Crankworx Whistler 2024 yielded thrilling hometown triumphs, impressive international performances and a watershed women's Red Bull Joyride, but one big local name was missing from its downhill start lists: Finn Iles.
The accomplished speedster has been a fixture at many past festivals, and some may have hoped to watch him bounce back after a thumb injury knocked him out of last year's Canadian Open DH. It turns out, however, that said ailment had a longer-term effect on his career.
"In the past few years, I've always wanted to compete at every event I can, but this year my team—the guys from Specialized in France—have decided that they want me to take it easy and stay focused on the World Championships coming up at [the end of August]," Iles explained.
Iles wasn't the only superstar who failed to make an appearance. 2023 Canadian Open DH gold medallist among women Valentina Höll did not return, and former second-placer Louise Ferguson opted to ride in the British nationals instead.
Jackson Goldstone finds himself in a different boat: ACL and MCL tears sustained during Red Bull Hardline Tasmania wiped out both his World Cup season and his Crankworx opportunities.
Even those who did participate, like two-time men's Canadian Open champ Jakob Jewett, expressed the fact that they were doing everything possible to stay healthy.
1199 is as unforgiving a track as any. Kye A'Hern and several others discovered that the hard way this time around. It's understandable for elite athletes like Iles to make business decisions for the sake of themselves and their backers—disappointing though it may be for fans.
Not to worry, however: Iles remains loyal to the mountain bike town that vaulted him into greatness. He was frequently spotted throughout late July, brushing shoulders with the public at various community rides as well as sponsorship events with Red Bull and Swatch.
Letting Finn In
Iles truly grew up with Crankworx. He and his family have been visiting the festival for 20 years, where a turning point in his career unfolded.
Days shy of his 15th birthday, Iles was already a provincial downhill winner with the aerial maneuvers to complement his speed. Yet he was not a legal adult, and thus ineligible to join the 2014 Whip-off in Whistler. That fact did not sit well with locals.
#LetFinnIn became both a trending hashtag and a Sea to Sky rallying cry. The young man's reputation exploded, causing event organizers to change their minds. Good thing they did, for Iles won that summer's Whip-off, helped judge the 2015 contest while hurt, and struck gold again in 2016.
Fervent public support and the exploits of older riders did much to spark Iles' boyhood dreams, as well as to put his name on the map. That's why he uses his platform to pay it forward.
"Being able to see somebody riding in the bike park or going for laps and having kids ride up the chair with me…that when I was young meant so much," said Iles. "I'm in a position now where I can try and make a difference. I don't know if it's a huge difference, but even a little bit of a difference means a lot to some kids."
And what advice does the homegrown dynamo have for youngsters who do look up to him?
"Mountain biking is about having the best time you can," he remarked. "So when you're riding your bike and you're out there doing whatever, just make sure you're having fun and loving what you do."
'No holds barred'
It's safe to say that Iles loves his job.
He's one of mankind's best downhill riders. He's fully capable of posing a consistent threat to European supremacy on the global stage. Big-time brands want him on their team, including Swatch: an internationally-known Swiss watchmaker that he appreciates for its creative, outside-the-box approach to business.
Iles grabbed his first World Cup gold medal on Aug. 6, 2022 in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Que. but has not topped a podium since. His current season best is a silver in Leogang, Austria to go with two bronzes in Fort William, Scotland and Val di Sole, Italy.
"I was a little bit disappointed with myself at the last World Cup [in Les Gets, France] where I placed 29th, but the conditions were so hard," Iles said. "But I'm edging ever so closer to the win, which is a good feeling. You don't race for second at World Champs, so going into that I want to be in the best shape I can be…and prepared to ride as fast as I possibly can. There's no holds barred."
Victory at the UCI Mountain Bike Worlds in Pal Arinsal, Andorra from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1 would be quite the feather in Iles' cap, but there's also something else on his career wish list.
"I would like to see a World Cup race in Whistler," Iles revealed. "The community is really strong. I think people are really stoked on the sport, and the way that it is growing is quite cool. Mountain biking is my favorite thing to do, and I think that everybody should be able to experience it.
"A lot of places have one good trail or two good trails, but in Whistler, every trail is a good trail."
