Valentina Holl and Luke Meier-Smith secure UCI World Cup wins at Lake Placid Olympic Region - 'I didn’t think I could win today'
ByTNT UK
Published 04/10/2025 at 23:59 GMT+1
Valentina Holl took her first UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, and with it the overall title, as Luke Meier-Smith took the first victory of his career at Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York. Holl became world champion last month but had been waiting for more than a year for her 12th World Cup win, while the men’s Elite overall title will go down to the final round.
Highlights: Holl seals overall downhill title with first World Cup win of season
Video credit: TNT Sports
Valentina Holl (YT Mob) rose to the occasion and took her first UCI Downhill World Cup of the season, and with it the overall title at Lake Placid Olympic Region, New York.
Meanwhile, Luke Meier-Smith (Giant Factory Off-Road Team DH) took an emotional first Men's Elite UCI Downhill World Cup victory of his career and denied American Luca Shaw (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) a home celebration.
Holl became world champion last month but had been waiting 474 days for her 12th World Cup win.
The Austrian had a perfect weekend, and victory earned her a fourth overall title and third consecutive success, with a round remaining.
Speaking about her win, Holl said: "It took me way too long to win again.
"It has been a long year, many downs and a few ups which have been pretty amazing. I’m so happy that I could finally pull it off.
"Wrapping up the overall is pretty insane, Mont-Sainte-Anne is going to be a real holiday. I’m happy."
Meanwhile, the men’s title will go down to the final round with Loic Bruni (Specialized Gravity) and Jackson Goldstone (Santa Cruz Syndicate) locked in an enthralling battle after both finishing off the podium.
Following the first World Cup win of his career, Meier-Smith said: "It means everything, I’ve worked my whole life for this, to pull it off is amazing.
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Highlights: Meier-Smith captures maiden World Cup victory in Lake Placid
Video credit: TNT Sports
"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.
"Once I got past the second split I really tried to drill the pedals and give it all I had from there. The track suited me pretty well with the physical bottom half and pedalling.
"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."
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Lake Placid Olympic Region hosted the penultimate round of this year’s UCI Mountain Bike World Series.
The American venue first hosted a UCI World Cup last year and 12 months later has introduced downhill to its programme.
The two-kilometre course of Whiteface Mountain greeted competitors in the majestic Adirondack Mountains, containing a technical terrain full of loose ground, large holes and rocks. The terrain required precise bike handling and fearless determination.
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