Loris Vergier extends his winning streak in Maribor
Loris Vergier is fast. We made a video about it. But something about Maribor makes him particularly speedy.
On Sunday, Vergier won the European Downhill Championships in Maribor with a time of 2:56.67, 0.43 seconds ahead of silver medalist Benoit Coulanges. He also took two World Cup wins in Maribor last October, giving him an impressive track record on the twisty, technical course.
Oh, and some good news for Loris: The third round of the UCI DH World Cup will take place in Maribor this weekend.
“I wanted to do a couple more races this year just to get used to racing, and also to get more comfy riding the bike at a higher pace,” Vergier said after Sunday’s race. “And obviously to get ready for the World Cup, because it’s similar ground.”
Loris Vergier on a fast start in Leogang before bad luck, a puncture, forced him to DNF.
Vergier's season also includes a win at Crankworx Innsbruck.
Vergier has had some bad luck in World Cups races in 2021. In Leogang, he punctured after a fast start on his final run. In Les Gets, torrential rain made a mess of the track for the later competitors. Vergier is hoping to get through the coming weekend without incident. If he does, he’ll be among the favorites to win.
His European title, which comes with a snazzy new kit to wear for the rest of the season, confirmed he has the form.
“It was a great race,” Vergier said. “A couple fast guys, and I managed to grab the win so I was really happy. I’m just trying to get ready for this weekend, and that’s it basically. I had fun riding my bike fast.”
