Asa Vermette rides in his first men’s elite downhill UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Mona Yongpyong, South Korea, in May. (Courtesy Nathan Hughes)NATHAN HUGHES
Crashes have stopped Durango’s Asa Vermette from getting important points in past UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, but last weekend wasn’t one of them.
Vermette crashed twice in qualifying for the men’s elite downhill race in Les Gets, France, in muddy conditions on Friday. Vermette has struggled with those conditions in the past, but he didn’t let his poor runs in qualifying stop him on Saturday.
Despite being one of the first riders, Vermette got to the bottom without crashing and finished sixth. It’s not one of his best results, but it keeps him in the fight for the overall title.
In the cross-country mountain bike races in Les Gets, it was mostly an off weekend for Durango riders. The one exception was Durango resident Gwendalyn Gibson. She secured another top 10 in the women’s elite racing, once again showing that she is one of the most consistent elite women.
Vermette finished sixth in three minutes and 31.032 seconds after completing the 2.380-kilometer course. France’s Max Alran won the race in 3:27.924, with Andreas Kolb in second in 3:29.574 and Jackson Goldstone in third in 3:30.238.
With only two rounds left in the downhill season, Vermette is second in points in the overall standings. Jordan Williams leads with 989 points, followed by Vermette with 843, Finn Iles in third with 811, Amaury Pierron in fourth with 794 and Ryan Pinkerton with 736 to round out the top five.
Gibson started her weekend by finishing 16th in the women’s elite cross-country short track (XCC) race on Friday. The Trek-Unbroken XC rider finished the seven laps around the 1 km short track in 21:52. Sina Frei won the race in 20:38, followed by Jenny Rissveds in second in 20:44 and former Fort Lewis College rider Savilia Blunk in third in 20:46.
On Sunday, Gibson finished in ninth in the cross-country Olympic (XCO) race in 1:25:49 after seven laps around the 3.3 km track. Frei won in 1:22:48, Rissveds second in 1:22:50 and Blunk third in 1:23:18.
“Back in the top 10 for XCO in Les Gets,” Gibson wrote on Instagram. “Happy with my ride and to keep showing consistency. Every race I believe a little more what is possible. It’s so good to be back racing and with the Trek Factory Racing XC crew this week. Thank you for the endless support and hard work from all the team.”
Gibson is also ninth in the women’s elite XCO overall standings.
On the men’s elite side, Durango’s Riley Amos and Christopher Blevins a had forgettable weekend in Les Gets. On Friday, Amos finished the men’s elite XCC race in 32nd and Blevins in 36th. On Sunday, Amos finished 26th in the men’s elite XCO race and Blevins in 31st.
“It ain’t much but it’s honest work,” Amos wrote on Instagram. “Strange weekend but we never give up. A little bit of bad luck and less speed then expected but hopefully we got the motor rolling for world champs this week. Thank you team for all of your hard work to set us up for success, can’t wait until we can hit some of these out of the park! And thanks to the little Durango crew cheering me on out there, means the world.”
Fellow Durangoan Bailey Cioppa returned to World Cup racing after missing some time with injury. She finished 15th in the women’s U-23 XCC race and 14th in the women’s U-23 XCO race.
Many Durango riders are already back in action this week with the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy. Amos, Blevins, Cioppa, Gibson and Vermette are representing the United States.