diff --git a/.github/workflows/cross-rvv-arch.yml b/.github/workflows/cross-rvv-arch.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index ae482cc08..000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/cross-rvv-arch.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,85 +0,0 @@
-# RISC-V RVV cross-compilation build using qemu 11 + gcc 15 (Arch Linux).
-#
-# Why this workflow exists alongside cross-rvv.yml:
-#
-# QEMU's RISC-V Vector emulation is dramatically slower than scalar in
-# qemu < 11 (see QEMU issue #2137 for documented 100x+ slowdowns of
-# auto-vectorised RVV loops under TCG). At vlen=128 the slowdown is large
-# enough that gcc's RVV codegen for our test suite causes the qemu-user
-# emulator to make no observable progress within the 6h GHA timeout —
-# i.e. the apt-shipped qemu-user-static (8.2.x in noble, 9.x in plucky)
-# can't run xsimd's full test_xsimd at vlen=128.
-#
-# Empirically:
-#   qemu 8.2.2 (Ubuntu 24.04 apt)    : test_xsimd at vlen=128 times out
-#   qemu 9.2.1 (Ubuntu 25.04 plucky) : ditto
-#   qemu 10.0.8 (Debian trixie)      : ditto
-#   qemu 11.0.0 (Arch) + gcc 15.1    : 367 cases / 5664 asserts in <10 min
-#
-# So vlen=128 RVV coverage lives in this workflow, which runs the build
-# and test inside an `archlinux:latest` container (qemu 11 + gcc 15.1).
-# The matching ubuntu-runner workflow `cross-rvv.yml` keeps multi-compiler
-# matrix coverage (gcc-14, clang-17/18) for vlens >= 256, where the apt
-# qemu is fast enough.
-#
-# References:
-#   QEMU 11.0.0 release notes:  https://www.qemu.org/2026/04/22/qemu-11-0-0/
-#   QEMU RVV slowdowns issue:   https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/issues/2137
-#   Ubuntu RVV vstart bug:      https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/qemu/+bug/2095169
-name: RISC-V RVV cross-compilation build (qemu 11)
-on: [push, pull_request]
-concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.job }}-${{ github.ref }}
-  cancel-in-progress: true
-jobs:
-  build:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    container: archlinux:latest
-    name: 'RISC-V RVV${{ matrix.vector_bits }} (qemu 11)'
-    strategy:
-      fail-fast: false
-      matrix:
-        vector_bits:
-          - 128
-          - 256
-          - 512
-    steps:
-    - name: Setup toolchain and qemu
-      run: |
-        pacman -Sy --noconfirm
-        pacman -S --noconfirm --needed \
-          qemu-user-static riscv64-linux-gnu-gcc riscv64-linux-gnu-glibc \
-          cmake ninja git ca-certificates
-        qemu-riscv64-static --version
-        riscv64-linux-gnu-gcc --version | head -1
-    - name: Checkout xsimd
-      uses: actions/checkout@v6
-    - name: Setup
-      run: >
-        cmake -S . -B _build
-        -GNinja
-        -DBUILD_TESTS=ON
-        -DDOWNLOAD_DOCTEST=ON
-        -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
-        -DTARGET_ARCH=generic
-        -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS="-march=rv64gcv_zvl${{ matrix.vector_bits }}b_zba_zbb_zbs -mrvv-vector-bits=zvl"
-        -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS="-march=rv64gcv_zvl${{ matrix.vector_bits }}b_zba_zbb_zbs -mrvv-vector-bits=zvl"
-        -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=.github/toolchains/gcc-riscv64-linux-gnu.cmake
-    - name: Build
-      run: cmake --build _build
-    - name: Set CPU feature test expectations
-      run: |
-        echo "XSIMD_TEST_CPU_ASSUME_SSE4_2=0" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-        echo "XSIMD_TEST_CPU_ASSUME_SVE=0"    >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-        echo "XSIMD_TEST_CPU_ASSUME_RVV=1" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-    - name: Testing xsimd
-      timeout-minutes: 15
-      # Invoke qemu-riscv64-static explicitly. Inside the archlinux:latest
-      # container we don't have permission to register binfmt_misc with the
-      # host kernel, so exec'ing the riscv64 ELF directly fails with
-      # "Exec format error".
-      run: >
-        QEMU_CPU="rv64,zba=true,zbb=true,zbs=true,v=true,vlen=${{ matrix.vector_bits }},elen=64,vext_spec=v1.0"
-        QEMU_LD_PREFIX="/usr/riscv64-linux-gnu"
-        qemu-riscv64-static ./test/test_xsimd
-      working-directory: _build
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cross-rvv.yml b/.github/workflows/cross-rvv.yml
index 215823ee5..0b5259440 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cross-rvv.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cross-rvv.yml
@@ -1,13 +1,5 @@
 # RISC-V RVV cross-compilation build (Ubuntu apt qemu, multi-compiler matrix).
 #
-# vlen=128 is intentionally NOT covered here. Ubuntu's qemu-user-static
-# (8.2.x in noble, 9.x in plucky) hangs on the xsimd test_xsimd binary at
-# vlen=128 — see QEMU issue #2137 (RVV TCG slowdowns) for the underlying
-# emulator behaviour. Until ubuntu-latest ships qemu 11+, vlen=128 coverage
-# lives in cross-rvv-arch.yml, which runs inside an archlinux:latest
-# container with qemu 11. Vlens >= 256 run fast enough under the apt qemu
-# to stay within the test step's timeout.
-#
 # References:
 #   QEMU 11.0.0 release notes:  https://www.qemu.org/2026/04/22/qemu-11-0-0/
 #   QEMU RVV slowdowns issue:   https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/issues/2137
@@ -25,10 +17,11 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         sys:
-          - { compiler: 'gcc', gcc_runtime: '14'}
+          - { compiler: 'gcc', gcc_runtime: '15'}
           - { compiler: 'clang', version: '17', gcc_runtime: '14'}
           - { compiler: 'clang', version: '18', gcc_runtime: '14'}
         vector_bits:
+          - 128
           - 256
           - 512
     steps:
@@ -81,7 +74,7 @@ jobs:
         echo "XSIMD_TEST_CPU_ASSUME_SVE=0"    >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
         echo "XSIMD_TEST_CPU_ASSUME_RVV=1" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
     - name: Testing xsimd
-      timeout-minutes: 15
+      timeout-minutes: 10
       run: >
         QEMU_CPU="rv64,zba=true,zbb=true,zbs=true,v=true,vlen=${{ matrix.vector_bits }},elen=64,vext_spec=v1.0"
         QEMU_LD_PREFIX="/usr/riscv64-linux-gnu"