Photo Cred: Mountain Bike Action
After a six-week summer break, the Downhill World Cup is finally back, and there are not many better places to restart the season than Les Gets, France.
This is round seven of the 2026 series, with only three races left. The overall battles are getting serious, World Champs are coming up immediately after this weekend, and the weather forecast looks like it might turn one of the fastest tracks on the calendar into a full mud wrestling competition.
Les Gets has hosted World Cup downhill racing 11 times since first joining the circuit in 1996, and the venue has become famous for fast racing, ridiculous French crowds, and a track that can completely change personality depending on the weather. Last year’s layout was roughly 2.3km long, but the number does not really explain what makes this place so good.
In the dry, it is fast, open, and loose. In the wet, the grass pistes become skating rinks, the roots become weapons, and the steep chutes look like they have absolutely no interest in allowing bikes to remain upright.
Lets hope it rains, a lot.
Why Les Gets Delivers
Les Gets has a little bit of everything.
The upper sections let riders carry serious speed across the open hillside, but eventually the track dives into steeper woods filled with roots, ruts, awkward cambers, and line choices that become harder to see with every rider.
The French crowd is another huge part of the experience. Les Gets has produced some of the loudest and most memorable scenes in the sport, including the 2022 World Championships, when Loïc Bruni, Amaury Pierron, and Loris Vergier swept the Elite Men’s podium for France. Vali Höll also won the women’s world title that day.
Photo Cred: Flow Mountain Bikes
Even watching through a screen, the whole place feels electric. The course is lined with fans, cowbells, smoke, yelling, and probably a few people who started celebrating well before breakfast.
Honestly, it is hard not to ride faster when an entire French hillside is screaming at you.I wouldn't know necessarily. But yeah, you go faster. Science.
2026 Les Gets DH World Cup Track Preview
As usual, Jackson making it look easy.
Also had to share this video. Brings a smile to my face watching these legends navigate the track, so many good memories watching them race.
The Weather Could Turn This Into Carnage
This weekend’s forecast looks wet. (yesss)
Rain and drizzle are expected during Thursday’s practice, showers and a possible thunderstorm are forecast for qualifying on Friday, and more showers could continue into Saturday’s finals. Haute-Savoie is also under a thunderstorm warning heading into the opening day of the event.
A dry track would already be fast and loose. Add water, and the open grass sections get slippery, the woods turn dark and greasy, and every exposed root starts looking like it was personally designed to ruin someone’s race run.
Last year was muddy too, and the race turned into exactly the kind of chaotic, barely-controlled riding Les Gets is known for. Gracey Hemstreet and Rónán Dunne came out on top after navigating conditions that made clean riding look almost impossible.
The forecast can still change, obviously. Mountain weather loves making everyone look dumb. But if the rain arrives, this weekend could get wild very quickly.
Men's
Jordan Williams Comes In as the Man to Beat
The biggest men’s storyline is Jordan Williams.
Jordan ended the first half of the season with back-to-back wins at La Thuile and Andorra. His Andorra run was especially ridiculous, winning by more than two seconds and taking over the Elite Men’s series lead heading into the break. He currently leads the overall by 63 points over teammate Finn Iles.
Now Jordan has to restart that momentum after six weeks away from World Cup racing. That sounds easy until you remember everyone else also spent the break training, recovering, and thinking about how to beat him.
Les Gets should be an interesting test. Jordan has shown that he can win on very different tracks, from La Thuile’s steep natural terrain to Andorra’s fast, dusty course. If the rain comes and he puts together another strong result here, the title conversation starts feeling a whole lot more serious.
Finn Iles Being Out Is a Huge Blow
Unfortunately, Finn Iles will not be racing Les Gets after fracturing his ankle during the summer break.
Finn sits second in the overall after winning back-to-back rounds at Leogang and Lenzerheide, and he was only 63 points behind Jordan Williams heading into this weekend. Losing him from the start list removes one of the strongest title contenders at exactly the wrong time.
Finn’s season had already been one of the best stories of the year. He finally got back on the top step, immediately backed it up, and looked like he had turned years of obvious speed into a legitimate overall campaign.
Now he has to watch from the sidelines while the series keeps moving.
Brutal sport.
The injury also changes the math for everyone behind him. Jordan has a chance to extend his lead, while riders like Asa Vermette and Amaury Pierron suddenly have a much bigger opportunity to move up in the standings.
Asa Vermette Has a Real Opening
Asa Vermette comes into Les Gets third in the overall, which still feels kind of insane for a first-year Elite rider.
He won the opening round in South Korea, crashed while flying in Loudenvielle, survived another huge crash in Leogang, podiumed in Lenzerheide, finished second at La Thuile, and still managed fourth in Andorra despite dropping his chain during his race run.
With Finn out, Les Gets becomes a huge opportunity for Asa to close the gap in the overall. The track should suit him too. It rewards commitment, confidence, and the ability to carry speed when the bike is moving around underneath you.
The big question is whether he can stay just calm enough. Les Gets is the kind of place where riding at 98% might be faster than riding at 103%, especially if the woods turn muddy.
Asa clearly has winning speed. At this point, the challenge is putting together the clean run without removing any course tape, timing poles, or nearby trees.
Rónán Dunne Is Back at the Perfect Track
One of the best bits of news heading into the weekend is that Rónán Dunne is returning to racing.
He is not fully back to 100%, but this is a pretty fitting venue for his return. Rónán won the Elite Men’s race at Les Gets last year, taking a huge victory in the mud while somehow making complete chaos look intentional.
Rónán is aggressive, loose, committed, and very good at finding speed when the track looks like it is actively falling apart. If it rains again, he will immediately become one of the most interesting riders to watch.
Expecting him to return from injury and instantly repeat last year’s win might be a little much. But even a not-quite-100% Rónán on a muddy Les Gets track sounds more entertaining than most things.
Jackson Goldstone Has Momentum Again
Jackson Goldstone is another rider worth watching closely.
The reigning World Champion has not won a World Cup round yet this season, but he picked up a big victory at the Crankworx Whistler Canadian Open during the summer break. Les Gets will also be his final World Cup weekend in the rainbow jersey before the title goes back up for grabs at World Championships.
He entered the year as the defending World Cup overall winner and World Champion, but the results have not fully matched the speed we know he has. There have been flashes, podium pace, and plenty of reminders that he is still one of the best riders in the world, just not the complete race run yet.
He is excellent in rough terrain, ridiculously composed when the bike is moving underneath him, and usually very good at carrying speed without looking like he is about to explode.
Amaury Pierron and Les Gets Just Make Sense
Amaury Pierron and Les Gets are always an interesting combination.
Amaury has not found a World Cup win yet this season, but this is exactly the kind of track where he can suddenly put together something ridiculous. He is at his best when the terrain is fast, physical, and slightly out of control.
If it rains, even better.
Amaury has that rare ability to look like he is attacking every section harder than should be possible while still somehow carrying speed out the other side. Sometimes it results in a win. Sometimes it results in a very expensive cloud of dirt.
The French crowd will also be fully behind him, and Les Gets has produced some of the biggest moments of his career. Pinkbike has him as its men’s favorite this weekend, which feels pretty reasonable if the track turns wet.
Women's
Vali Höll Is Still Basically Unstoppable
On the women’s side, it is still the Vali Höll show.
Vali has won five of the first six World Cup rounds this season. Five. Out of six.
She comes into Les Gets with a massive overall lead and another chance to tighten her grip on the title. She is also the reigning World Champion, meaning this will be her last World Cup race in the rainbow jersey before she has to defend it next week.
The weird part is that Vali has never won an Elite World Cup at Les Gets.
She won the World Championships here in 2022, but the World Cup victory has escaped her. That feels like one of the few missing boxes left to check.
If the track stays dry, her speed and precision make her the obvious favorite.
If it gets wet, she is still probably the obvious favorite. I am indeed a betting man, so I will be betting on her.
Gracey Hemstreet Returns as the Defending Winner
If anyone can challenge Vali here, Gracey Hemstreet feels like a strong pick.
Gracey won Les Gets last year in the mud, managing the changing conditions better than anyone else. She also finished second in Andorra before the summer break, only 0.485 seconds behind Vali.
That is real momentum.
Gracey has the commitment for a fast track, but she is also good at staying composed when conditions get ugly. Last year proved that. She did not need to look perfectly clean, she just kept the bike moving, avoided the worst mistakes, and found time as the run developed.
If the weather repeats itself, Gracey should be right in the fight again.
Marine Cabirou Has Serious History Here
Marine Cabirou is another obvious Les Gets pick.
She won here in 2023, finished second last year, and has another second-place result at the venue. She also rode exceptionally well in last year’s terrible conditions, doing it in front of a French crowd after returning from injury.
If the woods get muddy and technical, her experience could be a huge advantage. She knows where the time is, she knows how quickly the track can change, and she will have an entire hillside trying to push her toward the finish.
What Makes This Weekend So Interesting
There are only three rounds left, and Les Gets is the final European World Cup before the series moves to Whistler and Lake Placid. Jordan Williams has the lead, but losing Finn Iles from the race changes the entire men’s battle. Asa Vermette has an opening. Amaury Pierron has the perfect track to restart his season. Jackson Goldstone needs a breakthrough. Rónán Dunne is finally back.
That’s a lot.
On the women’s side, Vali has a huge advantage, but Les Gets is one of the few World Cup races she has not won. Gracey Hemstreet is the defending winner, Marine Cabirou has years of success here, and Lisa Baumann has been knocking on the door all season.
Final Thoughts
Les Gets is exactly the kind of race I want after a six-week break.
It is fast, steep, rooted, unpredictable, and lined with one of the loudest crowds in mountain biking. The track can reward a perfectly calculated run or completely destroy one with a single slippery turn.
And with the weather threatening to turn the whole thing into a mud race, nobody should feel comfortable.
