June 24/25 16:43 pm - Jackson & Bradbury Win at Val di Sole World Cup

Posted by Editoress on 06/24/25
 

Canadian riders had another strong weekend at the Mountain Bike World Cup, with two wins and multiple top-10 finishes at Val di Sole, Italy, led by Nicole Bradbury's (Armada) win in the Under-23 women's XCC, and Jackson Goldstone's (Santa Cruz Syndicate) third consecutive win in the Elite men's Downhill. Ella MacPhee (Wilier Vittoria) continues to lead the Under-23 women's XCO standings, and Jenn Jackson (Orbea Fox Factory) moved back into the top-5 overall for the Elite women's XCO.

XCC
Bradbury came back from a crash on the second lap to work her way up through the field and then attack out of the last corner to win. Ella MacPhee, who crashed at the same time as Bradbury was not able to recover in the same fashion, finishing 19th. In the standings, the absent Isabella Holmgren (Lidl Trek) drops to second and MacPhee drops from second to third, while Katharina Sadnik (KTM Factory), second on the day, takes over the leader's jersey. In the U23 men's race, Owen Clark was the top Canadian, in 16th place. Clark continues to sit tenth overall.

Bradbury commented, "Didn't expect it to happen this year, and definitely didn't expect it to happen yesterday. After a quick little dirt nap with [Ella] on the second lap, I thought any possibility of a result was gone, and I switched my focus to playing catch up for the rest of the race. Slowly caught back on and worked through the field, and in the last few laps found myself near the front. It was surreal turning the last corner and realizing the opportunity I had in the next hundred metres."

In the Elite women's XCC race, Jenn Jackson (Orbea Fox) continues to have the best season of her career, finishing fifth. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won in a sprint against Jenny Rissveds (Canyon Collective). Evie Richards (Trek Factory - Pirelli) continues to lead the overall standings despite missing the round, with Jackson moving up one spot to sixth.

"I guess the short track was pretty clear that I had good legs and a plan to be in the front of the race," stated Jackson. "Last year I got so boxed in the bunch, it was a brutal, so I knew even if riding the front meant taking more wind, overall the stress and energy expenditure is probably less. I actually did within 3 watts of the same power as last time when I finished 18th, well out of the question for the front. So it just shows how much positioning and race craft matters. In the end, I wasn't crafty enough to win, pushing with 3-to-go took out of my legs what I would've needed to go with the final lap attack, but I also think pushing when I did more or less secured the top-6; which was also important to me to make that selection."

In the Elite men, Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory) continues his unbeaten streak for the season, with his fifth win. Carter Woods (Giant Factory) had his second best result of the season, finishing eighth. Blevins leads with a perfect 1250 points; Woods jumped from 25th to 19th, as the best Canadian. Of special note - Cole Punchard (Cannondale Factory), riding up from U23, is the top U23 rider in the Elite category, sitting 28th overall.
World Cup Val di Sole: XCC results

Downhill
Jackson Goldstone took his third straight Elite men's victory to move into first place in the overall standings, winning by a huge 2.4 second lead over Troy Brosnan (Canyon Collective). Jackson was the only Canadian to make the men's Final, after Finn Iles (Specialized) crashed out in qualifying. Goldstone now leads Loic Bruni (Specialized) by 100 points in the standings. Iles dropped to 25th from 21st overall.

"That was a really good run today," said Goldstone. "I felt that I was hitting all my lines good, there was moments where I had to dab my foot three times. That came from a lot of motivation from my last two wins and the confidence built in practice. It felt like it was going to happen. I was confident in my run the whole way down. I felt that I didn't leave anything out there. It was a good one."

Goldstone is the first rider to win three consecutive Men Elite UCI Downhill World Cup rounds since Danny Hart in 2016. He added: "It's a crazy stat to be a part of. I felt like everyone was talking about the wins. I'm just so proud to be able to do it. The goal is to do the best I can in every single race, no matter where I end up. As long as I'm happy with my run and I've been happy with these last three runs and they've been winning runs. I need to keep up that momentum and keep pushing. I've got a good training block next week."

Gracey Hemstreet (Norco Race), winner of the past two rounds, could only manage fourth in Val di Sole. This enabled Valentina Holl (YT Mob) to move ahead of her and into the leader's jersey by 49 points. In Junior men, Benny de Vall (Future Frameworks) was the top Canadian, finishing 12th, and moving up one spot to 12th in the overall standings.
World Cup Val di Sole: DH results

XCO
Jackson rode consistently in the top-6 for the entire Elite women's race to finish sixth, which moved her up from eighth to fifth in the overall standings. Pieterse followed up her XCC win with a dominant performance in the XCO, to win by 26 seconds over World Cup leader Samara Maxwell (Decathlon Ford), with Maxwell continuing to hold onto the leader's jersey.

"I'm incredibly happy to add this weekend on top of everything already this season," said Jackson. "Of these three first European World Cups, Val di Sole was where I was aiming to be my best; despite not getting great results here in the past, I think it's a good track for me.

"Jenny [Rissveds] and Puck [Pieterse] took the first lap out so fast we were pretty much in a line from the beginning; I didn't even entertain the idea of being further up because it was so hot and they had added a lap to our race before the start so it was going to be a full 90 minute race.

Puck Pieterse wins

"Yah, I don't know what to say really; I just felt strong and could live with the pace on the climbs. I was giving up a bit in the descents to let myself recover and preserve my equipment, which was a bit frustrating because getting gapped in technical stuff makes you feel like a bad rider, but I really think that approach let me feel ready to hit the climbs every lap - which there's a lot more time [to gain or lose] on than descending.

"In the end, I couldn't quite stay in touch with the podium, but being part of that race and seeing the potential to do something big is incredibly cool. I think this year's success and step up isn't because I changed anything radical with my training or mental approach, but just years of consistently working on the dream, being stubborn and sensible, and then finding a team environment and equipment to enable me to show more of what I'm capable of - which is more than I honestly really ever believed."

Despite finishing sixth in the Under-23 women's XCO, MacPhee continues to lead the overall standings by 120 points after five rounds. Owen Clark was the top Canadian man in the Under-23 race, finishing 11th and moving up two spots to tenth overall. In Elite men, Carter Woods was the top Canadian, finishing 30th. Woods jumped five spots to 34th overall, with Cole Punchard sitting 38th; second U23 man in the category. Blevins, despite finishing eighth, continues to lead the overall standings with a massive 330 point advantage over teammate Martin Vidaurre, who won the Val di Sole round.

World Cup Val di Sole: XCO results