Goldstone takes a risk and wins

Jackson Goldstone crowned his outstanding season with overall victory in the Downhill World Cup, equaling Aaron Gwin's record of five wins.

The previous day, Loic Bruni had set the fastest time in qualifying with a time of 3:33.5 minutes and only had to ride onto the podium in the final to win the overall standings. But Goldstone countered with a run of 3:30 minutes and took the lead. Bruni then decided not to start due to his injury (Bruni suffered a thigh contusion with bleeding, which meant he could no longer control his leg properly). This secured Goldstone the title.

Early in the race, the American Ryan Pinkerton (Mondraker Factory Racing DH) set an exclamation mark with a time of 3:33.05 minutes and ultimately took fifth place. Andreas Kolb (YT Mob) took the lead with a courageous run in 3:32.3 minutes before Goldstone mastered the course and was two seconds faster.

Luca Shaw came closest to the Canadian as the penultimate rider, but also remained two seconds behind. In the end, Bruni didn't even show up at the start, giving Goldstone the overall victory with a 178-point lead over Bruni and Shaw.

"I'm completely speechless, that was the run of my life," said Goldstone. "I knew I had to give it my all and the atmosphere was great. But it didn't feel right not to fight Loïc. I hope he's okay. We had great duels this season and I'm already looking forward to next year."

Race results

Overall results

Cabirou ends the season in style

Marine Cabirou (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) celebrated a victory in Mont-Sainte-Anne, just like last year. The Frenchwoman found more and more speed on the demanding course as her run progressed and won in 4:01.6 minutes.

The young New Zealander Sacha Earnest (Trek Factory Racing Downhill) put in a strong performance after an injury-plagued season and finished in fifth place. World champion Valentina Höll (YT Mob) was on course for the best time when a puncture stopped her. Canadian Gracey Hemstreet, who finished second last year, also crashed shortly before the finish.

Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) missed out on victory by just seven tenths of a second and finished second. Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) finished third, 2.2 seconds behind. Camille Balanche (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) bowed out in her final race with a heavy but inconsequential crash.

"I'm very happy with the win," said Cabirou. "I really wanted to finish the season well. After not qualifying so well, I knew I still had reserves. I love this track and the crowd here. It's a perfect end to the season."

Valentina Höll won the overall standings ahead of Gracey Hemstreet and Tahnée Seagrave.

Race results

Results overall

Vermette wins at the end - Alran takes overall victory

The US-American Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing/5DEV) won the junior race by over four seconds, setting the fastest time of the entire weekend. The 18-year-old, who also triumphed in Lenzerheide, will be promoted to the elites next year.

Jonty Williamson (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) finished third behind his team-mate Tyler Waite. Frenchman Max Alran (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) showed nerves of steel despite a hand injury and secured overall victory with fourth place.

"I didn't think my run was that good," said Vermette. "I was off the line in some sections, but I just wanted to win after narrowly failing last week. It feels great to finish the season like this and compete in the elites next year."

Alran won the overall standings with a 12-point lead over Vermette. "I had a difficult morning," said Alran. "I crashed in the rock garden during training and dislocated my finger. Nevertheless, I'm happy to have come through and taken the title."

Race results

Results overall

Ostgaard doubles up - Zierl secures World Cup crown

Aletha Ostgaard (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) celebrated her second win in a row in Mont-Sainte-Anne and ended the season with a double victory in North America. The American steadily increased her pace over the course of the race and won in 4:04.2 minutes.

Rosa Zierl (Cube Factory Racing) finished third to secure overall victory in the junior classification. Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) rode a strong race and finished second, one second behind Ostgaard.

"I just gave it my all," said Ostgaard. "This track doesn't forgive mistakes, but you can make up a lot of time. I didn't want to exhaust myself in the upper part and wanted to pick up the pace at the end. It worked perfectly."

Zierl showed impressive consistency throughout the season with eight podium places in ten races. "I enjoyed every minute on the bike," she said. "The season was perfect and gives me a lot of confidence. Now I'm looking forward to a bit of rest before training starts again."

Race results

Overall results