In his first World Cup downhill outing of 2024, Finn Iles dashed his way to a bronze medal. As one of Whistler's top guns, the 24-year-old registered a time of four minutes and 6.253 seconds earlier this month.
Iles' Specialized Factory Gravity teammate Loïc Bruni broke through for gold (4:04.264) and Aussie Troy Brosnan locked up silver (4:06.104).
"I wanted it a little too much at the start," said Iles in a press release. "I think I raced quite smart because I knew I was attacking too much and it’d probably lead to a crash. So I brought it back a little bit, calmed down and rode the bottom part really fast and smooth. It’s a good marker because if I have the right mindset coming into the next race, I know I can ride faster than I did today."
Although Bruni owns six UCI downhill world titles and three World Cup overalls on his stacked resume, May 5 represented his first triumph in Fort William, Scotland.
The Frenchman told reporters: "I’ve never been super strong here. I’ve struggled a lot in the last few years, but I knew I could do it one day or another. This weekend, I’ve been struggling a bit with the wet but today the clouds held off so there was no rain and I thought this was the opportunity. I’m feeling strong, the bike is good, everything was perfect for it.
"I pushed everywhere; I wasn’t fresh at the bottom but I gave it [my] all. I’m so happy. That’s such an achievement for me and I’m over the moon. The mental side is the hardest because this track is so mean. It’s super rough – the bike and your body are taking big slams and I feel like everything has to click at once."
Women's results
Unsurprisingly, reigning ladies downhill champ Valentina Höll added another victory to her belt (4:41.424). The Austrian was in tough, however, as Nina Hoffman of Germany put herself within striking distance of the podium's top spot (4:41.985). Meanwhile, Tahnée Seagrave found enough speed for third (4:43.255).
"We have a brand-new bike, brand new people on the team," said the 22-year-old Höll in a release. "It was the track where I won World Championships last year but there was no time to even rest. It’s a tough track to start the season. It wasn’t one of my best runs. I was so loose and tired at the end. I’ve never been on top at the first race so I’m really happy and I can just get better.”
Commented Hoffman: “I got everything right apart from one mistake but as Höll wasn’t gaining time in this sector, I thought it was tight and that she was going to get me on the Motorway. But that’s racing. At least it was tight. The competition is insane.”
"I’m so happy," added Seagrave. "I’ve been working really hard this off-season and I’ve just been building confidence. It’s been probably four or five years since I’ve felt like I was at podium contender pace, so it’s pretty good to be up there.”
Full results can be viewed online.
