Hemstreet and Goldstone achieve a historic double for Canada at the Loudenvielle DH World Cup

The second round of the 2025 DH World Cup took place in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes (France), and brought with it a historic milestone: for the first time since 1999, two North American bikers took the victory in the men's and women's elite races on the same day. The protagonists were Canadians Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race Division) and Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate), who were the best in the fast and dusty descents of the French Pyrenees.

Jackson Goldstone returns to the DH World Cup with a victory after a long injury

Goldstone returned to the top of the podium in a World Cup after his serious injury in 2024, when he suffered a torn anterior and medial collateral ligament. At just 21 years old, the Canadian claimed his third victory in the elite category with an impeccable descent that stopped the clock at 3:13.1, beating Jordan Williams by almost three seconds and Amaury Pierron by one.

“It feels good to be back, I can't believe I won”, said Goldstone after crossing the finish line. “I got into a good mental zone, I wasn't nervous, I had a lot of fun. In the last two sectors, I gave it everything I had”.

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The current world champion, Loris Vergier, failed to be in the fight, and Loïc Bruni made several mistakes after a promising start. Pierron, who was the last to start, came very close to the best time, but some mistakes in the final part relegated him to second place.

With this result, Amaury Pierron takes the lead in the overall standings with a 40-point advantage over Bruni.

First victory for Gracey Hemstreet: a fearless performance

Gracey Hemstreet delivered one of the most spectacular performances of the day. The young Canadian achieved her first career victory in the World Cup with a time of 3:39.1, also becoming the first Canadian woman to win an elite downhill race in the history of the competition.

“I can't believe it”, confessed Hemstreet after getting off the bike. “This has been a dream come true forever and it has finally come true. I just tried to hold on tight and go down as fast as possible. I was a bit scared of the loose terrain, but I went all out in everything else”.

World champion Valentina Höll set a benchmark time (3:42.3), but Hemstreet managed to make up ground in the technical sections of the forest to beat her by more than three seconds. Tahnee Seagrave, winner of the first round, finished third and maintains the overall lead with a 116-point advantage.

Action continues next weekend in Saalfelden Leogang (Austria), where downhill, short track, enduro, and Olympic cross-country disciplines will coincide. Downhill will once again take center stage on Saturday, June 8th with the elite finals.