By Laura Strother
Asa Vermette (#4) handles the rock garden — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Canadian rider Dane Jewett topped Elite Men’s Q2 in 3:40.353 at the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Whistler, British Columbia, on Saturday, September 26, securing a place in Sunday’s 30-rider final alongside his brother, Jakob Jewett. Asa Vermette led Q1 in 3:36.390, while the two-stage qualifying format established the complete finals field for the inaugural UCI Downhill World Cup at Whistler’s technical 1199 track.
The qualifying session provided the final competitive filter before Sunday’s Elite Men’s downhill final on September 27. Results were drawn from the official UCI/ChronoRace classifications and cross-checked with Pinkbike’s live qualifying coverage.
Whistler’s debut as a UCI Downhill World Cup venue places the world’s leading downhill riders on 1199, a technical course at Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Saturday’s format divided the finals places between two runs: Q1 awarded the first 20 positions to the top 20 riders, while Q2 provided the remaining 10 places for riders outside the Q1 qualifying group.
Vermette Sets the Q1 Benchmark
Asa Vermette asserted control of Q1 with a 3:36.390 run for Frameworks Racing / TRP. The American finished 2.539 seconds ahead of France’s Max Alran, who posted 3:38.929 for Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction.
Henri Kiefer placed third for Canyon DH Racing in 3:39.683, while Amaury Pierron and Oliver Davis completed the top five. Vermette’s time remained the fastest Elite Men’s qualifying mark of the day.
Max Alran (#55) navigates the rocks — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Amaury Pierron (#4) attacks the technical section — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Asa Vermette (#4) handles the rock garden — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Q1 Top Five
- 1. Asa Vermette (USA), Frameworks Racing / TRP, 3:36.390
- 2. Max Alran (FRA), Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction, 3:38.929, +2.539
- 3. Henri Kiefer (GER), Canyon DH Racing, 3:39.683, +3.293
- 4. Amaury Pierron (FRA), Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction, 3:41.267, +4.877
- 5. Oliver Davis (AUS), Trek–Unbroken DH, 3:41.998, +5.608
Jordan Williams, a major contender in the Elite Men’s field, finished 10th in Q1 with a 3:43.460 run. Finn Iles finished 36th in Q1 in 3:50.732 and outside the Q1 qualifying group. He did ride Q2 but finished 71st and did not qualify for the final.
Jackson Goldstone was listed 103rd in Q1 at 5:55.737. The result placed him outside the top-20 Q1 qualifying group, and he did not appear in the official Q2 results.
Jewett Delivers in Q2
Dane Jewett answered the pressure of Q2 with the fastest run of the second qualifying session. His 3:40.353 mark gave the Canadian a 2.930-second advantage over Luke Wayman of New Zealand, who finished second in 3:43.283 for Continental Atherton.
New Zealand’s Tuhoto-Ariki Pene placed third in 3:43.797, followed by American veteran Aaron Gwin at 3:43.862. Bode Burke and Jakob Jewett tied at 3:43.871, 3.518 seconds behind Dane Jewett.
The official ranking listed Burke fifth and Jakob sixth despite the identical times. The result advanced both Jewett brothers to Sunday’s final, giving the home crowd two Canadian riders to follow on Whistler’s 1199 course.
An elite rider (#25) works through the rocky section — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Q2 Top Five
- 1. Dane Jewett (CAN), Giant Factory Off-Road Team–DH, 3:40.353
- 2. Luke Wayman (NZL), Continental Atherton, 3:43.283, +2.930
- 3. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (NZL), MS-Racing, 3:43.797, +3.444
- 4. Aaron Gwin (USA), Frameworks Racing / TRP, 3:43.862, +3.509
- 5. Bode Burke (USA), Crestline Speed Shop, 3:43.871, +3.518
- 6. Jakob Jewett (CAN), Giant Factory Off-Road Team–DH, 3:43.871, +3.518
The Q2 result also sent Loris Revelli, Dakotah Norton, Johnathan Helly and Jackson Connelly through to the final. Jewett’s performance was particularly significant because it converted the Canadian rider’s Q2 opportunity into the fastest time of the session, rather than merely securing the cutoff.
How Elite Men’s Qualifying Worked
The two-run format determined the 30 available finals places without treating either qualifying session as the Sunday competition.
- Q1: The top 20 riders earned direct places in the Elite Men’s final.
- Q2: The next 10 places went to the fastest riders who had not qualified through Q1.
- Sunday’s final: The 30 qualified riders will contest the official Elite Men’s downhill final on 1199.
Q1 times established the first group of qualifiers, while Q2 gave riders outside that group another route into the final. The structure also meant that Q2 times were not directly compared as a replacement for Q1 results; the sessions served separate qualification purposes.
An elite rider (#15) descends through the rocks — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Complete 30-Rider Finals Field
The following riders qualified for Sunday’s Elite Men’s final. The list is grouped by qualification route and does not represent Sunday’s start order.
Q1 Qualifiers: Top 20
- Asa Vermette (USA), Frameworks Racing / TRP
- Max Alran (FRA), Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction
- Henri Kiefer (GER), Canyon DH Racing
- Amaury Pierron (FRA), Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction
- Oliver Davis (AUS), Trek–Unbroken DH
- Till Alran (FRA)
- Luca Shaw (USA)
- Lachlan Stevens-McNab (NZL)
- Luke Meier-Smith (AUS)
- Jordan Williams (GBR)
- Andreas Kolb (AUT)
- Richard Rude Jr. (USA)
- Ryan Pinkerton (USA)
- Loris Vergier (FRA)
- Antoine Pierron (FRA)
- Oisin O’Callaghan (IRL)
- Dylan Maples (USA)
- Charlie Hatton (GBR)
- Alden Pate (USA)
- Rémi Thirion (FRA)
Q2 Qualifiers, Remaining 10
- Dane Jewett (CAN), Giant Factory Off-Road Team–DH
- Luke Wayman (NZL), Continental Atherton
- Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (NZL), MS-Racing
- Aaron Gwin (USA), Frameworks Racing / TRP
- Bode Burke (USA), Crestline Speed Shop
- Jakob Jewett (CAN), Giant Factory Off-Road Team–DH
- Loris Revelli (ITA)
- Dakotah Norton (USA)
- Johnathan Helly (CAN)
- Jackson Connelly (AUS)
An elite rider (#11) navigates the technical terrain — Jason Strother / JTS Media
An elite rider (#5) rides through the Whistler rock garden — Jason Strother / JTS Media
Sunday Outlook
The Elite Men’s final is scheduled for Sunday, September 27, on 1199 at Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Vermette will enter the final after posting the fastest qualifying time, while Dane Jewett will carry the distinction of Q2’s leading rider into the first UCI Downhill World Cup final held at Whistler.
Saturday’s classifications established the field; they did not determine the Sunday winner. The final will decide the official result when all 30 qualified riders return to the course.
Results: official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Whistler results, cross-checked with Pinkbike’s live qualifying coverage. JTS Media provides professional sports photography and event coverage at www.jtsmedia.io.
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