A fall shortly after the start at the Downhill World Championships in Leoganga heavy slide in the first of the two downhill races of the double World Cup in Maribor. It was anything but a good start to this international racing season for Nina Hoffmann. But the Thuringian didn't let it get her down. This is the story of the first World Cup victory for Nina Hoffmann, the first World Cup victory in women's downhill for Germany since Regina Stiefl more than 25 years ago!
From 0 to 100 in six races
Flashback: Fort William, World Cup number two 2019. A piercing wind raged across the Scottish Highlands at the time, and horizontal rain turned the World Cup course into a muddy puddle. No terrain for a beginner. Nina Hoffmann didn't care. It was only her sixth World Cup race, her third year on the bike ever. But she was on top form in the mud of the course and took third place behind Rachel Atherton and Tracey Hannah. It was even enough for second place a few weeks later in Leogang. The first victory was within reach.
But it wasn't meant to be. The shoe debacle at the Downhill World Cup in Andorra I'm sure some of you will remember, and even after that Nina Hoffmann didn't make it all the way to the top. But now, in Maribor, she had a new opportunity. The two previous failed races were not good for her self-confidence, but without the strong results of the previous year, the pressure to succeed also disappeared.
With full risk to victory
Perhaps that was exactly what Nina Hoffmann needed. Taking full risk, she swept through the first bends, navigated safely over the large 10-metre step-down and even left the brakes open before the terrifying Rockgarden. A risk that paid off.
No rider was faster here, even former world champion Myriam Nicole lost around a quarter of a second to the German champion. "The whole run wasn't my best," she said at the finish. "I had a few scary moments. I also made mistakes in the Rockgarden, which was even better in training. But I stayed on the bike and that seemed to be enough."
Nina Hoffmann thus clinched the first German women's World Cup downhill victory in 25 years. A fantastic performance and a great turnaround in what has otherwise been a mixed season. She was followed by Marine Cabirou, Eleonora Farina, Myriam Nicole and Tracey Hannah, each around two seconds behind her.
Vergier takes double victory in the men's event
In the men's race, Loris Vergier followed up his victory in the first race of the double World Cup on Friday with a second victory in Sunday's race. The result was extremely close, with former world champion Loïc Bruni just 0.06 seconds behind and the top five almost within a second. Third to fifth place went to Matt Walker, Finn Iles and Troy Brosnan.
You can find all the results from the World Cup in Maribor on the Website of the UCI.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
