Finn Iles finds Canada’s first World Cup podium of 2020

Hoffman scores her first win while Vergier repeats on a fast day in Maribor

Photo by: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool

Terry McKall October 18, 2020

Finn Iles landed his, and Canada’s first World Cup podium of 2020 on Sunday in Slovenia. The result came in the tail end of a doubleheader downhill weekend, cramming the first two World Cups into the space of four days.

Loris Vergier doubled up, winning his second elite men’s race in three days. On the women’s side, Nina Hoffmann won her first-ever World Cup.

Finn Iles was flying in Slovenia. Only a tree could stop his run Friday. Sunday was incident-free and fast. Photo: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool

Iles’ podium leads Canadians in Maribor

Finn Iles (Specialized) set the pace for Canada’s three entries in Slovenia. His fourth place delivered a podium after several very close rides from the Canuck riders. Starting late in the order, set the fastest time through Maribor’s imposing rock garden, only losing time on the last section of track. At the end of the day, the Whistler rider was just 0.863 seconds away from Vergier’s winning time.

Finn Iles celebrates his fourth-place finish in Maribor. Photo: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool

Mark Wallace (Canyon Factory Racing) squeezed inside the top-20. The Vancouver Island rider was 17th in the second of two World Cup races this weekend.

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Seth Sherlock was on pace to podium in the junior men’s race before a crash derailed his race run. The Squamish junior lost his shoe in the crash, but still remounted and rode out the course oh his sock and still managed to finish 21st.

Loris Vergier was unstoppable in Slovenia. Photo: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool

Vergier doubles up in Slovenia

Loris Vergier (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was unstoppable in Slovenia. After winning a muddy and slick World Cup#1 on Friday, the French rider doubled down on Sunday. While the course was similar, the conditions were very different. Dry, fast racing meant for tight times at the finish line. Vergier takes the win, but just 0.057 seconds ahead of 2019 world champion Loïc Bruni (Specialized).

Loic Bruni set the fastest time in qualifying Saturday, but settles for second behind Vergier Sunday. Photo: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool

Matt Walker (Madison Saracen) finished third, four tenths of a second back. Troy Brosnan, Canyon Factory Racing’s remarkably consistent Australian finished fifth. Just 1.016 seconds separated Brosnan from Vergier’s winning time.

Nina Hoffmann works her way through the Maribor rock garden. Photo: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool

Hoffmann’s first elite win

Nina Hoffmann (Nina Hoffmann Racing) won the elite women’s race in Slovenia on Sunday, taking her first-ever elite World Cup win. In doing so, the German stops Marine Cabirou’s (Scott Downhill) winning streak at four.

Nina Hoffmann is the German national champion and, now, a World Cup winner. Photo: Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool

Cabirou held on for second. Elanor Farina (MS Mondraker) brings home bronze for Italy. Myriam Nicole (Commencal Muc-Off) washed out her front tire early in Sunday’s race run, but held on for fourth place. Tracy Hannah (Polygon UR) claimed the final podium spot in fifth.

After two World Cups in four days, racers now get a week off. Racing is scheduled to resume on Oct. 28 in Lousa, Portugal.