2026 UCI Downhill World Cup: Jordan Williams and Valentina Holl extend winning streaks with victories in Pal Arinsal - 'To go back-to-back is insane'
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Published 11/07/2026 at 21:00 GMT+1
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Jordan Williams (Specialized Gravity) surged to the top of the UCI Downhill World Cup standings after claiming a second successive victory in Pal Arinsal, while Valentina Holl (Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) tightened her grip on the Women's Elite title race with a fifth win in six rounds.
Highlights: Britain's Williams edges compatriot Wilson to win in Pal Arinsal
Video credit: TNT Sports
Williams delivered a standout performance to secure his third Men Elite World Cup victory and his second consecutive win after ending a three-year wait for success in La Thuile.
The Specialized Gravity rider mastered the loose and technical 2.1-kilometre course, beating Reece Wilson's benchmark by 2.331 seconds with a winning time of 2:41.666.
The result moved Williams into the overall series lead, 63 points ahead of team-mate Finn Iles. Wilson returned to the podium for the first time since 2021, while Ryan Pinkerton secured his first Men Elite World Cup podium.
Reflecting on his incredible run of form, Williams said: "This is crazy. It’s something that you dream of. To go back-to-back is insane. I can’t thank my team, Specialized Gravity, enough.
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What a run! Williams takes sensational World Cup win in Pal Arinsal
Video credit: TNT Sports
"For us to get four wins in a row on the S-Works Demo 11 is incredible. After my first win in my first Elite race, I went a bit crazy afterwards and didn’t manage to back it up.
"Being in a team with Loic [Bruni] and Finn [Iles], I’ve learned so much.
"To win by more than two seconds on a track like this, I honestly didn’t think was possible. I don’t know how I did it. I want to be No. 1, and now I want to keep this momentum going and fight for the championship."
Holl makes it five wins in six
Meanwhile, Holl continued her remarkable season in the Women Elite category, claiming her fifth victory in six rounds.
Racing on home terrain for Commencal, the reigning world champion produced a flawless final run to edge Gracey Hemstreet by 0.485 seconds with a winning time of 3:06.717.
The victory extended Holl's championship lead to 553 points heading into the summer break.
"It’s insane. I had such a hard practice this morning and didn’t really feel like risking my life today.
"Somehow, once I left the start gate, my brain switched off and I managed to make it happen again. I’m happy to have the holidays now because this is so stressful," Holl said.
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Highlights: Holl dominates in Pal Arinsal for fifth downhill win of season
Video credit: TNT Sports
"The bike is incredible. The Commencal bike is really helping me on tracks like these. I saw the Women Junior's time [Aletha Ostgaard] this morning and thought, ‘I need to go faster than that’. Somehow I managed it, and I’m super happy.
"They’re inspiring, they’re pushing the level higher, and it will be both fun and stressful racing against them next year."
In the Junior categories, Aletha Ostgaard claimed her third Women Junior victory of the season to extend her championship lead, while Jonty Williamson returned to winning ways in the Men Junior category after a difficult weekend in La Thuile.
The action at the Pal Arinsal Bike Park continues on Sunday with the UCI Cross-country Olympic World Cup, before the Downhill World Cup resumes after the summer break at Les Gets, Haute-Savoie, from August 20-23.
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