{"id":55066,"date":"2024-05-06T13:09:29","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T11:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sloveniadownhillcup.si\/2024\/dh-pohorje-vec-kot-200-tekmovalcev-iz-desetih-drzav-in-vrnitev-zaka-gomilscka\/"},"modified":"2024-05-06T17:50:17","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T15:50:17","slug":"dh-pohorje-vec-kot-200-tekmovalcev-iz-desetih-drzav-in-vrnitev-zaka-gomilscka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/2024\/dh-pohorje-vec-kot-200-tekmovalcev-iz-desetih-drzav-in-vrnitev-zaka-gomilscka\/","title":{"rendered":"DH Pohorje: Over 200 Riders From 10 Countries, \u017dak Gomil\u0161\u010dek Returns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 20chocolate Downhill Cup 2024 started in style \u2013 on a classic track with a new section in Maribor, with a great turnout, good weather and exciting racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Back on Pohorje mountain!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the first 20chocolate Downhill Cup 2024 points race of the year and also the opening race of the Austrian Gravity Series, \u017dak Gomi\u0161\u010dek<\/strong> (Wolf Racing Team) was fastest in the men’s race and young Austrian Rosa Zierl<\/strong> (Keen Momentum) in the women’s race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gomil\u0161\u010dek’s Still Got It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u017dak Gomil\u0161\u010dek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two-time Slovenian downhill champion Gomil\u0161\u010dek (2020, 2022), who lost almost the whole 2023 season due to injury, secured his place as the last rider to take to the track in the final run with the fastest time in the seeding run. By then, the Austrian Nikolas Kolle<\/strong> (Bikeclub Giant Stattegg), tenth in the seeding, has been sitting in the hot seat for a while. His compatriot Christof Stulik<\/strong>, second fastest in the seeding, finished almost ten seconds behind. In the end, however, the 23-year-old Gomil\u0161\u010dek set the best time of the day on “his” course, where he won his first national title in 2020. He beat Kolle by 3.24 seconds with a time of 3 minutes, 24 seconds and 12 hundredths of a second. Stulik was third. Last year’s overall winner Luka Berginc unfortunately missed the race due to work commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“I’m quite happy with my weekend in Pohorje, although I know I still had a lot of room to spare. For the first race I just wanted to put together a solid run to see how much speed I had, because it was my first race in almost a year and I really didn’t know what to expect. Last season I injured my knee in practice three days before the first race, so I had to miss almost the whole racing season after that. It’s only been about a month since I first got on a bike. So I came into the season really with no expectations, but obviously I still have the speed and the new bike suits me very well, so with a little more training I can get up to speed.”<\/p>\n\u017dak Gomil\u0161\u010dek<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Fast Youngsters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The riders in the younger categories were also fast. For example, the winner imen men’s junior category, Italian Simone Leo<\/strong>, Gomil\u0161\u010dek’s teammate, also took a slice of the prize money by finishing fifth overall. In the U19 men’s ranking he was followed on the podium by Austria’s Marco Fender<\/strong> (URC \u00d6tztal) and Slovenia’s Matej Osolin<\/strong> (Calcit Bike Team). The winner among the U17 men, A\u017ebe Kalin\u0161ek<\/strong> (MTB Trbovlje), who was even faster than all the elite a week ago in Lo\u0161inj, was the third fastest of all, just behind Kolle. In this category, Vicent Vodan<\/strong> (UR Team), a German with Slovenian roots, came second, and Austrian Xaver Vogl <\/strong>(Keen Momentum) was third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A\u017ebe Kalin\u0161ek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Austrian Up-and-Comer Rosa Zierl<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Rosa Zierl<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the women’s category, which brings together runners from juniors to elite, 16-year-old Rosa Zierl<\/strong> had no real rival. The serial international winner in her age categories, who has also been in the factory development programme of Cube Bikes since this year, became the 2021 European champion in the U15 category in Maribor. This time, compatriot Kerstin<\/strong> Sallegger<\/strong> (OMNi BiOTiC PowerTeam) came closest to her with the second time of the final, while Rosa’s local peer Eva Zala Strgar<\/strong> (DGK Pohorje – Spank Team) came third. Only three hundredths of a second behind her was Germany’s Maxima Jaax<\/strong> (TSG 1847 Leutkirch), while the fifth fastest in her first downhill race was Slovenian junior Ma\u0161a Komel<\/strong> (KK \u010crn trn), twice winner in the SloEnduro series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Categories Were Also Exciting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Italian Riccardo Vender<\/strong> (Centro Bike Val di Sole) won in the boys U15 category and Lynn Maria Berger<\/strong> (SCM Pinzgabikers) of Austria won in the girls U15 category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fastest in the master category was Austrian J\u00f6rg Neuhart <\/strong>(Sportunion Hinterbr\u00fchl-Wexltrails), while local Jure Logar<\/strong> (427 Savage Squad) was second in his first race in 12 years. Jo\u0161t \u0160trucelj<\/strong> (Alliance ASE Racing Team) won the amateur category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The U13 class riders competed on a shorter course, with Hungarian Colin Szepesi<\/strong> (Rad Company Racing Team) winning the boys’ race. Charlotte Schleicher<\/strong> (Radunion St. Johann i. T.) won the girls’ race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All DH Pohorje Results<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There was no sign of good weather on Friday, when the rebuilt World Cup course from the Luka hut to the bottom station of the gondola was open for riding. The riders were getting to know the track in the wet, but they knew that on Saturday, the day of the official training, the seedin and the final runs, the conditions would be completely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new section, the first forest section after the start at Luka hut, stood up well to the first test. After the official opening of the season in the Pohorje Bike Park on 11 May, it will be open to the public – but beware, it’s not for everyone. Racers will be back in action on track between 23 and 25 August for the Maribor round of iXS European Downhill Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the Pohorje Mountain Bike Association (DGK) and the Spank team for putting on the event, and to the fans for the great atmosphere along the course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos by Friedrich Simon Kugi @fskugi<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Christof Stulik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Simone Leo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Kerstin Sallegger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nico Schlebes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Florian Hiebaum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Jamie Schm\u00f6lzer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nik Podobnik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Eva Podvornik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u017dak Gomil\u0161\u010dek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A\u017ebe Kalin\u0161ek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u017dak Gomil\u0161\u010dek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U13 W<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U13 M<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U15 W<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U15 M<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Amateur men<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Master 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Master 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U17 W<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U17 M<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U19 M<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Elite W<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Top 5 W<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Top 5 M<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 20chocolate Downhill Cup 2024 started in style \u2013 on a classic track with a new section in Maribor, with a great turnout, good weather and exciting racing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":55071,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[66,66],"blocksy_meta":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55066"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55066"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55086,"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55066\/revisions\/55086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mail.sloveniadownhillcup.si\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}