Fresh out of Juniors, Jordan Williams from the South West of the UK conquered Lenzerheide to take his first elite downhill World Cup win.
The transition from Junior to Elite couldn’t have gone smoother for Jordan Williams, who took his first elite win in the first race of his first season in the senior category at Lenzerheide. Williams is no stranger to podiums; after all, he’s the 2022 Junior Downhill World Champ, has multiple Junior DH World Cup and national wins, and his fierce rivalry with Jackson Goldstone which continues up from junior to elite can’t help but be something of a motivating factor. He’s also been named on the British downhill mountain bike squad for the upcoming cycling world championships.
We caught up with him quickly to get his view on the win, the new downhill format, and his goals for the season ahead.
Congratulations on the awesome Lenzerheide result! How did you feel going into the race?
Thank you! I felt super relaxed and calm, and I knew I was riding really well.
There seemed to be a lot of crashes happening that round – why do you think that was? Just the usual season start?
I think because it was round one, everyone was getting used to everything, and also pushing really hard because it was the first race, so some people just got caught out.
What do you make of the new format? With the semi finals, there’s essential a whole extra race over the weekend.
I think it’s good because if you crash on your race run, or get a puncture, you can still have good points from the semi and qualifying.
Your time was 2m44 in the semi finals, and 2m39 in the finals – where did you find that extra time and speed? You looked very smooth and composed on track.
Honestly, I don’t know, because I felt like I pushed hard in the semi. I just needed that race run feeling to be able to push that extra bit of speed out.
Was it your decision to ride the old Specialized Demo bike? Did you have a choice between the prototype and the production bikes?
It wasn’t my choice, but I know the old bike is very fast and I know it was a bike that wouldn’t be changing and developing so I could get used to it quickly.
How are you finding the move from juniors to elite, and the move to Specialized?
Coming from juniors to elite is way better for me because I feel way less stressed about everything, and all I need to do is put down the best run I can. The move to Specialized has been amazing; it’s a dream team for me and the people on the team are the best! I love it.
What are your goals for the season ahead?
Have fun!
- Best mountain bike full face and convertible helmets
- Best mountain bike goggles: gravity optimised eyewear
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