Skip to content

Sechelt mountain biker Gracey Hemstreet wins French DH test event

Jackson Goldstone of Squamish came second among men, while Pembertonian Lucas Cruz was 17th

Two Sea to Sky mountain bikers earned some hardware at at UCI's ESO/Discovery downhill test event on April 23 in France.

Gracey Hemstreet emerged victorious in Lourdes, notching a time of three minutes, 57.546 seconds. The Sechelt, B.C. native was the lone Canadian in a 10-woman field, besting runner-up Nina Hoffmann of Germany (4:00.722) and third-place finisher Izabela Yankova from Bulgaria (4:20.054). 

"Lourdes was sweet!" said Hemstreet on her Instagram account after the event. "Always an awesome time with the crew! was sick to get some good DH laps in as well." 

Jackson Goldstone of Squamish crossed the line in second (3:05.038), disrupting what would have been a local podium sweep among men. French contender Thibaut Daprela prevailed (3:03.324), while his compatriot Loic Bruni ended up third (3:05.148). Another Frenchman, Amaury Pierron, came fourth (3:06.534). 

Pemberton's Lucas Cruz also saw action in Lourdes. He clocked in at a time of 3:18.762, good enough for 17th.