Jackson Goldstone’s incredible run of UCI downhill world cup wins came to an end in Andorra this weekend. The Canadian was hunting for a record-breaking fifth consecutive victory at Pal Arinsal, but five-time world champion Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) had other plans, laying down a blistering run to take the win.
Bruni back on top after heartbreak in 2024
Bruni’s victory was particularly sweet: the French star crashed out of last year’s world championships on this same track and arrived in Andorra with a score to settle. Goldstone was fast with what looked to be the run of the day at 2:35.646. But Bruni bettered that mark by over a second, clocking in at 2:34.367 to take the win.
But the young Canadian still holds the overall series lead heading into the next round, with a 137-point advantage over Bruni.
Hemstreet crashes out in women’s race
In the women’s elite race, Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race Division) was on pace for what could have been her third world cup win of the season. The young Canadian qualified fastest and held a two-second advantage heading into the final section of the course. Only to crash just before the finish line.
That opened the door for Britain’s Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea/FMD Racing), who put together a clean, fast run to take her first win since the opening round in Poland. Seagrave stopped the clock at 2:56.835, comfortably ahead of Austrian Valentina Höll (YT Mob) in second and Mille Johnset (Axess Intense Factory Racing) in third.
A wild weekend in the Pyrenees
The short, technical track at Pal Arinsal didn’t leave much room for error and it claimed plenty of victims over the weekend. Storm forecasts forced an early start for the elite categories. That sucked for those of us in North America waking up at 5 AM to watch the races only to realize we’d already missed them. For the juniors, the races were cancelled entirely, with qualifying times determining final rankings.
Despite the pressure and tricky conditions, Bruni and Seagrave showed why they’re former world champions, executing near perfect runs when it mattered most.
Goldstone leads overall, Hemstreet still in the hunt
While both Canadians missed out on the top step this weekend, they remain very much in the hunt for the overall titles. Goldstone continues to wear the leader’s jersey heading into round seven, and…
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