UCI Downhill MTB World Cup at Lenzerheide, Switzerland—Final European Round Before Cup Heads to North America

Lenzerheide, Switzerland – September 20, 2025

The Swiss Alps roared again this weekend as Bike Kingdom Lenzerheide played host to the eighth UCI Downhill World Cup of the season. A high-speed mix of root webs, compressions, and wide-open straights rewarded precision and punished hesitation. With just two rounds remaining in the 2025 season, every split mattered. Highlights included comebacks from injury, races decided by fractions of a second, and a crash from Jackson Goldstone that could change the winner of the men’s overall title.

The Scene in Bike Kingdom

We were on the ground to capture the scene live. Arriving in Lenzerheide, there’s an unmistakable buzz. Fans line the track shoulder-to-shoulder, their cowbells clanging as if echoing across every ridge of the Graubünden mountains. The course itself, familiar but unforgiving, was running faster and drier than usual. Clouds of dust hung in the trees like smoke each time a rider came barreling through the woods. Mechanics had been fighting punctures and flat tyres all week; by finals day, the margins between placing and disaster were hair-thin.

This was the final European round before the series shifts across the Atlantic to Lake Placid and Mont-Sainte-Anne. With the overall standings hanging in the balance, every pedal stroke counted.

Men’s Elite: Pierron Strikes Back

No one embodied resilience more than winner Amaury Pierron (Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction). His 2025 season has been defined by setbacks, most notably a broken collarbone mid-season, but Lenzerheide proved the perfect stage for a comeback. Forced through Q2 after mechanical issues, Pierron had every reason to doubt his chances. Instead, he produced a ferocious run of 2:44.6, good enough for his 13th career World Cup win, tying him with Australian legend Sam Hill for fifth all-time.

Pierron’s style was unmistakable: raw aggression, yet controlled where it mattered. His back wheel seemed to skim the edge of disaster through the root webs, yet he carried speed that none could match. At the bottom, visibly surprised, he admitted:

“I really didn’t expect that one. It was quite a nightmare weekend for me, a lot of problems with mechanicals. Everything looked like it was going wrong… I gave everything I had today and it was enough for the win.”

The story of the afternoon was championship leader Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate). The Canadian phenom came into Lenzerheide with a narrow points edge over Loïc Bruni. After a blistering opening sector, disaster struck: a fall midway down the course left Goldstone unhurt but far off the pace. He remounted and rolled across in 25th place, his hopes of extending his overall lead gone. The 40 points salvaged were not enough to hold off Bruni, who finished fifth and sprung into the season lead.

Top 3 – Men’s Elite

1. Amaury Pierron (FRA) – 2:44.699 – 250 pts
2. Henri Kiefer (GER) – 2:45.106 – 210 pts
3. Lachlan Stevens-McNab (NZL) – 2:45.513 – 180 pts

Full Results – Men’s Elite

4. Ronan Dunne (IRL) – 2:45.874
5. Loïc Bruni (FRA) – 2:46.302
6. Rémi Thirion (FRA) – 2:46.451
7. Andreas Kolb (AUT) – 2:46.498
8. Danny Hart (GBR) – 2:46.672
9. Luca Shaw (USA) – 2:46.990
10. Luke Meier-Smith (AUS) – 2:47.041
11. George Ethan Craik (GBR) – 2:47.088
12. Troy Brosnan (AUS) – 2:47.178
13. Loris Vergier (FRA) – 2:47.811
14. Max Hartenstern (GER) – 2:48.063
15. Dakotah Norton (USA) – 2:48.482
16. Benoit Coulanges (FRA) – 2:48.508
17. Jackson Connelly (AUS) – 2:49.460
18. Charlie Hatton (GBR) – 2:49.582
19. Ryan Pinkerton (USA) – 2:49.636
20. Loris Revelli (ITA) – 2:49.987
21. Oisín O’Callaghan (IRL) – 2:50.021
22. Daniel Castellanos Liberal (ESP) – 2:50.043
23. Bernard Kerr (GBR) – 2:50.045
24. Oliver Zwar (SWE) – 2:51.153
25. Jackson Goldstone (CAN) – 2:53.365
26. Jordan Williams (GBR) – 2:54.633
27. Jakob Jewett (CAN) – 2:55.539
28. Martin Maes (BEL) – 3:20.708
    DNF – Laurie Greenland (GBR), Stefano Introzz i (ITA) 

Women’s Elite: Seagrave Back on Top

For Tahnée Seagrave (Orbea/FMD Racing), the path to victory was far from smooth. Forced through Q2 for the first time this season, she admitted the pressure nearly overwhelmed her:

I just wanted to be kind to myself and make myself feel better. I really didn’t expect to win today. The track was super different, the nerves and you start picturing every bad scenario, that was new to me.

But when it mattered, she found her flow. Despite a mistake high on the track, Seagrave hammered the pedals and never looked back, stopping the clock at 3:11.5.

Top 3 – Women’s Elite

1. Tahnee Seagrave (GBR) – 3:11.579 – 250 pts
2. Nina Hoffmann (GER) – 3:11.640 – 210 pts
3. Valentina Höll (AUT) – 3:12.394 – 180 pts

Full Results – Women’s Elite

4. Gracey Hemstreet (CAN) – 3:15.051
5. Sacha Earnest (NZL) – 3:16.197
6. Phoebe Gale (GBR) – 3:16.408
7. Lisa Baumann (SUI) – 3:18.202
8. Camille Balanche (SUI) – 3:18.205
9. Gloria Scarsi (ITA) – 3:20.226
10. Anna Newkirk (USA) – 3:20.304
11. Mille Johnset (NOR) – 3:20.717
12. Lisa Bouladou (FRA) – 3:21.350
13. Louise-Anna Ferguson (GBR) – 3:22.005
14. Marine Cabirou (FRA) – 3:26.148
15. Veronika Widmann (ITA) – 3:26.647 

Championship Standings After Lenzerheide

With two rounds left, the overall picture is beginning to crystallize, though both titles remain very much in play.

Men’s Elite – Top 3 Overall

1. Loïc Bruni (FRA, Specialized Gravity) — 1629 pts
2. Jackson Goldstone (CAN, Santa Cruz Syndicate) — 1529 pts
3. Loris Vergier (FRA, Commencal/Muc-Off) — 1073 pts 

Women’s Elite – Top 3 Overall

1. Valentina Höll (AUT, YT Mob) — 1804 pts
2. Gracey Hemstreet (CAN, Norco Race Division) — 1677 pts
3. Tahnee Seagrave (GBR, Orbea/FMD Racing) — 1504 pts 

What’s Next

The season closes out with a North American doubleheader:

• Lake Placid, USA — October 3–5, 2025
• Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada — October 9–12, 2025

With Bruni and Höll in control but their rivals still within striking distance, the final two weekends promise action, and possibly the tightest finish in years.