Baltic DH Cup 2026 Comes to a Close at Mežezers

Mežezers, Latvia — August 23, 2026. The final round of the Baltic DH Cup 2026 took place this weekend at Mežezers, bringing together downhill riders from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania for the final battle of the season. The Mežezers weekend was supposed to be a celebration of downhill racing — and it certainly was. But getting to the start line on Sunday was a story in itself.

A weekend that tested everyone

The weather turned what had already been a major race weekend into a serious challenge for the organisers and riders. A powerful storm hit the area during Saturday night, bringing heavy rain, falling trees, damaged tents, flying structures and damaged vehicles. Then came another major problem — the entire Aizkraukle region lost electricity. For a moment, the possibility of cancelling the event was very real.

Thanks to the incredibly fast and determined response from the Mežezers team, together with a little bit of luck, the organisers managed to secure a generator powerful enough to restore electricity across the event area.

Power was restored not only to the accommodation and camping areas, but also to the main building, where food service and race operations were based. Most importantly, the lift was brought back online, allowing riders to get back to the top of the mountain without additional difficulties. Electricity was also essential for the timing system, race commentary, music and all the other elements that make a major downhill event possible.

And somehow, despite the storm, the blackout, damaged equipment, lost communications and several helpers being unable to reach Mežezers — the race went ahead. The organisers turned an almost impossible situation into a race weekend that riders will remember for a long time.

And, most importantly, we had our winners. 🏆

🏆 BALTIC DH CUP #3 — MEŽEZERS FINAL RESULTS

WOMEN

🥇 Lota Palu (EST) — 1:44.99
🥈 Evija Ziediņa (LAT) — 1:51.14
🥉 Ehe Järv (EST) — 2:14.57

Lota Palu dominated the women’s category, setting the fastest time in both runs. She also got prize from Therabody for the fastest woman of the day.

U12

🥇 Mart Tõlli (EST) — 1:35.35
🥈 Oto Štromanis (LAT) — 1:40.43
🥉 Kārlis Rudzītis (LAT) — 1:43.48

U14

🥇 Lukas Herman Staskevits (EST) — 1:26.29
🥈 Mikelis Joņins (LAT) — 1:28.46
🥉 Brenet Karotamm (EST) — 1:28.69

JUNIORS

🥇 Milans Gustiņš (LAT) — 1:16.01
🥈 Jānis Šlosbergs (LAT) — 1:16.27
🥉 Tomas Kontautas (LTU) — 1:19.61

The Junior category delivered one of the closest battles of the weekend, with just 0.26 seconds separating first and second place. Showed that consistency pays of, and race is Baltics are not won just from one race run.

MASTERS

🥇 Juris Luščenoks (LAT) — 1:22.41
🥈 Gusts Ošmucnieks (LAT) — 1:26.80
🥉 Artūrs Bruvelis (LAT) — 1:28.30

Juris Luščenoks was the fastest Masters rider in both runs, taking a convincing victory. Also Juris took Baltic Overall in masters class.

HOBBY OPEN

🥇 Kristers Mazbergs (LAT) — 1:26.24
🥈 Lauris Murāns (LAT) — 1:27.83
🥉 Gints Bahmanis (LAT) — 1:31.53

The Hobby Open class also produced a tight battle. Mazbergs won the first run, while Murāns was fastest in the second, but Mazbergs’ consistency secured the overall victory.