Bruni leads and needs to finish 3rd or better if Goldstone finishes in first place.
Words and photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports:
TITLES ON THE LINE AT MONT-SAINTE-ANNE FINALE
8The legendary Canadian bike park welcomes Endurance and Gravity athletes for a record 30th UCI World Cup, and with titles still on the line in Cross-country and Downhill, fans can expect a nail-biting conclusion to the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series on the slopes of Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada), presented by Events.com.
The dust hasn’t even settled after an attritional and fast-paced Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York (USA) race weekend, but the best mountain bikers on the planet are gearing up to do it all again north of the border.
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The venue – Mont-Sainte-Anne’s world-famous bike park, with more than 165km of trails and runs for all disciplines from Cross-country Olympic (XCO), Downhill (DHI) and freeride – is a fitting location for the season finale too. The Laurentian Mountains spot will be hosting its 30th UCI World Cup since it made its debut in 1991, and it has also held the UCI World Championship three times – 1998, 2010 and 2019 – in that period.
BRUNI V GOLDSTONE GOES TO THE WIRE, WHILE HEMSTREET AND SEAGRAVE BATTLE IT OUT FOR SECOND PLACE
After nine rounds of racing, Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) can only be separated by 72 points. While Goldstone has more wins to his name – four consecutive, record-equaling victories – and clinched the UCI Downhill World Championship too, it’s Bruni who is in the driving seat.
The Frenchman has been here before, having won the overall series four times, including 2023 and 2024. But unlike last year, Super Bruni still has a lot to do to be sure of completing a hat-trick of consecutive titles.
The 31-year-old has experience on his side and needs to finish on the podium if Goldstone wins to guarantee the overall, but the Canadian will be racing on home soil and will benefit from the boost of a partisan crowd. The 21-year-old will also have fond memories of the last time he raced at Mont-Sainte-Anne, when he won in his first Elite season in 2023. He also took a Junior UCI World Cup win at the venue in 2022. After being forced to sit out most of 2024 with an injury, it would be a Hollywood ending for the Santa Cruz Syndicate rider.
Elsewhere, the fight for third is between Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team), Loris Vergier (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction) and Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction), while Lake Placid Olympic Region victor Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team – DH) will be extra buoyed after his debut UCI World Cup win last weekend.
The other Downhill winner on Whiteface Mountain was Vali Höll (YT Mob). The Austrian had a perfect weekend, winning Q1 and finals to score maximum points and seal her fourth overall series, and third in a row. The 23-year-old’s victory also broke a UCI World Cup winless streak that stretched back to June 2024, although she has been remarkably consistent this campaign – Lake Placid Olympic Region her eighth consecutive podium.
Her main title rival, Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race Division) had a weekend to forget and was forced into Q2 before placing 10th in finals. But the 20-year-old Canadian will have to dust herself down and go again in Mont-Sainte-Anne if she’s to hold on to second place in the series. Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea/FMD Racing) is only 123 points behind and will be keen to cap off a strong first season with new outfit Orbea/FMD Racing.
DH World Series Overall Standings: Men’s Elite
| # | Rider / Team | Total points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loic BRUNI (FRA)SPECIALIZED GRAVITY | 1768 |
| 2 | Jackson GOLDSTONE (CAN)SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE | 1696 |
| 3 | Luca SHAW (USA)CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 1158 |
| 4 | Loris VERGIER (FRA)COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION | 1119 |
| 5 | Amaury PIERRON (FRA)COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION | 1060 |
| 6 | Troy BROSNAN (AUS)CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 893 |
| 7 | Oisin O CALLAGHAN (IRL)YT MOB | 888 |
| 8 | Andreas KOLB (AUT)YT MOB | 822 |
| 9 | Ronan DUNNE (IRL)MONDRAKER FACTORY RACING DH | 808 |
| 10 | Henri KIEFER (GER)CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 798 |
DH World Series Overall Standings: Women’s Elite
| # | Rider / Team | Total points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valentina HÖLL (AUT)YT MOB – SERIES OVERALL WINNER | 2104 |
| 2 | Gracey HEMSTREET (CAN)NORCO RACE DIVISION | 1727 |
| 3 | Tahnee SEAGRAVE (GBR)ORBEA / FMD RACING | 1604 |
| 4 | Camille BALANCHE (SUI)YETI / FOX FACTORY RACE TEAM | 1136 |
| 5 | Nina HOFFMANN (GER)SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE | 1072 |
| 6 | Marine CABIROU (FRA)CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 1030 |
| 7 | Anna NEWKIRK (USA)FRAMEWORKS RACING / 5DEV | 737 |
| 8 | Jess BLEWITT (NZL)CUBE FACTORY RACING | 615 |
| 9 | Gloria SCARSI (ITA)MS-RACING | 612 |
| 10 | Phoebe GALE (GBR)ORBEA / FMD RACING | 560 |
UK timings for the racing
Saturday, October 11
- Junior Women Finals: 4:30pm
- Junior Men Finals: 5:00pm
- Elite Women Finals: 6:00pm
- Elite Men Finals: 7:10pm
Our predictions
Elite Men’s Podium:
- Henri Kiefer
- Jackson Goldstone
- Amaury Pierron
Elite Women’s Podium:
- Gracey Hemstreet
- Valentina Holl
- Tahnee Seagrave
