At the 2023 World Cycling Championships in Scotland, the elite of the downhill pros will also gather. At this super event in Fort William, Nevis Range, it's not just the mountain bike stars who have adrenaline in their blood. The audience also quickly gets heart racing during the gnarly descents. This season in particular, there are some spectacular young guns who are shaking up the field of riders. We introduce you to four riders you should definitely keep on your radar.
Top favorites at the Downhill Championship in Scotland
From the third to the fifth of August, the fastest downhillers will be on the road in the Scottish Highlands. Uncompromising, focused and with a healthy dose of risk-taking, they will be at the start. We present Jackson Goldstone, Jordan Williams, Andreas Kolb and Vali Höll, four of the most inspiring young downhill pros.
9 disciplines inspire at the first mega cycling world championship
The small wheel rider developed into one of the biggest promises in mountain biking. Goldstone put the first exclamation mark on his career when he won the Red Bull Hardline, probably the toughest official downhill race in the professional circuit, as a debutant in 2022. The course in Wales includes 30-meter jumps, drops around 14 meters high and challenging sections in the steepest, rockiest terrain. Only a few downhill pros compete here.
He starts into the World Cup as a freshly crowned World Cup winner. The Canadian won the last race before the World Cup in Val di Sole and is the absolute top favorite for the World Cup title. "In his first World Cup win in Val di Sole, he has already shown with his victory that his lack of experience can be made up for by incredible skills and fun biking," says Jasper Jauch about the 19-year-old. Jauch is a MTB pro, Youtuber and as a former World Cup rider still has very good insights into the racing scene. Further, the German recognizes in "the rough diamond, a certain freshness in racing procedures and no heady approach to chassis tuning. In addition, Jackson has a fun and experienced team in the background."
Jasper Jauch gives 7 tips for the bike park
The 10 best bike parks in the Alps
Mental Power: How Athletes Achieve Top Performance
"Vali Höll simply has an incredible talent," says Jauch. "She grew up with mountain biking, had great people and experienced biker*s around her at all times." She has excellent "reaction, balance and line choice," the Youtuber says approvingly. So she is also the big favorite at the world championships for the title, which she already won last year.
Since her start in the elite class two years ago, she has also had to learn how to deal with setbacks. Injuries and crashes at her home race and at her first elite world championships, as well as the high pressure of expectations, demanded everything from the exceptional athlete. The advantage: She should be able to handle the pressure that weighs on a defending champion in Scotland.
More mountain bike insights