Last weekend, the Downieville Classic returned to the rugged mountains of the northern Sierra for the 28th time. In the absence of 7-time All-Mountain World Champion Katerina Nash, the door was left wide open for others to claim the top step(s) in 2026. Haley Smith was keen to battle it out for top honors, winning the XC race by a decisive 10-minute margin. But, as is often the case, the All-Mountain title went to the DH race winner, Ruth Holcomb.
If you aren’t familiar, this iconic mountain bike race is put on by and is a fundraiser for the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. It has a unique 2-day format, with racers taking on a 26.5-mile XC on Saturday, followed by a 15-mile DH on Sunday, and has earned a reputation for being one of the most challenging — and most fun — races around. Champions are crowned for both days, and the combined points determine who earns the title of All-Mountain World Champion. The catch is that racers competing in the All-Mountain category must ride the same bike both days.
With modern cross-country bikes becoming increasingly capable, and components, especially tires, growing more reliable (sometimes), choosing the right setup to handle both days isn’t quite as much of a puzzle as it used to be. Still, the top riders need to find a setup that’s fast and efficient enough for XC while also being tough enough to handle the rough, fast, and long descents of Downieville. Let’s take a look at Ruth Holcomb and Haley Smith’s race-winning bikes.
Ruth Holcomb: 2nd XC, 1st DH, 1st All-Mountain
Ruth Holcomb came to Downieville for her first time this year and didn’t waste any time getting onto the podium. The 23-year-old racer has been making a name for herself and climbing up through the ranks. Last year, Holcomb was the Lifetime Grand Prix U23 Overall Champion, and she took the overall win at the BC Bike Race earlier this season.
On Saturday, Holcomb finished second in the XC race, completing the 26.5-mile course with 4,000+ feet of climbing in 2:26:43 with an average speed of 10.8 mph. Given the points-based scoring system, Holcomb knew that a DH win would secure the All-Mountain title. She attacked the 15-mile, 5,000-foot descent and finished with a smoking fast time of 50:26, two full minutes ahead of second place. Here’s what she rode:
- Frame: Santa Cruz Blur 5 CC, Size M, 120mm travel front and rear
- Fork: RockShox SID Ultimate Flight Attendant – 67.5psi with 2 tokens
- Shock: RockShox SIDLux Ultimate Flight Attendant – 150psi
- Drivetrain: SRAM XX SL AXS Transmission – 34T chainring
- Brakes: SRAM Motive Ultimate 4-piston, 180mm CLX Rotors front and rear
- Wheels: Reserve 28|XC SL Carbon w/ DT Swiss 180 hubs
- Tires: Maxxis Rekon Race 2.4” EXO MaxxSpeed, front and rear
- Tire pressure: 19 front, 20.5 rear
- Dropper: Rockshox Reverb 150mm
- Weight: 24.15 lbs (including pedals and two bottle cages)
Holcomb’s Santa Cruz Blur 5 is essentially the stock top-of-the-line XX AXS Race FA RSV build. The Blur 5 came out days before the Downieville Classic, and Holcomb, along with Santa Cruz teammate Tobin Ortenblad, was featured in the launch photos. It was clearly a good weekend for Santa Cruz and the new Blur, with both Holcomb and Ortenblad racing it to 2026 All-Mountain titles.
She tells us, “I love this setup. Most of this is pretty standard to what I would run on a daily basis on this bike, but I went a little beefier on the tires. I normally race Maxxis Aspens but wanted a little more grip and protection for this course.” Not only did she avoid getting any flats, but she rode her way onto the top step of the All-Mountain podium in her first attempt. Bravo Ruth!
Haley Smith: 1st XC, 3rd DH, 2nd All-Mountain
Multi-time Canadian National Champion, Olympian, and 2022 LifeTime Grand Prix Champion, Haley Smith has been competing at the highest level of the sport for some time. Earlier this year, Smith and teammate Hayley Preen took second at one of the toughest mountain bike stage races in the world, the Absa Cape Epic. Despite her long and impressive race resume, 2026 was Smith’s first time at the Downieville Classic. She said she’s using the event to help prepare for the upcoming Marathon Nationals and World Championships.
Right from the start, it was clear that Smith came to win as she took a commanding lead up the steep, grueling XC climb. Finishing the 26.5-mile point-to-point course in a very impressive 2:16:37 with an average speed of 11.6 mph, Smith was a whopping ten minutes ahead of Holcomb in 2nd. On Sunday, Smith rode the 15-mile DH in an impressive 52:29, securing 3rd on the day and 2nd place in the All-Mountain competition. Here’s what she rode.
- Frame: Factor Lando XC, size medium
- Fork: Fox Factory 34 SL, 115mm, 58psi. 2 volume spacers.
- Shock: Fox Factory Float SL, 120mm, 124psi.
- Seatpost: Fox Transfer SL Factory 75mm
- Front tire: Vittoria Barzo, 2.4 Race Casing, 17psi (at bottom of course). Vittoria XC Air Liner insert
- Rear tire: Vittoria Mezcal, 2.4 Race Casing, 18psi (at bottom of course). Vittoria XC Air Liner insert.
- Saddle: Wove Bike Mags saddle
- Pedals: Shimano XTR
- Drivetrain: SRAM XX SL Transmission (10-52), 34T ring. XX chain.
- Chain treatment: Rex Bike Hot Wax treatment on Saturday, with a top-up of Black Magic on Sunday (precautionary – didn’t really feel like I needed that).
- Head unit: Wahoo ELEMNT Roam
- Bottle Cages: King Cage x2
- Weight: 24.5 lbs including pedals, 2 bottle cages, and a spare tube taped to the frame
From Haley: “The details of my bike are pretty simple; I didn’t really make any changes from Cape Epic earlier this year (see above). My bike was certainly not optimized for the DH/All Mountain GC, but that was intentional. My goals were twofold: 1) Run the bike that I will likely race at Marathon World Championships for specific preparation, and 2) To show that you don’t need to nerd out over gear in order to have a fun and successful weekend at this race. I think the gear emphasis is intimidating to a lot of first-timers and newcomers to the sport, so I wanted to show that ‘running what ya brung’ is a more-than-fine approach.”
Unfortunately, Haley didn’t have bike photos from the weekend to share (and I neglected to take any), but said her setup was nearly identical to what she raced at the Cape Epic earlier this year. In fact, she told me the only real difference between her Cape Epic setup shown above is the front tire. “I usually don’t opt for something as beefy as a Barzo, but I was feeling very under-confident on the loose terrain and wanted some more tread up front.” Based on her results, it seems like a very fast setup indeed. Congrats on a successful weekend, Haley!
Full results from the 2026 Downieville Classic can be found here. You can learn more about the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, its mission, projects, and events here.
