Jordan Williams and Valentina Höll delivered fearless performances to claim elite victories as the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series headed to the demanding slopes of La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta, Italy.
On one of the toughest downhill tracks of the season, Williams ended a 1,107-day wait for another UCI Downhill World Cup victory, while reigning UCI World Champion Höll returned to winning form with her 15th career Elite World Cup triumph.
Williams Ends Long Wait for Victory
Specialized Gravity’s Jordan Williams produced an outstanding run on the brutal 2.3km LTHell course, mastering its loose, dusty conditions to clock a winning time of 3:25.767.
The 21-year-old attacked the course from start to finish, surviving a dramatic slide in the final corner before crossing the line to secure just his second Elite UCI Downhill World Cup victory and his first since Lenzerheide in 2023.
Williams’ triumph came despite team-mate Finn Iles arriving in Italy as the overall championship leader after consecutive victories. However, Iles struggled on the demanding track and finished 20th, while Williams continued Specialized Gravity’s winning momentum.
American Asa Vermette finished second after an impressive ride, while defending La Thuile champion Jackson Goldstone returned to the podium in third with one of his strongest performances of the season.
Despite finishing seventh while battling illness, Amaury Pierron retained the overall World Cup lead, with just 65 points separating the top four riders after five rounds.
Reflecting on his victory, Williams said:
“That was so insane. I risked my life the whole way down, I just went for it. Sometimes you feel like it’s never going to happen again. I had a pretty rough winter and broke my collarbone. Somehow, I managed to hold on and cross the line.”
Höll Returns to the Top
Valentina Höll bounced back from disappointment in Lenzerheide by edging Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres team-mate Lisa Baumann in one of the closest Women’s Elite finishes of the season.
The Austrian stopped the clock just two tenths of a second quicker than Baumann after carrying impressive speed through the technical wooded sections and maintaining her rhythm over the demanding lower half of the course.
The victory marked Höll’s 15th Elite UCI Downhill World Cup win and strengthened her grip on the overall standings as the championship reached its halfway point.
Baumann narrowly missed out on a maiden Elite World Cup victory despite delivering one of the finest rides of her career on home soil.
After her victory, Höll said:
“It was so hard to push; the track is so demanding and physical. It was all about commitment. You have to enter sections quicker than you think you should, trust the berms, push, and hope for the best.”
Championship Battle Heads to Andorra
Höll also guided Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres to victory in the mixed team competition, while COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction continues to lead the overall team standings by 56 points.
With the downhill season reaching its halfway stage, the championship now moves to Pal Arinsal in Andorra, where the battle for the World Cup titles is set to intensify following another spectacular weekend of racing in the Italian Alps.