchmark of the day. Harriet Harnden (AON Racing) couldn’t put herself in contention for back-to-back wins, but Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) soon had the home crowd dreaming.
Almost three seconds down on Höll at the penultimate intermediate time check, the Canadian found another gear in the closing section. She clawed back time all the way to the finish, launching off the final jump and scorching across the line to come within an agonising three tenths of a dream home victory. Höll remained in the hotseat, but only just.
After recording the best qualifying result of her career, Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) initially looked capable of going even faster, turning the first time check green and remaining within touching distance of Höll at the second. Her challenge came undone, however, in a treacherous muddy root section just above the Ride Wrap Rock Garden.
That left Lisa Bouladou (Santa Cruz Burgtec by Goodman) as the final rider out of the start gate. The Frenchwoman could only manage third, confirming Höll’s sixth UCI Downhill World Cup victory of the season and making her only the fourth woman to achieve that feat in a single campaign.
“I came to Whistler for the first time when I was 14, it was always my biggest dream growing up,” Höll said. “And now to be racing the World Cups here is pretty insane. I can feel the legacy of all the BC racers, it’s an honour to be here.
“Also big up to Gracey [Hemstreet]. I know how hard it is to do your home race, it’s not easy but the crowd is really insane and yeah, win number six this season feels unreal. I don’t know why it keeps happening but obviously I’ll take it.”
Hemstreet’s disappointment at falling just short was clear, but second place still brought a special moment on home soil. She received a cedar trophy honouring the legacy of local legend Stevie Smith, featuring Indigenous artwork by Levi Nelson of the Lil'wat Nation in British Columbia.
“This whole week was pretty unreal to be honest, even practice felt like I was racing with everyone, the whole crowd there. Everyone cheering my name was the most insane feeling. I’m stoked but a little bummed at the same time,” Hemstreet said.
THE FUTURE IS FAST: OSTGAARD AND RUTHERFORD CONQUER WHISTLER
Yet remarkably, Höll wasn’t the fastest woman in Whistler. Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon DH Racing) went more than four seconds quicker than the UCI World Champion’s winning time on her way to a dominant Junior Women’s victory, prompting Höll to pay tribute to the youngster at the finish.
“Today I got absolutely junior-ed, big up to Aletha,” Höll said. “She smoked me properly and I can’t wait to race with her next year. She’s a massive motivation.”
Before Ostgaard took centre stage, Tayte Proulx-Royds had given the home crowd plenty to cheer about by setting the early benchmark. Her delight was clear in the finish area, where she celebrated with fellow Canadian Piper Graaten and described the experience simply as “unbelievable”.
Cassandre Peizerat (COMMENCAL / MUC OFF by Riding Addiction) then raised the bar dramatically, going 12 seconds faster, before Ostgaard rounded out the final in emphatic fashion. The American was already assured of the overall crown after second-placed Lina Frener (Norco x adidas Race Division) crashed following an audacious whip off the final jump: “It feels so good, even though I’m not Canadian this crowd is just as supportive as if they were American.”
The Junior Men’s final produced another breakthrough performance, with Camden Rutherford (Nukeproof Axess Racing) claiming his maiden victory.
Lois Eller, only the second rider out of the start gate, laid down an impressive benchmark that would be beaten just once. Seppy Binsbergen and Canada’s Ryder Wilson (Team High Country) both looked capable of challenging it before coming unstuck in the same section that had caught out Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) during qualifying, with the expectant home crowd groaning as Wilson hit the deck within sight of the finish.
Rutherford was the rider who finally made it stick. The New Zealander stormed home almost six seconds faster than Eller, who headed over to congratulate him personally in the finish area.
“I’m so stoked, it’s crazy to me. I was so nervous all day because I knew I could do something good here. I was really wanting a podium but always had the win in the back of my mind. I messed up the top, like three mistakes in the first 50 metres and then just tried to lock in. It felt smooth, pretty sketchy in some bits but I just tried to keep riding. The rock garden was insane, just like 50 train horns all of a sudden.”
Rutherford’s victory also helped Nukeproof Axess Racing edge closer to the 100-point mark in the Team Standings, although the biggest gains came from COMMENCAL / MUC OFF by Riding Addiction. Alran and Pierron’s podium finishes helped the team more than double its advantage over Canyon DH Racing at the top of the standings.
And there’s little time to catch a breath. The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series now heads to Lake Placid for a blockbuster final weekend, with UCI World Cup titles still on the line across all three disciplines.
The UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cup kicks off the final weekend at Mt Van Hoevenberg on Friday, 2 October, followed by the UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup on Saturday, 3 October. Attention then shifts to Whiteface Mountain on Sunday, 4 October, where the UCI Downhill World Cup will bring the curtain down on the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series season.
