{"id":750811,"date":"2026-06-21T03:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T03:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/750811\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T03:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T03:57:13","slug":"back-to-back-finn-iles-doubles-down-in-lenzerheide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/750811\/","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-back! Finn Iles doubles down in Lenzerheide"},"content":{"rendered":"

It took four long years for Finn Iles to win his second elite World Cup. The Canadian finally got back on the top step of the podium last weekend in Leogang. Thankfully, he didn\u2019t have to wait nearly as long for the next one. On Saturday, Iles laid down a heater of a run in Lenzerheide to take the win just one week later.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the coaches sent me a picture saying \u20181,407 days since my last world cup win\u2019 and scratched out the one four zero,\u201d Iles shared after the race. \u201cAnd it came true!\u201d<\/p>\n

Iles wasn\u2019t the only Canuck in good form. After a rough start to the year, and a Q1 that hinted at more frustration, Jackson Goldstone finished fifth in Lenzerheide. Not a result he would have loved last year but, as a sign he\u2019s turning a corner on his rough luck, a welcome step up the standings.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Iles kicking up dust and climbing up the standings. From #99 plate to #1. Photo: Javi Zubiko \/ Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series
\nFinn Iles wins back-to-back World Cups<\/p>\n

For Iles, this second win in eight days is also a moment of redemption. In 2025, Iles was the Canadian struggling through missed opportunities and injury while Goldstone soared to his record-setting season. To double down with a second win so soon, Iles was elated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels incredible. This is the kind of thing you dream of,\u201d Iles told cameras. \u201cI was really hoping to take momentum from last weekend. I came here and felt good from day one.\u201d<\/p>\n

No mater how confident you feel in practice, race day is always different. Iles admitted that he was still feeling the nerves on Friday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I slept for three hours before finals. But once I started warming up, it was game time,\u201d From there, the Canadian settled back into racing. \u201cI knew I felt good when I came out of the gates, from there I just needed to focus on what I was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the lack of sleep, Iles shared that he thrives on the pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI prefer dropping at the end. You\u2019re the last one up there and it feels epic. The pressure just kind of sits on you. I think that\u2019s a really cool feeling. It\u2019s a privelidge to feel like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference between now and four years ago?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m more mature. I think I have an amazing group of people around me,\u201d Iles said, adding a nod to the new Specialized Demo 11, \u201cAnd the bike is riding amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind Iles, Amaury Pierron took second and Frameworks Racing\u2019s young phenom, Asa Vermette, third.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

A Canadian back in the overall leader\u2019s jersey<\/p>\n

With the win, Iles takes over the lead in the World Cup overall points standings. It\u2019s a jersey he\u2019s held before.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast time I only had it for two races. I hope to keep it for longer this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

With two wins in a row, Iles admits he\u2019s feeling pretty confident going into La Thuile, the next World Cup round. Confident, but not over-confident.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to try not to get ahead of ourselves. Just go day-by-day and take it as it comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Anna<\/a>Anna Newkirk celebrates in Switzerland. Photo: Javi Zubiko \/ Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series
\nAnna Newkirk gives the U.S.A. a win.<\/p>\n

On the women\u2019s side, Anna Newkirk (Frameworks) is the first person to steal a win from Vali H\u00f6ll in 2026. The U.S. racer ended the Austrian\u2019s win streak, with Lisa Baumann (Commencal Schwalbe Les Orres) and Gloria Scarsi (MS Racing) rounding out the podium in second and third.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe it. I\u2019m lost for words. I didn\u2019t think I had it in me in that run. I thought I was going too slow but I\u2019m so stoked,\u201d Newkirk said after the race.<\/p>\n

Like Iles, Newkirk said the pressure was real.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so nervous today. I have never been this nervous before a race. This morning I was riding so chaotic, I was flying, I was crashing. I was like \u2018what am I doing? Just chill\u2019,\u201d Newkirk said, adding \u00a0\u201cOnce I started warming up and got into my routine, I calmed down and focused. I really tried to focus on the process and not the result, and not predict anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s another big result for the small but feisty Frameworks Racing-TRP squad.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team has been doing super good. I\u2019m so stoked to be a part of it and there\u2019s no team I\u2019d rather be with.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It took four long years for Finn Iles to win his second elite World Cup. The Canadian finally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":750812,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[21898,49,48,635,1180,264750,81837,268427,1700,62722,82,13009],"class_list":["post-750811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-2026-world-cup","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-downhill","tag-finn-iles","tag-lenzerheide","tag-lenzerheide-world-cup","tag-mtb-features","tag-mtb-news","tag-sports","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=750811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/750812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=750811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=750811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=750811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}