Jackson Goldstone ends 2023 in spectacular fashion with win at Mont-Sainte-Anne
Back-to-back wins for Canadians in Quebec
Photo by:
Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
Jackson Goldstone ended his first elite World Cup season in the most spectacular way on Saturday, winning at home in Canada at Mont-Sainte-Anne.
The win pushes the Syndicate racer into second overall, a sensational debut, behind Loic Bruni (Specialized). But Saturday was all about the win at home for Goldstone.
It is the second year in a row that a Canadian has won the elite men’s race at MSA. Last year, Finn Iles (Specialized) earned his first-ever elite win at the iconic Quebec venue. This year, Iles was pushing the pace in finals only to slide out on a slippery rock slab left hander. That ended Iles chance at the win, but he does end the year fourth in the overall.
That left it all up to Goldstone. Wearing a red-yellow kit throwing back a decade to another fast Canuck, Goldstone floated down the rough MSA track, smoothing out the roughest rock sections to go fastest at every split on the mountain.
Jackson Goldstone wins the Mont-Sainte-Anne elite men’s World Cup, the final race of his debut elite season. That makes it two years in a row that Canadians have won at MSA. It makes Goldstone the first elite man to win a second World Cup round in the wildly competitive 2023 season. It puts him second overall in his rookie elite year. With all that, the young racer was still quick to credit his predecessor.
“I came across the line and I wanted to do the Stevie Smith bike throw, but people came at me too fast” Goldstone said post-race. “That one was for you, Stevie.”
Behind Goldstone, Lucas Cruz (Norco) again had a solid showing at MSA, finishing 18th. Iles rolled across 22nd.
Elite Women
In the elite women’s race, Vali Höll (RockShox Trek) rolled into Quebec with the season title secure after her result at Snowshoe. That left the Austrian to race freely for the win without worrying about points. Höll took full advantage, storming to a dominant win by 13 seconds over second place.
Behind, Marine Cabirou (Scott) and Nina Hoffmann (Syndicate) battled out for second place in the overall. Hoffmann exploded both tires on the final drop towards the finish line, but still held on for second place. With Cabirou trailing in ninth, the Syndicate’s German earns second overall for 2023.
