Jordan Williams takes the lead in the Elite Men’s overall standings following his third UCI World Cup victory. The 21-year-old first made a name for himself in 2023 with his breakthrough win in Lenzerheide during his first Elite season. Having ended his three-year winless streak just a week ago in La Thuile, the Brit followed up with a fearless and dominant run in Pal Arinsal, winning by a margin of more than two seconds.

The experienced Troy Brosnan set the fastest time early on and rode a clean course through the course’s challenging technical sections. With a time of 2:45.321 minutes, he ultimately finished in seventh place. After Ethan Craik won Qualifier 2 the previous day, his hopes were dashed by a crash in the first high-speed section. Asa Vermette also had a frustrating run after his chain came off. Reigning UCI Downhill World Champion Jackson Goldstone continues to search for his first victory of the season. Although the Canadian gained time in the upper section of the course, he lost ground in the lower section and crossed the finish line in sixth place, more than three seconds behind the fastest time. 

Amid the challenging conditions, Reece Wilson delivered an exceptionally controlled run and set a new course record of 2:43.997 minutes. Another up-and-coming talent, Max Alran, appears to be on course for a podium finish before a chain problem sets him back. Overall title contender Amaury Pierron is on track for victory before crashing in a technical section of the course. Williams seizes the opportunity impressively. He steadily builds speed throughout his run and beats Wilson’s best time by a remarkable 2.331 seconds. With a time of 2:41.666 minutes, he sets the time that would go on to win the race. His teammate Finn Iles qualifies ahead of Williams and arrives with a strong season record. The Canadian is fastest in the first section and gains three-tenths of a second, but he cannot keep up with Williams’ pace in the technical sections and finishes the race in fifth place, three seconds behind.

Wildcard starter Bode Burke was still on course for a podium finish when a crash ended his run. The fastest rider in qualifying, Lachlan Stevens-McNab, also fell victim to the fast and dusty conditions. While Williams celebrated his second consecutive UCI World Cup victory, the race marked a welcome return to the podium for Wilson. His second-place finish is his first podium finish since 2021. Ryan Pinkerton rounds out the top three, securing the first Elite UCI World Cup podium of his career. Williams heads into the summer break as the overall leader, 63 points ahead of his teammate Iles.

Höll Extends Her Dominance with Fifth Win of the Season

Valentina Höll continues her impressive form with her fifth win in six races, further extending her lead in the Elite Women’s standings. On the home turf of bike manufacturer Commencal, the Austrian once again delivers a flawless weekend and increases her lead heading into the summer break.

Even before the race begins, the women’s field suffers a major setback: Two-time UCI Downhill World Champion Myriam Nicole is ruled out of the final after dislocating and breaking a finger in a training crash. After missing the qualification round in La Thuile last weekend, Anna Newkirk found her way back to the form in Andorra that had earned her the victory in Lenzerheide last month. The American tackled the dusty course with great confidence and set an early best time of 3:10.185 minutes, which ultimately earned her fourth place.

Jenna Hastings follows close behind. Despite trailing by nearly two seconds in the upper section of the course, the New Zealander rode an outstanding lower half of the course and finished fifth, just five hundredths of a second behind Newkirk. The lower half of the course proved decisive throughout the afternoon. European champion Lisa Baumann picks up the pace and is on track for a strong run before a fall ends her run. Gracey Hemstreet, on the other hand, shows no hesitation on a course where she crashed twelve months ago. The Canadian continues her strong season, rides a fast middle section, and beats Newkirk’s best time by 2.9 seconds. With a time of 3:07.202 minutes, she takes the lead. The penultimate rider, Sacha Earnest, nearly lost control right after the start and narrowly missed a course marker. Despite losing time in the technical middle section, she secured a podium finish in third place, 2.3 seconds behind Hemstreet.

As the last rider on the course, Höll immediately made her intentions clear and built a six-tenths-of-a-second lead by the first split time. Although she lost some time in the second section, the reigning UCI Downhill World Champion struck back exactly when it mattered most. With a perfect final section, she edges out Hemstreet by just 0.485 seconds with a time of 3:06.717 minutes. The victory is Höll’s fifth of the season and solidifies her lead in the overall standings, which she now tops with 553 points.

Ostgaard and Williamson continue their winning streaks in the junior divisions

Aletha Ostgaard once again underscores her extraordinary talent with a commanding victory in the junior women’s division. With a lead of nearly three seconds, she claims her third win of the season. As expected, the battle at the top between the three strongest riders in the category was decided on the dry and dusty slopes of Pal Arinsal. Lina Frener traveled to Andorra aiming for her third UCI Women’s Junior Downhill World Cup victory of the year. The Austrian delivered a strong run through the technical sections and set the first benchmark with a time of 3:10.987 minutes. Marie Rosa Jensen was nearly neck-and-neck with Frener at every split time, but lost a bit of time in the final section and crossed the finish line just 0.002 seconds behind the Austrian. This left her in third place. Ostgaard had already underscored her ambitions the day before by posting the fastest qualifying time among all junior and elite women.

The American attacked from the very first meter of the course, building a 1.7-second lead in the upper section and extending it at every split time. With a winning time of 3:08.156 minutes, she won by an impressive margin of 2.831 seconds. It is her third victory of the season and, at the same time, the seventh UCI World Cup win of her career. Only Valentina Höll has achieved more victories in the junior women’s category in history. After six race rounds, Ostgaard leads the overall standings with a 25-point lead over Frener.

In the junior men’s category, Jonty Williamson returns to the top step of the podium after a disappointing weekend in La Thuile. Despite a minor issue at the start, Williamson quickly finds his rhythm, rides through the upper sections of the course at impressive speed, and builds a lead of more than one second. A brief scare just before the final section—when his foot briefly slips off the pedal—doesn’t slow him down significantly. He rides to a commanding victory. Kasper Hickman finished second, 1.29 seconds behind, while Malik Boatwright rounded out the podium in third place.

Standings