Loudenvielle-Peyragudes DH World Series Rd2 results, report and highlights vids

It’s safe to say that the super-loose dusty made life difficult for all riders.

Race Highlights, Elite Women, Loudenvielle-Peyragudes Rd2

Race Highlights, Elite Men, Loudenvielle-Peyragudes Rd2

DH World Series Rd2 Loudenvielle-Peyragudes: Women’s Elite results

#	Rider / Team	Time	Gap	Points
1	Valentina HÖLL (AUT)COMMENCAL SCHWALBE BY LES ORRES	3:51.920	–	200
2	Gracey HEMSTREET (CAN)NORCO X ADIDAS RACE DIVISION	3:55.177	+0:03.257	160
3	Lisa BAUMANN (SUI)COMMENCAL SCHWALBE BY LES ORRES	3:56.222	+0:04.302	140
4	Myriam NICOLE (FRA)COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION	3:56.437	+0:04.517	125
5	Valentina ROA SANCHEZ (COL)MS-RACING	3:57.217	+0:05.297	110
6	Harriet HARNDEN (GBR)AON RACING	3:57.787	+0:05.867	95
7	Lisa BOULADOU (FRA)SANTA CRUZ BURGTEC BY GOODMAN	3:58.341	+0:06.421	80
8	Marine CABIROU (FRA)CANYON DH RACING	3:58.832	+0:06.912	70
9	Anna NEWKIRK (USA)FRAMEWORKS RACING / TRP	3:59.501	+0:07.581	60
10	Nina HOFFMANN (GER)SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE	4:00.287	+0:08.367	55

DH World Series Rd2 Loudenvielle-Peyragudes: Men’s Elite results

#	Rider / Team	Time	Gap	Points
1	Luca SHAW (USA)CANYON DH RACING	3:27.637	–	200
2	Benoit COULANGES (FRA)SCOTT DOWNHILL FACTORY	3:27.764	+0:00.127	160
3	Jordan WILLIAMS (GBR)SPECIALIZED GRAVITY	3:28.248	+0:00.611	140
4	Finn ILES (CAN)SPECIALIZED GRAVITY	3:28.343	+0:00.706	125
5	Tyler WAITE (NZL)YETI / FOX FACTORY RACE TEAM	3:28.505	+0:00.868	110
6	Troy BROSNAN (AUS)CANYON DH RACING	3:28.581	+0:00.944	95
7	Andreas KOLB (AUT)SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE	3:28.882	+0:01.245	90
8	Max ALRAN (FRA)COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION	3:29.195	+0:01.558	85
9	Martin MAES (BEL)ORBEA FMD RACING	3:29.687	+0:02.050	80
10	Ryan PINKERTON (USA)MONDRAKER FACTORY RACING DH	3:30.043	+0:02.406	75

Race reports and photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports:

UCI Downhill World Cup: Shaw and Höll Power to Victories at Loudenvielle-Peyragudes

Luca Shaw secured a long-awaited maiden Elite UCI World Cup win with a breakthrough ride in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, while Valentina Höll dominates to make history with a second victory at the venue.

Luca Shaw (Canyon DH Racing) clinched a long-awaited first Men’s Elite win in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, presented by FACOM. Meanwhile, Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) made history as the first Elite rider to win the UCI Downhill World Cup at the venue twice.

Shaw powered his way to victory, denying home favourite Benoît Coulanges (Scott Downhill Factory), while quickest qualifier Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) rounded out the podium in third. The win ends a 14-year wait for Shaw, who hit speeds of up to 81 km/h on a fearless run down the fast, dry track in the French Pyrenees.

Höll dominated from start to finish, beating Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) into second, with Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) taking third. The dusty conditions and sandy corners resulted in test of bike handling, which caught riders out throughout the weekend.

In the Junior categories, familiar names returned to the top step: Rosa Zierl (Cube Factory Racing) edged a narrow win in the Women’s race, while Jonty Williamson (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) secured his second victory of the Men’s series.

SHAW POWERS TO MAIDEN ELITE UCI WORLD CUP VICTORY

Luca Shaw showed his power out of the gate before holding speed and form down the difficult Loudenvielle-Peyragudes course to take a slender victory in the Men’s Elite category.

The fast and rough bottom sections of the course caused problems all weekend. Previous round winner Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity) was absent after crashing out during practice, while defending overall champion Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate), also missed the finals, failing to make it through qualifying after mistakes in both runs.

Asa Vermette (Frameworks Racing/TRP) claimed his first Elite UCI Downhill World Cup victory at MONA YongPyong (South Korea) earlier this month. However, in Loudenvielle, the first-year Elite Men’s rider had to come through Q2 to reach the finals, resulting in an earlier start position. The youngster showed fearless riding on the technical lower slopes, but a crash cost him valuable time.

The slippery conditions made life difficult for all riders. Loris Vergier (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) looked set to take the lead before crashing out, while teammate Till Alran suffered a similar fate, sliding out on the loose terrain.

Tyler Waite (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team), however, avoided trouble and showcased his power on the exposed sections to build an advantage. The New Zealander held his advantage on the lower slopes, setting a benchmark time of 3:28.505 for the later starters – eventually finishing fifth.

Australian Troy Brosnan (Canyon DH Racing) was matching the quickest time with a consistent run, before going high on the final bend and falling seven hundreds of a second behind. Benoît Coulanges (Scott Downhill Factory) sent the home fans wild by hitting the corners perfectly to take the lead with an impressive time of 3:27.764.

Looking to avenge a puncture at the previous round, Finn Iles (Specialized Gravity) rode with confidence, delivering a smooth run before fading in the final sector to finish fourth, just five tenths off the lead.

The opening section saw Shaw exploded into action, clocking 81 km/h through the speed trap and holding his pace on the lower section to snatch victory by one tenth of a second.

For penultimate starter Amaury Pierron (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction), it was another nightmare in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes as a further crash on the French track proved costly.

Fastest qualifier Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) lost over a second on the opening power section and continued to bleed time, trailing by more than two seconds heading into the most technical part of the course. The British threw everything at the final sector but ultimately fell six tenths short, finishing third.

Luca Shaw also leads the Elite Men’s overall standings after two rounds. Following his win, Shaw said: “It means so much to me. It’s been 14 years trying to do this. I’ve been so close, so many times. I’ve done everything but get the win, so this is the last thing that I needed to do.

“It’s a sweet one for sure. So many people were telling me that it was only a matter of time, and I wanted to believe that so badly…but you never know, racing is so hard and the level has never been higher. I’m so happy that I could. I was just pedalling, pumping and tucking. Giving it everything I had.”

DOMINANT HÖLL EXTENDS WINNING RUN

Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) completed a perfect weekend with a commanding display in the Women’s Elite race. Last year’s overall winner and UCI Downhill World Champion made light work of the dusty slopes in the French Pyrenees to back up her fastest qualifying time.

Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea FMD Racing) was a notable absentee from Loudenvielle-Peyragudes as she continues to recover from an elbow injury.

European Champion Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) put a consistent ride together as the Swiss rider looked faultless to clock a benchmark time of 3:56.222 – good enough for third.

There was time to be gained in the top section, but Nina Hoffmann (Santa Cruz Syndicate) lost ground through the technical middle sector, while Sacha Earnest (Trek – Unbroken DH) crashed out.

Valentina Roa Sánchez (MS-Racing) backed up her qualifying performance and tested Baumann’s lead throughout, before stopping the clock nine-tenths of a second slower for fifth. Gracey Hemstreet (Norco X adidas Race Division) started impressively and was over a second fastest, before hitting a hole and losing momentum. The Canadian remained focused and some aggressive riding helped her go one second faster than Baumann to finish runner-up.

Penultimate starter Myriam Nicole (COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF by Riding Addiction) was bidding to earn a home victory for France. The experienced rider led at the midway point, before losing time on the lower slopes and slipping down the order to fourth.

Höll was bidding for her second win at Loudenvielle-Peyragudes and was a commanding presence in the starting gate. The Austrian led in the top section before flying down the steep banks to pull out three seconds on her opponents. Finishing in a time of 3:51.920, which was 3.2 seconds faster than Hemstreet.

After winning the opening two rounds Höll also has a clear advantage in the overall competition.

“I’m happy it’s over,” said Höll. “I learnt pretty well from last year when I was pushing too much at the top and had no energy at the bottom. This time I tried to pace myself a little more. The bike helped a lot on the steep stuff, I’m happy with the set-up, with the team.

“With Lisa [Baumann] also on the podium, it’s so sick. I’ve got a big home race coming up, but I’m going to enjoy this one, recover mentally and physically for Saalfelden-Leogang.”

UCI DHI World Cup Women Elite Overall Standings

#	Rider / Team	Total points
1	Valentina HÖLL (AUT)COMMENCAL SCHWALBE BY LES ORRES	466
2	Myriam NICOLE (FRA)COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION	330
3	Valentina ROA SANCHEZ (COL)MS-RACING	285
4	Harriet HARNDEN (GBR)AON RACING	270
5	Gracey HEMSTREET (CAN)NORCO X ADIDAS RACE DIVISION	270
6	Lisa BAUMANN (SUI)COMMENCAL SCHWALBE BY LES ORRES	225
7	Gloria SCARSI (ITA)MS-RACING	190
8	Sacha EARNEST (NZL)TREK – UNBROKEN DH	165
9	Lisa BOULADOU (FRA)SANTA CRUZ BURGTEC BY GOODMAN	135
10	Marine CABIROU (FRA)CANYON DH RACING	133

UCI DHI World Cup Men Elite Overall Standings

#	Rider / Team	Total points
1	Luca SHAW (USA)CANYON DH RACING	285
2	Benoit COULANGES (FRA)SCOTT DOWNHILL FACTORY	263
3	Amaury PIERRON (FRA)COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION	261
4	Asa VERMETTE (USA)FRAMEWORKS RACING / TRP	250
5	Jordan WILLIAMS (GBR)SPECIALIZED GRAVITY	238
6	Loris VERGIER (FRA)COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION	196
7	Finn ILES (CAN)SPECIALIZED GRAVITY	192
8	Andreas KOLB (AUT)SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE	190
9	Martin MAES (BEL)ORBEA FMD RACING	188
10	Ryan PINKERTON (USA)MONDRAKER FACTORY RACING DH	185

WHOOP UCI DHI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES 2026 CALENDAR:

• Round 1 / May 1-3: Race of South Korea, South Korea
• Round 2 / May 28-31: Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, France
• Round 3 / June 11-14: Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland, Austria
• Round 4 / June 19-21: Lenzerheide, Switzerland
• Round 5 / July 3-5: La Thuile-Valle d’Aosta, Italy
• Round 6 / July 8-12: Pal Arinsal, Andorra
• Round 7 / August 14-16: Haute-Savoie, France
• Round 8 / September 25-27: Whistler Mountain Bike Park, British Columbia, Canada
• Round 9 / October 2-4: Lake Placid Olympic Sites, New York, USA