Repeating the stellar performance that earned him a maiden World Cup victory 12 months earlier, Luke Meier-Smith again used the pedaling-intensive sections of the 2km machine-built course at Whiteface Mountain to his advantage, piloting his Glory Advanced race bike to a time of 3:08.28.
“For me, it’s the best track, coming from Australia,” he said. “We have a lot of tracks that are pretty flat, and physical. You have to carry your own speed and not just manage it. That’s sort of my strength.”
Ultimately Meier-Smith’s time would prevail by 1.3 seconds over runner-up Andreas Kolb (Santa Cruz Syndicate). The win came as validation for the Australian champion, who has endured a challenging 2026 campaign.
“It’s crazy, it hasn’t really been the season I had been hoping for,” Meier-Smith said. “To turn it around at the end and get another win here is just insane. I was getting a little bit of doubt in my head, not sure if I could do it again. But I just gave it my all. I didn’t have anything left at the bottom. I think that made the difference.”
Meier-Smith’s victory was a perfect bookend for the Giant Factory Off-Road Team’s 2026 World Cup season, which began with Dario Lillo’s XCO World Cup victory in Mona Yongpyong, South Korea, in May, aboard his Anthem Advanced SL bike and wearing the new Rev Pro helmet.
Both Meier-Smith and Lillo also clinched national titles in their respective disciplines this season, with Meier-Smith winning a fourth Australian DH title in March, and Lillo taking the Swiss XCO title in July rolling the new CADEX Max XC WheelSystem. Giant Factory Off-Road Team riders Alan Hatherly and Carter Woods also won their respective national XCO and XCC titles in July, with both men doubling up.
Lillo finished the 2026 World Cup season ranked seventh overall, while Meier-Smith finished ranked 12th.
