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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2007 and 2008 Age Groups at the Top*<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Junior rider A\u017ebe Kalin\u0161ek, who has already stood on the podium in the World Cup this year, showed as early as the seeding run that, just like last year in Maribor, he is aiming not only for the title in his category but also for the fastest time overall. He was one of the few who managed to improve on his time in the final, as conditions were already deteriorating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kalin\u0161ek\u2019s time of 2 minutes, 32 seconds and 97 hundredths remained the fastest even after the elite riders had competed. He was followed most closely by Svit Kunaver Smolkovi\u010d (Bikehanic Lumar), last year\u2019s U17 champion, who finished 2.59 seconds behind and won the silver medal in the junior category. In this category, the bronze went to Tine Gra\u010dner (Golovec trail), who was already 7.5 seconds behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the elite riders, Matej Osolin took the lead towards the end of the final run with an excellent ride. The junior champion from two years\u2019 ago in Kranjska Gora \u2013 this time the seventh-fastest in the seeding run \u2013 managed a good run in difficult conditions and, despite trailing the fastest junior by a good 5 seconds, could look forward with optimism at his first elite national championship to to see how the remaining six would fare. Among them were two foreign guests, both of whom were therefore outside the national championship competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maks Struna (KK Zavr\u0161nica), the winner of the Sori\u0161ka Planina race two weeks ago, finished 2.72 seconds behind and ultimately celebrated third place. The Austrian Stefan Mauser and the Croatian Matija Crnkovi\u0107 both crashed. The comeback duo Miran Vauh and Jure \u017dabjek, both four-time national champions, who had already surprised everyone by securing elite licences and coming out of retirement, and then again by posting the first (Jure) and fourth (Miri) fastest times in the seeding run, came up short in the final and also finished down the field. Marko Niemiz (Bikehanic Lumar), winner of the first two races of the season and defending elite title holder, started as last with number 1 plate and rode superbly through the darkness and across the slippery sections \u2013 but finished second, 1.38 seconds behind Osolin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was to be expected that the riders, who do not often face each other in the 20chocolate Downhill Cup series, would be neck and neck. In the end, it was the junior rider Eva Zala Stergar \u2013 another rider born in 2008, just like Kalin\u0161ek \u2013 who came out on top. The Maribor native, who has not raced in Slovenia at all this year due to her participation in the World and European Cups and an injury, was the second-fastest in the seeding run, ten seconds behind her peer Ne\u017eka Libnik (KK Ravne na Koro\u0161kem), the junior enduro world champion, who was only making her second attempt at downhill racing. Her first was last year at home in Poseka, and this was her first race on a downhill bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hot on the heels of Eva and Ne\u017eka were the Austrian U17 rider Hannah-Magdalena H\u00f6finger and Ma\u0161a Komel from Nova Gorica (KK \u010crn trn), last year\u2019s cup winner and national championship runner-up behind Monika Hrastnik, who was among the spectators this time round following her retirement from racing last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the final, Libnik, having lost her chain, failed to repeat her dominant performance from the qualifying run. Stergar improved her time by a good two seconds and was the fastest Slovenian. H\u00f6finger pipped her by a second to claim a fine victory in the race’s open category. Libnik took third place and won the silver medal in the national championship, followed by Komel in bronze, just five seconds behind the Austrian. Unfortunately, the other Maribor rider, Eva Podvornik, was already ruled out of contention following a fall in training; she would in any case have won the title in the separate U17 women\u2019s category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st Hannah-Magdalena H\u00f6finger (Austria, URC Beikerei) 2:59.55<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd Eva Zala Stergar (DGK Pohorje \u2013 Spank Team) +1.04<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3rd Ne\u017eka Libnik (KK Ravne na Koro\u0161kem) +4.64<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4th Ma\u0161a Komel (KK \u010crn trn) +5.01<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5th Ne\u017ea \u0160tern (MTB klub Kranj) +15.46<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st Matej Osolin (Golovec trails) 2:38.71<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd Marko Niemiz (Bikehanic Lumar) +1.38<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3rd Maks Struna (KK Zavr\u0161nica) +2.72<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4th Jakob Lorber (Golovec trails) +5.50<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5th Vid Berlot (KK Zavr\u0161nica) +6.13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1st A\u017ebe Kalin\u0161ek (MTB Trbovlje) 2:32.97<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd Svit Kunaver Smolkovi\u010d (Bikehanic Lumar) +2.59<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3rd Tine Gra\u010dner (Golovec trails) +7.50<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was pretty crazy because of the weather; at the start, nobody knew what to expect, so the track was a surprise for everyone. Right from the tricky first turn, you had to decide how to ride on. You needed a bit of luck today. Two years ago, I was the junior national champion right here; Kranjska Gora obviously suits me.\u201d<\/p>\nMatej Osolin<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cA bit of luck made the difference. At the start, I had to clear my head a bit, put things out of my mind. I\u2019d put a bit of pressure on myself after the international races. I had to ride the way I know how. The track didn\u2019t seem overly difficult to me; it was fun, but I had to get my head straight.\u00ab<\/p>\nEva Zala Stergar<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cI expected this result; I don\u2019t underestimate myself, and I\u2019m proud to be national champion for another year. Next year, the challenge will be among the elite riders.\u201d<\/p>\nA\u017ebe Kalin\u0161ek<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Of course, it was another heated contest among the youngsters in the U17 and U15 categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the U17 male category, the title was won by Gaber Novak (Rajd Ljubljana), the winner of this year\u2019s first race at Ravne na Koro\u0161kem. With a time that would have earned him a bronze medal among the older juniors (although, as already mentioned, conditions were deteriorating), he finished 2.41 seconds ahead of the Croatian Lukas Crnkovi\u0107 (Coast Riders), followed a good five seconds behind by the silver and bronze medallists in the national championship, Nik Brumen (427 Savage Squad) and Maks Fo\u0161nari\u010d (DGK Pohorje \u2013 Spank Team), both from Maribor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the U15 boys\u2019 category, the title was won by Gaber\u2019s younger brother, Gal Novak (Rajd Ljubljana), ahead of Max Sli\u0161ko (427 Savage Squad) and Jaka Vujasin (Rajd Ljubljana).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the youngest category, the U13s, Jakob Matija Koren (Go\u0161a Gravity) claimed victory for the third time this year (the fourth, if we include the Rookies Cup international series race in Kranjska Gora). In an exciting race in the men\u2019s master category, the title was claimed by Nejc Robin Huth (Golovec trails), an experienced enduro rider. Among the amateurs, Marko Scheriau from Trieste (ASD Jam\u2019s Bike Team Buja) took the win, whilst Tadej Sko\u010dir was crowned Slovenian champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Vitranc, the battle for the championship titles was more important than earning points for the cup standings. However, with only the final remaining, the standings are now also a key focus. Here\u2019s how things stand after four out of five races\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niemiz remains at the top of the men\u2019s elite standings with 580 points, closely followed by Struna (520) in second and Lorber (474) in third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the women\u2019s category, Komel remains firmly at the top with 840 points, Podvornik is second with 652 points and \u0160tern third with 520 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the U19 juniors\u2019 category, Sven Podvornik (Grabit), fifth this time, leads with 632 points; Kunaver Smolkovi\u010d is second with 515 and \u017diga \u017di\u017eek (DGK Pohorje \u2013 Spank Team) third with 495 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the U17 category, Brumen (682) has retained the lead; Novak is just 46 points behind, whilst Tai Bizjak (Ravne) is third with 451 points. The race is even tighter in the U15 boys\u2019 category, where Vujasin has 630 points, Gal Pal\u010di\u010d (Rajd) is just 10 points behind, and Sli\u0161ko is in third place, just 30 points behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Also a Close Contest in Women\u2019s Race<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Women<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Elite Men<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Junior Men<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat They Said<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In Other Categories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Find all results here<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Standings in 20chocolate Downhill Cup Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The rankings for all categories are available at prijavim.se<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n