With Jackson Goldstone and Asa Vermette both crashing in the first round of qualifying at the 2026 UCI Downhill World Cup in Lenzerheide this week, I wanted to take a look back at the course preview from 2025 compared to this year, and Amaury Pierron’s winning run from last year to see the changes throughout the track and compare the conditions. Luckily, we have course previews from the same rider to take a look at, thanks to GoPro and Jackson Goldstone.
2025 Lenzerheide UCI Downhill Course Preview
2026 Lenzerheide UCI Downhill Course Preview
2025 Lenzerheide UCI Downhill Winning Run
The Current State
Although rain is predicted, the conditions during practice and qualifying look remarkably similar. Dry, dusty, fast, and with plenty of exposed rocks that have been catching riders off guard. The changes we can see from 2025 to 2026 are pretty minor, but they do come at key points in the course; overall, they are not what we are seeing as issues for some of the athletes that have been forced into Q2.
Photo by Billy Ceusters/Getty Images
With the recent shift towards qualifying rounds for the top riders, there are no longer protections against the incidents that are inherent with downhill racing, and this means that although you might be one of the best riders in the world, you are not guaranteed a spot in the main event. This means a flat, crash, missed gate, or any number of issues could exclude the fan favorites from even starting on race day. It’s an extra level of excitement, and it does level the playing field a bit, making for really exciting results, but it can mean that racers essentially could be looking at two or three full-pace race runs throughout the weekend.
Full Track Walk Details During Practice
Thankfully, we’ve got top-brass reporters on the ground in Switzerland, like Jack Moir, who is documenting riders during practice to capture their thoughts and opinions on the course.