The iXS European Downhill Cup will conclude the 2025 season from 26 to 28 September on the track below Vitranc mountain in the Kranjska Gora Bike Park.
From Portugal Via Scotland, Austria, Italy, France…
In the 23rd season of the European Cup, officially known as the iXS European Downhill Cup, this will be the sixth and final race, with trophies awarded to the best riders of the season. Competitors from all over Europe, as well as guests from other continents, have been collecting points since the beginning of April. The venues were Santiago de Besteiros in Portugal, Fort William in Scotland, Semmering in Austria, Aprica in Italy, and finally Les Orres in France.
Rich Tradition Under Vitranc
The European Cup has stopped in Slovenia eleven times so far, six times in Maribor and five times in Kranjska Gora, which was a regular stop on the series between 2015 and 2019. The park in Kranjska Gora hosted its first downhill race back in 2004, when the DH Vitranc was also the national championship. The biggest race here was the European Championship in 2009. Last year’s national championship was also a success, after which the organizers, the Slovenian Cycling Federation in cooperation with Kranjska Gora Tourism, decided it was time to return to the European Cup.
Prestigious New UCI Category
This year’s European Cup final race will also be the highest-ranked mountain bike race of the season in Slovenia. Only the continental championship, the World Cup, and the world championship (in Olympic cross-country, the Olympic Games are at the top of the pyramid) bring more points for the UCI International Cycling Union ranking than the new category of the Continental Series (CS). Top rankings in the continental series races also lead to the right to compete in the World Cup.
Track Gets New Look
The classic “DH Vitranc” track is approximately 1700 meters long with a 330-meter elevation drop. The Slovenian Cycling Federation team, in collaboration with the Kranjska Gora Bike Park crew, revamped it for last year’s national championship, when racing returned to the park after a few years’ hiatus. For this year’s race, there are a few important changes: the start is a little higher than the upper station of the Vitranc 1 chairlift, the return of the root-covered forest section Jacuzzi, and the finish closer to the village at the restaurants at the foot of the mountain, with a jump over the summer toboggan run. Until now, only the European Championship track has led there!
Schedule
For the European Cup finals in Kranjska Gora, the standard schedule applies with a track walk and first training session on Friday, followed by a second training session on Saturday and the qualifying run at 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, after the morning training session, the final run will start at 12:30 p.m.
Access to the race for spectators will be free of charge. Free guided cycling mountain bike tours will also be available as part of the Let’s Go Cycling! program by the Cycling Federation of Slovenia.
