The Most Challenging World Cup Of The Year | Up To Speed

Hello everybody, my hair is gone and I'm about to be gone too, to Canada, because we've got round eight for the first time ever in Whistler, so let's go, let's go, hey can I have the camera? It's amazing you hold it so still the whole time. We did it, we're here, ah just a quick hop, skip and a jump and I'm here in the land, golden syrup, the golden stones. Whistler, it's world famous for its stunning mountains that have the perfect scale, gradient and composition to birth the most popular mountain bike trails on the planet. From huge jump lines to the steepest rocky tech and everything in between, it really is a paradise for two wheel enjoyers and millions come here every year to shake out their feelings in those breaking bumps. The downhill world cup community has been waiting a great many years for the circus to roll into this fabled town and many thought it would never happen, including the track builders. The track we'll be watching the world's best battle their way down was built with the dream of holding a world cup, but no guarantee that that would happen. Maybe that decision is what set the ball rolling or maybe Whistler management decided to shift some of the plank sliding money into the wheel rolling column. I've no idea, but I'm very glad to be here as the track looks amazing. It actually finishes just up the hill there. Danny Hart has put a preview of it. If you haven't seen it already, hope it's still online. I'll link it in the description. The course is called the 1199, named after the downhill world cup point tally of the late Stevie Smith, the year that he won the downhill world cup series. It's a fitting tribute and a stamp of intention for the intended use case of this track. Unlike the fresh world cup venue in South Korea at the start of this season, this track has been race tested. The Crankworx series has held several events on the 1199 and the racing has been excellent. As the race weekend kicks off, I'd like to get you up to speed on what to look out for at round eight of the 2026 downhill world cup series here in Whistler. Let's start with some positive news. Canadian racer and back to back race winner Finn Iles is back on a bike for his home round. His leg fracture has healed and although he's not fully back to strength, he'll eager to put on a show on the mountain where he first made his name known all those years ago. Here with Finn Iles, he just won the whip off at how old? 14. 14 years old. How does that feel? I don't know what to say. I'm so stoked. It's unbelievable. Also, he's still third in the overall, so there's that to look forward to too. Another rider who will be back after a big gap in her race calendar is junior female racer Rosa Zero. She dislocated her shoulder back in round three in Leogang and has been rehabbing for months to get back to fitness. Will she be able to jump back into the sharp end after missing five races? It's hard to say. She will be keen to try and get back to the front before the big move into elite next season. The recently absent Austrian Lina Frenner, who was mysteriously missing in Leger and Val di Sole, is back to defend her second place overall position from the rapidly approaching Rosa Marie Jensen in third. Lina has been spotted in Canada throwing some diabolical whips with the new world champ Tilly Bodal. The girls have been getting pretty sandy at a ladies' invitational event at Coast Gravity Park hosted by Gracie Hempstreet. The event was seriously impressive with features and riding that 99% of people wouldn't even dream of attempting. Massive props to everyone involved. Talking of Gracie, she's raced here before to mixed results, but with the good vibes from her freeride event, the desire to get her first win this season, and a home race on the west coast of Canada to spur her on, we just might see some fireworks from the fiery-headed shredder. We won't be seeing fireworks from the junior world cup overall winner, Jonty Williamson, as he is at home nursing a broken wrist alongside his teammate Tyler Wait, who suffered the exact same fate. Instead, we get to witness the rider that will rise to fill the void left by the consistent Kiwi. Will Malik Boatwright finally get his first win? Will the newly crowned world champion Raoul Schneeberger take the rainbow stripes to another? Or will a young Canadian ripper take the opportunity to go full send for the fans? Generally, it could be any of the above. Remember when Hattie Harnden won €100,000 for being the first elite winner on a belt-driven bike? That was cool, wasn't it? Anyway, you might not know, at world champs, she crashed on the morning of the race and hit the ground hard. Harry, one of our filmers, was there capturing it, and he was not hopeful immediately after the spill. Turns out, Hattie picked up a concussion from that crash and has been struggling with the symptoms since then. She is intending to race, which means she must have been given the all-clear, but we'll have to wait and see if the speed is there. Also, go check out the most recent Belted Purse episode. It's amazing. What about Lloyd Bruni? The hand injury he picked up in Ludenville has kept a French dilf off the bike and out of action for longer than he would have liked. The fact is, the location and type of injury was a lot more complicated than he hoped, and despite Bruni's positive outlook, it's just not in a place for him to race at the level he'd want without taking undue risk. Then, there's Jackson Goldston. It feels like this race was made for him. The mountain he grew up riding, the track he has obliterated before, and his performance trajectory is just peaking at the perfect moment. It's a bit unfair to say, but this race is his to win. I cannot wait to see the white and rainbow blur hopping and skipping its way at ungodly pace down this epic track. You'll also have the speedy regulars of Valley Hole, Troy Brosnan, Miriam Nicole, Asa Vertmet, Marine Ketaburu, Jordan Williams, Aletha Oscar, and many, many more of the world's fastest racers to watch over the coming days. The weather looks like it'll stay mostly consistent. Innes is going to be up there chatting to riders and capturing all the action. I'll be trackside looking to bring some bonus breakdowns. Don't forget to pick your dream team on the Pinkbike Downhill Fantasy League, and stay tuned for all the coverage here on Pinkbike.