Seagrave Leads Elite Women’s Q2 as Whistler’s 1199 Track Sets Up Sunday Finals

September 27, 2026 Jason Strother Collegiate 0

By Laura Strother

Tahnee Seagrave led Elite Women’s Q2 in 4:43.280 at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Whistler, British Columbia, on Saturday, September 26, securing the final qualifying session’s top position ahead of Nina Hoffmann and Myriam Nicole. Lisa Bouladou had already established the fastest Q1 time at 4:35.818, setting the stage for a 15-rider Elite Women’s final on Sunday, September 27, at Whistler’s technical 1199 track.

Tahnee Seagrave attacks the technical rock section — Jason Strother / JTS Media

The Whistler round represents the first UCI Downhill World Cup staged at the British Columbia venue, a location with longstanding significance in the downhill community. Saturday’s qualifying sessions placed the leading riders into position for the first finals at the venue, but neither session determines Sunday’s final classification or predicts the eventual winner.

Results were taken from the official UCI/ChronoRace timing and results published through the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Whistler results page, with the qualifying order cross-checked against Pinkbike’s live coverage.

Two-run qualifying format determines the 15-rider final field

Elite Women’s downhill qualifying at Whistler used a two-run format designed to establish the Sunday final field.

Q1 determined the first 10 final qualifiers. The top 10 riders from that session advanced directly to Sunday’s final, with the session led by Bouladou. Q2 then provided the remaining five finals places, allowing the next group of riders to earn their positions through a second qualifying run.

The format made Saturday’s order decisive without turning qualifying into a final result. Q1 determined the first block of riders, while Q2 resolved the remaining five places. The combined outcome produced a 15-rider Elite Women’s field for Sunday.

Bouladou controls Q1 with a 4:35.818

Lisa Bouladou with visible number plate #8 rides through a muddy rocky section during Elite Women’s qualifying at Whistler.
Lisa Bouladou (#8) navigates the rocks — Jason Strother / JTS Media

Lisa Bouladou delivered the fastest Q1 run, stopping the clock at 4:35.818 for Santa Cruz Burgtec by Goodman. Eliana Hulsebosch followed 0.588 seconds behind at 4:36.406, while Canada’s Gracey Hemstreet placed third in 4:39.166.

Eliana Hulsebosch with visible number plate #15 works through a technical rock section during Elite Women’s qualifying at Whistler.
Eliana Hulsebosch (#15) works through the rocks — Jason Strother / JTS Media

Gracey Hemstreet with visible number plate #13 rides through the rock garden during Elite Women’s qualifying at Whistler.
Gracey Hemstreet (#13) negotiates the rock garden — Jason Strother / JTS Media

Harriet Harnden and Valentina Höll completed the Q1 top five. Höll’s result carried particular statistical significance: she led the first split and several intermediate rankings but finished fifth after Bouladou produced the fastest run to the line.

Q1 Elite Women top five

  • 1. Lisa Bouladou (France, Santa Cruz Burgtec by Goodman) 4:35.818
  • 2. Eliana Hulsebosch, New Zealand, Santa Cruz Syndicate, 4:36.406, +0.588
  • 3. Gracey Hemstreet, Canada, Norco X Adidas Race Division, 4:39.166, +3.348
  • 4. Harriet Harnden, Great Britain, Aon Racing, 4:41.283, +5.465
  • 5. Valentina Höll (Austria, Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres) 4:41.308, +5.490

Anna Newkirk placed sixth in Q1 at 4:41.419, followed by Lisa Baumann in seventh at 4:43.057. Gloria Scarsi, Sacha Earnest and Jenna Hastings completed the 10 direct Q1 qualifying places.

Bouladou’s performance established the fastest Elite Women’s qualifying time of the day. Hulsebosch remained within one second of the benchmark, while Hemstreet finished 3.348 seconds back. The gap between Harnden and Höll was just 0.025 seconds, underscoring the precision required across the 1199 track.

Seagrave leads Q2 and secures the final qualifying group

An elite women’s rider in a blue-and-white kit on a Zerode bike works through the rocks during qualifying at Whistler.
An elite rider works through Whistler’s rock garden — Jason Strother / JTS Media

Seagrave asserted control of Q2 with a 4:43.280 run for Orbea FMD Racing. Hoffmann finished second at 4:44.802, 1.522 seconds behind, and Nicole placed third at 4:46.265.

An elite women’s rider with visible number plate #4 in a dark FOX kit descends through a rocky section during qualifying at Whistler.
An elite rider (#4) descends through the rocks — Jason Strother / JTS Media

Phoebe Gale, Seagrave’s Orbea FMD Racing teammate, took fourth in 4:46.458. Kate Hastings secured the final available finals place with a 4:47.725 run, 4.445 seconds off Seagrave’s pace.

Q2 Elite Women top five

  • 1. Tahnee Seagrave, Great Britain, Orbea FMD Racing, 4:43.280
  • 2. Nina Hoffmann, Germany, Santa Cruz Syndicate, 4:44.802, +1.522
  • 3. Myriam Nicole, France, Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction, 4:46.265, +2.985
  • 4. Phoebe Gale, Great Britain, Orbea FMD Racing, 4:46.458, +3.178
  • 5. Kate Hastings, New Zealand, Team High Country, 4:47.725, +4.445

Frida Helena Rønning finished sixth in Q2 at 4:53.340, while Matilda Melton placed seventh at 5:03.113. Their times did not earn the remaining final positions.

Marine Cabirou recorded the fastest first split in Q2 but did not finish her run. Valentina Roa Sanchez did not start the second qualifying session. Those outcomes left the five Q2 places to Seagrave, Hoffmann, Nicole, Gale and Hastings.

Complete Elite Women’s final field

An elite women’s rider with visible number plate #2 in a white Commencal kit handles technical rocky terrain during qualifying at Whistler.
An elite rider (#2) handles the technical terrain — Jason Strother / JTS Media

An elite women’s rider with visible number plate #1 in a rainbow-trimmed Commencal kit navigates the Whistler rock garden during qualifying.
An elite rider (#1) navigates the Whistler rock garden — Jason Strother / JTS Media

The Q1 and Q2 results combined to create the following 15-rider field for Sunday’s Elite Women’s final:

  1. Lisa Bouladou, France
  2. Eliana Hulsebosch, New Zealand
  3. Gracey Hemstreet, Canada
  4. Harriet Harnden, Great Britain
  5. Valentina Höll, Austria
  6. Anna Newkirk
  7. Lisa Baumann
  8. Gloria Scarsi
  9. Sacha Earnest
  10. Jenna Hastings
  11. Tahnee Seagrave, Great Britain
  12. Nina Hoffmann, Germany
  13. Myriam Nicole, France
  14. Phoebe Gale, Great Britain
  15. Kate Hastings, New Zealand

The first 10 positions came from Q1, while the final five came from Q2. The field includes the Q1 leader Bouladou, the Q2 leader Seagrave and Höll, who finished fifth in Q1 despite leading the opening split and setting the pace through key portions of her run.

Sunday finals return the focus to one decisive run

Sunday’s final will determine the official Elite Women’s result at Whistler. Saturday’s qualifying times establish the field and provide a clear performance reference, but they do not carry over as final finishing times.

The riders will return to the 1199 track on Sunday, September 27, for the first UCI Downhill World Cup final held at Whistler. Bouladou enters the final as the fastest Q1 rider, Seagrave as the fastest Q2 rider, and Höll among the leading qualifiers after a session in which her split times demonstrated substantial pace.

The opening Whistler round therefore moves into its decisive phase with 15 riders qualified and no final outcome determined. Sunday’s run will establish the venue’s first UCI Downhill World Cup Elite Women’s result.

For broader event information, schedules and official updates, visit the Whistler event page. JTS Media’s mountain biking coverage will continue documenting the sport’s major competitions.

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