For the second round of the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series the circus headed to the legendary Loudenvielle track in France. Massive jumps, brutal high-speed sections and steep descents combined with dusty, dry conditions to make it a challenging and unpredictable race.
The women
The women dropped in first and the track was already coming apart. Conditions were bone dry, dusty and blown out by the time the elite women hit the course. Berms were collapsing, holes were opening up everywhere and riders were getting bucked around trying to hold speed through the rough terrain.
Gracey Hemstreet looked like she might be on a heater early in her run. The Canadian was up at the second split before disaster nearly struck. Hemstreet slammed into a massive hole and almost got pitched completely out of a blown-out berm.
“I didn’t think I was saving that at all,” Hemstreet said afterward. “I was stoked. My goggles were all screwed. I fixed them on the bridge.”
Hemstreet, who won in Loudenvielle back in 2025, managed to hold things together and laid down a time good enough for the hot seat with only Myriam Nicole and Vali Höll still left to race. Myriam Nicole came close but couldn’t quite match the Canadian’s pace.
Then Höll dropped in. The Austrian looked completely in control aboard the new Commencal setup, carrying speed through sections where other riders were simply surviving. By the finish line she had put more than three seconds into the field to take the win.
It marked Höll’s second Loudenvielle victory after first winning there in 2023, making her the first rider to win twice at the venue.
“I tried to pace myself a little more,” Höll said. “I’m gonna enjoy this one and prepare mentally and physically for Leogang.”
Lisa Baumann rounded out the podium in third.
The men
The men’s race was complete chaos. Crashing was pretty trendy with ten riders crashing in the finals. Thankfully nobody appeared seriously hurt, but it absolutely scrambled the results sheet.
Asa Vermette looked like he might be putting together a winning run early on. The young American was up by more than two seconds before things unraveled spectacularly. Vermette clipped one of the WHOOP signs, got pushed completely off the track, bounced into a timing sign and had to scramble back onto course before continuing his run.
“I was feeling good at the top,” Vermette said afterward. “I came a little quicker than I was before and just…
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