The young man Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) completed a perfect season, winning the UCI Downhill World Cup. The 21-year-old also equalled the record of five victories in the elite men's UCI Downhill World Cup in the same season Aaron Gwin.
The previous day, Bruni had set a qualifying best of 3:33.5 and should have finished on the podium to secure the overall title. However, after Goldstone had run down the hill in 3:30 and taken the lead, Bruni opted out due to a thigh injury sustained in practice, surprising his rival and handing him the overall victory.
After qualifying for Q2 the previous day, Ryan Pinkerton (Mondraker Factory Racing DH) had a point to prove from the start. The young American set a benchmark time of 3:33.05, faster than Bruni's best qualifying time the previous day and earning him fifth place. Andrew Kolb (YT Mob) crashed in Q1 the previous day and had to secure the last spot in Q2. The Austrian showed no fear with huge jumps in the rock garden and was a full second faster than Pinkerton in a new benchmark time of 3:32.3.
Rock gardens caused havoc all weekend, with Martin Maas (Orbea/FMD Racing) who punctured a tire before Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Trek Factory Racing DH) fell. Kolb's scorching time stood the test of time until Ronan Dunne (Mondraker Factory Racing DH) left his mark on the course. The Irish rider led by seven-tenths of a second before his tire exploded on a rock following a hard landing, ending his race. The American Dakota Norton (Mondraker Factory Racing DH) was next to challenge Kolb's time, but despite gaining time on the final rock garden with his high handlebars, he finished just three tenths slower, finishing fourth.
All the pressure was on the young UCI downhill world champion, Goldstone, who rocketed out of the starting gate on his home course and was in contention from the first turns. Battling through the trees, Goldstone maintained his speed with huge jumps, while triple-teaming on the challenging rock garden to maintain his pace. Goldstone dominated the final sector to finish two seconds faster than Kolb, becoming the fastest and sending the Mont-Sainte-Anne crowd into raptures.
The second to last to leave, Luke Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team), demonstrated his experience with a controlled performance, finishing a full second slower than Goldstone in the upper sectors. Shaw gained momentum and took on the rock garden, finishing in second place, just two seconds behind Goldstone.
Drama then erupted, with all eyes on the starting gate for the final contestant of this year's series. However, Bruni didn't show up, and his team later announced that he had suffered an injury in training. The result: gave Goldstone the overall series victory with a 178-point advantage over second-placed Bruni, and Shaw, third.
After the victory, Goldstone said: “I'm completely speechless. It was the race of my life. I knew I had to give it my all, but it wasn't pretty. I was making so many mistakes and becoming very unpredictable. The crowd was amazing and cheered me on every step. I didn't feel comfortable without fighting Loïc (Bruni), and I have no idea what happened. It wasn't the way I wanted to win. I was hoping for a good fight all the way, but in the end we did it.
“I barely slept last night. I spent two hours staring at the roof while my mind raced. I just had to try to focus on myself. It was quite a test for me.
“I hope that Loïc (Bruni) He's fine. It was a great battle with him this year. He's someone I've admired throughout my career and is a fantastic competitor to compete against.
“We have such a beautiful, friendly rivalry and we will compete again next year.”
MEN'S ELITE XC RANKING
| 1. |  | GOLDSTONE Jackson * SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE | 3:30.096 |
| 2. |  | SHAW Luke CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 3:32.340 + 2.244 |
| 3. |  | KOLB Andreas yt MOB extension | 3:32.341 + 2.245 |
| 4. | | NORTON Dakotah MONDRAKER FACTORY RACING DH | 3:32.646 + 2.550 |
| 5. | | PINKERTON Ryan * MONDRAKER FACTORY RACING DH | 3:33.052 + 2.956 |
| 6. |  | BROSNAN Troy CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 3:33.176 + 3.080 |
| 7. |  | PIERRON Amaury COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION | 3:33.193 + 3.097 |
| 8. | | MEIER-SMITH Luke GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM – DH | 3:33.971 + 3.875 |
| 9. | | VERGIER Loris COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION | 3:35.332 + 5.236 |
| 10. | | MAPLES Dylan * COMMENCAL/MUC-OFF BY RIDING ADDICTION | 3:35.388 + 5.292 |
GENERAL WORLD CUP
