An incredibly loose track made Lake Placid’s World Cup downhill debut a wild one. Dust hung in the air after every rider, often lingering still as the next racer came through, erasing any hope of traction when riders wanted it most.

That set the stage for the penultimate round of a season-long battle between Canada’s young world champion, Jackson Goldstone and the veteran Loic Bruni.

Times were still incredibly tight in the elite men’s race, but neither the world champion nor reigning World Cup champion could take the win. Instead, a first-time winner rose through the dust to claim his first elite vicotry in Lake Placid.

Loic Bruni. Photo: Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series

Ronan Dunne(Mondraker) sets and early marker to beat. That doesn’t last long as veteran racer Troy Brosnan (Canyon Cllctv) pushed late in the track to unseat the Irishman. Brosnan’s time in the hot seat was equally short-lived as, just a couple riders later, Jackson Goldstone rolled into the start hut.

After a steady qualifying, Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) started early in the order instead of his usual last-man-on-the-mountain position. Goldstone was wild from the top, pulling for gaps no other rider had tried yet, in his usual “Boost Bro” style. That helped the Canadian pull out a massie 2.1-second advantage after the first two splits, through the steepest and roughest sections of track. With being a lighter rider than most of his competition, Goldstone had nearly 2kg taped to his bike to help carry his momentum through the flater, faster bottom splits on Whiteface Mountain. Goldstone finishes 1.3 seconds faster than Brosnan, taking the hot seat early and putting pressure on his rival in the overall, Loic Bruni.

Henry Keifer and U.S. racer Luca Shaw would both best Goldstone, but neither could take the top spot.

Loic Bruni, simiarly, was looking fast until a not-quite perfect run in to the finish area cost him his chance at a win. With incredibly tight times in the men’s race, that pushed Super Bruni to sixth in Lake Placid.

Goldstone finishes fourth, two spots ahead of his rival. With that, the Canadian inches closer to re-claiming the overall title. Bruni leads by just 72 points ahead of Goldstone. That means the race is headed to home turf for Goldstone. Mont-Sainte-Anne is the final, and now deciding round of the 2025 World Cup downhill series.

Luke Meier-Smith. Photo: Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series
Meier-Smith shines in slippery moon dust

It was Australia’s Luke Meier-Smith, though, that would steal the show at Whiteface Mountain.

“I didn’t think I could win today, but I was hopeful of a top five. To come away with the win is massive. I tried to keep the top pretty clean as I knew a mistake up there could cost you quite a lot, I tried to keep it smooth,” adding that the dry, loose conditions suited his strengths.  “It’s cool to have a track a bit more suited to what I ride in Australia, that really helped me to come away on top.”

Meier-Smith didn’t just win. On a day of tight times, he was the only elite to post a 3:05, with Shaw second in 3:06.

“I didn’t think I could win today, but I was hopeful of a top five,” Meier-Smith said. “To come away with the win is massive.”