The downhill season is coming to an end and the Slovenian downhill series 20chocolate Downhill Cup is getting ready for the international finale in Sljeme, above Zagreb, Croatia. This year’s DH Sljeme, the sixth round of the series, will take place on Sunday 22 September and will also be this year’s Croatian Downhill Championship race.
The ski slopes on the north-western side of Sljeme are not only familiar to Janica and Ivica Kostelić and the Alpine Ski World Cup slalom racers, but also to the downhill racers who have been competing here for many years, after the first races were held on the southern slope towards Zagreb.
The tradition, which was interrupted after the 2005 edition, was revived two years ago by former Croatian champion Nino Ružička with the DSR Bike Park Sljeme club. For the third consecutive year, the race will be part of the Slovenian Cup.
Downhill Legends
The course will be a classic one called DH Legends, 1900 m long with an elevation drop of 270 vertical meters. The way the riders like it, mostly “old school” with little built elements. It’s relatively flowing and challenging enough at race speed. The start is at the top of the ski slope by the tower and the finish, as last year, at the foot of the three-seater chairflit.
The course was recently ridden by Nikola Klačinski and Dejan Mamuzić
The chairlift will not be available again this year to transport the riders, who are anyway happy with the fast shuttles.
The shuttles will be running for training on Saturday from 10:00, online registration is here.
Entries for the race are open until Wednesday evening.
The race office with the registration/number pick up will be in a new location in the Zlatni Medvjed restaurant. The award ceremony will also take place there.
Schedule
On Sunday, practice from 10am, seeding run from 1.30pm and the final from 3.30pm. The award ceremony is scheduled for 18.30
All information about DH Sljeme and registration
Tight Battle for the Men’s Elite Crown
As we have already noted after the DH Kope, we are going to see a clash for the series title in the men’s elite category. National champion Tilen Leban (Deš Fleš) has only three points advantage over Miha Jerkič (KK Črn trn). If he appears on Sljeme, Žak Gomilšček (Wolf Racing Team) could also be a threat, 59 points behind Leban, which is not a big number with a daily maximum of 300 points.
Among the U19 juniors, second-placed Anže Kofjač (KK Završnica) could still threaten the overall victory of Matej Osolin (Calcit Bike Team), separated by 79 points. Among the U17 men, Ažbe Kalinšek (MTB Trbovlje) just needs to get some points as his lead over Svit Kunaver Smolkovič (Rajd Ljubljana), who got injured at Kope, is 224 points.
Among the women, Tina Smrdel (MBK Črni Vrh) has 117 points advantage over Maša Komel (KK Črn trn).
Gal Jevšenak Kodrič (35 Crew) leads strongly in the amateur category, while Marko Fink (KD Zverinice), who missed the DH Kope, is a little less solid on top of the master category, with Rožle Mesec (Golovec trails) only 45 points behind.
Maks Fošnarič (DGK Pohorje – Spank Team) has already secured the overall win in the U15 category, and Gal Novak (Rajd Ljubljana) in the U13.