In Kranjska Gora, the festivities surrounding the Vitranc Ski Cup are known as the “Peak of Winter.” We could call the fourth race of the 20chocolate Downhill Cup and this year’s national downhill championship “Peak of Summer.”
Following races in Ravne na Koroškem and Maribor in June, as well as on July 12 at Soriška Planina, the Slovenian 20chocolate Downhill Cup will continue on Sunday, July 26, with its fourth race at the Kranjska Gora Bike Park. This will be the third race in five weeks—anyone who is in top form during this part of the season and avoids bad luck with injuries and equipment will be able to climb high in the overall standings, as only the final in Soteska in September remains after that. The race in Kranjska Gora will be even more important, as it also counts as this year’s national championship—the 35th in a row!
Since 2004, the Kranjska Gora park has hosted numerous domestic downhill cup races, as well as European Cup races and the European Championship, most recently in May of this year, when it hosted the international Rookies Cup youth series for the first time. The battle for medals and jerseys in the Slovenian National Championship will take place here for the fifth time. The last national championship was held here two years ago.
Defending Champions and Favorites
Last year’s championship took place as part of the second classic downhill championship at Maribor’s Pohorje. Monika Hrastnik has retired, so after nine years we’ll have a new women’s champion. At the top of the rankings is last year’s Cup winner, Maša Komel (KK Črn trn), but she’ll face a worthy rival. Junior World Champion Nežka Libnik (KK Ravne na Koroškem) will be competing in downhill for only the second time, this time on a downhill bike.
In the men’s elite category, Marko Niemiz (Bikehanic Lumar), who won the first two races this year, will be defending his title. In the junior category, Ažbe Kalinšek (MTB Trbovlje) has yet to compete in a home race this year due to the packed World Cup schedule. In his absence, Svit Kunaver Smolkovič (Bikehanic Lumar)—last year’s U17 champion—reigns supreme at home.
The most competitive categories, U17 and U15, are sure to be the most exciting again this year. At the national championships, U17 women and U15 girls compete separately in a joint category, whereas in World Cup races they are included in the combined women’s category; here, the main favorite is last year’s champion, Eva Podvornik (ŠD Grabit).
The Track
The track, which starts at the top of the Vitranc 1 chairlift, has undergone almost as many changes as there have been years; even the start has been moved both higher and lower. This time, it will be similar to last year’s iXS European Downhill Cup race.
The first change comes before exiting the second forest; this time, the course passes by the infamous “Jacuzzi” roots, over loamy dirt. The second, more significant change is a completely new section in the final “North Shore” forest.
The finish area will once again be at the bike park cabin.
Registration
Registration will be open from Monday, July 13, through Monday, July 20, on the prijavim.se website.
Full race details here in propositions.
Let’s ride!
The supporting program will feature a free guided mountain bike ride as part of the “Let’s Ride!” program organized by the Cycling Federation of Slovenia on Sunday, July 26. All companions, fans, and others who will be in Kranjska Gora for the race weekend are invited to join the ride.
The ride will start at 10:00 a.m. from the parking lot by the bike park hut. It will lead past Lake Jasna and come down on the renovated Kinder Surprise trail, followed by a tour of the Brsnina Trails, the new section of the Kranjska Gora Bike Park.
The ride is approximately 15 km long with an elevation gain of 400 m and will take about three hours. The difficulty level is moderate to challenging.
Photos from 2024 Nationals by Jure Gasparič