The 2026 season got itself underway in South Korea – a new venue and whole new world to much of the DH circuit. The track was fast, flat out, extremely loose, and a real stress test for the winter’s preparation. Rider of the weekend was certainly Elite newcomer Asa Vermette, who ticked off this first race in style, winning the qualifier and backing it up in the finals to take the race win. Keeping with the American theme, Canyon Factory Racing’s Aletha Ostgaard not only won the junior women’s race but put down a time fast enough to win the elite women’s race as well – just, for fun. 

All we remember from Loudenvielle was that Luca Shaw won – the rest is a blur. Luca stopped by our office in Laguna Beach back in late 2018, raced two full seasons of World Cup Downhill on prototype versions of our shoes, and has been a very important member of the shoe gang ever since. 78 prior attempts didn’t quite work out, but in Luca’s 79th attempt, he put down an incredible performance to capture his first Elite World Cup win. We’re stoked to have been a long for the ride. 

1407 days is a long old time – just ask Finn Iles. Finn’s battled some dark days since his first World Cup in 2022, especially a 2025 season full of struggles, but in 2026, Finn is well and truly back in the game. He won the dreaded Q2 in Leogang and set a blazing fast time in the finals with 20 riders left to drop. He’d have to sit and watch as each passing rider missed out, and in the end, he’d won the whole damn thing. Norco Factory Racing’s Lina Frener didn’t let the best of the home nation crowd the best of her, taking her first win of the year and giving the Austrian crowd something to get excited for as race day got underway.  

Anna Newkirk had been looking good all season, and after a third place in Leogang just seven days prior, it was clear she was in good form. Qualifying first, Newkirk had all the pressure and delivered a great run to take her first win. Back-to-Back wins are hard to come by in today’s era of the elite men’s field, but Finn Iles managed just that - grabbing the points lead with it.

Racing on July 4th is quite something for an American - even if it’s on the steep slopes of Italy. Aletha Ostgaard took her second win of the season at round five, and by an authoritative margin of four seconds.

Jackson Goldstone battled back from a rough-and-tumble start of the year to land his first podium in third, while Asa Vermette kept his streak of podium or crash alive, putting down an eye-opening run to finish in 2nd place.

The Rut Track brings speed. Speed brings podium finishes. We couldn’t be happier to see our mate from down the street, Ryan Pinkerton, grab his first Elite World Cup podium in Andorra to bring the first half of the racing season to a close. We’ve been seeing Pinky putting in the laps on our local DH track, Telonics, for as long as we can remember. Laguna Beach’s last World Cup podium came from Pinky’s trainer, Brian Lopes, many (many) years ago - it’s good to see SoCal back up there!