SLIDESHOW - Maribor World Cup Downhill Race 2 of 2 - Mountain Biking Pictures

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The first World Cup Downhill double-header event is now complete. Race 2 of the weekend took place on Sunday in Maribor, Slovenia with a track that was drying out and becoming faster. Conditions were still tricky, however, and any mistake meant a slide down the final rankings. The Top 5 Elite Men were separated by 1 second and winner, Loris Vergier, won by just .05 seconds over Loic Bruni. Sven Martin, @maddogboris and Dan Hearn share the sights and stories from an historic weekend of mountain bike racing.

Nina Hoffmann took her first World Cup win today with a strong women’s field challenging every position. -Dan Hearn

Her first win in a very young career and on a very revered track, too. A sign of things to come? -Sven Martin

Nina finding the appropriate glass for her champagne. -Sven Martin

This shot was actually an accidental focus drop. It’s funny how things work out, as Loris Vergier sends the final drop and takes the win here in Maribor. Cheers Canon. -Dan Hearn

Crossing the line in green is the first step to winning. Then it becomes a waiting game. Loris' mechanic, PA, in audio -Sven Martin

Oisin, three races and three wins. He is the real deal. Swooping up all the jerseys so far this season. -Sven Martin

Oisin O'Callaghan is a wild man. Or maybe wild boy. He nearly went over the bars after the the PhAt Gap, saved it and won the race. #doyourpushupskids @maddogboris

Young, fit fast. Will there be a shake up in two weeks when we head to Portugal where there will be some home track advantage? -Sven Martin

Leona Pierrini on her way to victory in the Junior women's category. -Dan Hearn

Wow. What a close race! Not just for the first two, but all the way back to tenth. Green, red, red, green, then finally red again for Loic, by just 0.05 to Loris. -Sven Martin

Role reversal for Loris and Loic. -Sven Martin

Fun Story. Somehow I thought Loic won the race, and I congratulated him. I told Sven to shoot Loic's bike after he finished shooting, Loris' bike. They told me at the podium that Loris won, not Loic. @maddogboris

Marine Cabirou, the favorite, let it slip away in the final sectors after dominating Friday's race. She still holds on to the leader's jersey going into Portugal. -Sven Martin

Nuno Reis with 2nd in Junior men! @maddogboris

Siel van der Velden, the second-fastest time Junior Woman today. @maddogboris

Matt Walker, ranked second in the world right now, coming into his own. Stepping up as Danny departs. -Sven Martin

Farina Eleonora just 4.2 seconds of the win in third. The talent in the women's field is growing and getting even more competitive! @maddogboris

Ella Erickson crushing #USDH for the Junior women with a third place today. -Sven Martin

#USDH Junior, Dante Silva, grunting his way into 3rd place. -Dan Hearn

Pompon got enough points in qualifying to take over the leader's jersey from Marine Cabirou. After finals, Marine got it back. @maddogboris

Troy Brosnan rounding off the podium with a 5th place in the second Maribor finals. Just 1 second seperated the whole podium. -Dan Hearn

Tracey Hannah speed blurring her way into 5th place today. -Dan Hearn

Moto ruts are better for moto tracks than finish line jumps. Sketchy inside squashes and plenty of almost-OTB-boner airs was the preferred move of the day for most. -Sven Martin

Aaron Gwin is slowly getting back to race pace! 6th for the king of #USDH. We wouldn't be surprised to see him back on the podium in Lousa. @maddogboris

Luckily some of the riders went for the show (and probably for the faster option) and jumped the finish line jump. YT's Angel did it in his very own way. One of the most consistent riders of the past two weeks and still climbing in the results. @maddogboris

Credit to Phil Atwill for sending the triple first, now called the PhAt Gap. Geddit? Danny Hart sending it large to demonstrate the size, but it’s the speed and flat take-off that really makes this thing tricky. -Dan Hearn

The triple was hit or miss. It definitely saved a fraction of time when done properly, but Loris lost time through it. Thankfully he didn't lose so much that it cost him victory. -Sven Martin

Christopher Grice has two very special mentors - Loic and Finn. You can see that in his riding. The Junior Specialized Rider ended up 5th in Maribor. Thanks to his riding style and focus, he is already a Vital favorite. #USDH @maddogboris

Eddie out of here, skipping Lousa like quite a few others. -Sven Martin

Kade Edwards gets sloppy in the rocks. Can't wait to see his film he’s been working on. -Sven Martin

A dark week for Tahnee. She will be happy to head off to Portugal for a sunnier season-ender. -Sven Martin

Can you get better textbook cornering technique and style than this? Hell no. Remi Thirion. The boss. -Sven Martin

Daprela with his Top 10 today, a good qualifier and result on Friday, now sits third in the world. The best rookie series start ever? -Sven Martin

Matt Walker and Charlie Hatton were sessioning most runs together this week. It paid off for both of them. -Sven Martin

Rainbow ruts. -Sven Martin

Luke Williamson streaking during his race run. -Sven Martin

Phill Atwill. Triple gap pioneer in his first run training yesterday. We shall now call this the PhAt Gap. -Sven Martin

Jack Moir all blanc et noir nailing the last straight before the finish. He’s been nailing the downhill races and showing real consistency this year. -Dan Hearn

Luca Shaw was 6 seconds back on Friday for 6th. He was only 2.8 seconds back today for 11th. A much faster and closer race in drier conditions. -Sven Martin

Steve still brings the magic. Balance bike Jedi skills. -Sven Martin

Marine holds onto the white leader's jersey. -Sven Martin

Loris, with two wins in a row and fastest qualifier in Leogang, is arguably the fastest rider in the world right now. -Sven Martin

Minnaar staying in touch with a top ten, losing a bit of time with a different line in the rocks. -Sven Martin

Goncalo Bandeira 4th, Junior Men. @maddogboris

Austrian, Andreas Kolb, with a solid 15th place, holding the hot seat for a good few riders, too! @maddogboris

German cannonball, Anastasia Thiele. @maddogboris

Loris Revelli with a massive drift after landing the triple. Check it out at the end of the Vital Timewarp video. @maddogboris

Close your eyes and send it. The photo may look questionable but the video footage shows the line is clean. @maddogboris

Loic Bruni, oh so close. @maddogboris

Dakotah Norton got a bit wild in training after landing the triple. No idea how his leg ended up in this weird position! Luckily he didn't crash, pushed back up and jumped it without problem. @maddogboris

The silver bullet is back. Dakota Norton just can’t keep hold of his peaks recently. Gutted for him to crash in finals; he’s been looking solid all week. #USDH -Dan Hearn

Within two weeks, Aaron Gwin has had more wet weather training than within the last year. He’s almost right where he wants to be. Watch out for him in Lousa is my prediction. -Sven Martin

The Man him self. Clay Porter was back at a World Cup Race. 6 years after his last World Cup, he's back to film Aaron Gwin. Check out his Instagram to see the best focus pulls in the business! @maddogboris

Kaos Seagrave on his way to his first Elite Men World Cup race. We were super stoked to finally see him in the finals! @maddogboris

Pierron brothers, Baptiste and brother Antoine, are keeping the family name high up the score sheets this year with a 13th and 19th place finish respectively. -Dan Hearn

Just look closer or zoom in! Maybe you can spot some prototype pedals. @maddogboris

Last man standing from Commencal 100%, Thomas Estaque. @maddogboris

Loic Bruni giving the triple some gas in training. -Dan Hearn

A little help for Rob Warner and Claudio Caluori while commenting the livestream. Good news! It looks like the World Cup in portugal will really happen. @maddogboris

It’s been a strange couple of weeks shooting races with so many restrictions. Boris’ cigarette consumption has definitely increased, but we’re stoked to still be able to bring you some action from the bike world. -Dan Hearn

The Elite Men's podium celebrates under a Slovenian evening. -Dan Hearn

It’s been a tough 2 weeks shooting with all the regulations in place. Sorry if you’ve missed some of the usual lifestyle shots and pit bits, but we hope you’ve enjoyed the slideshows nevertheless! Peace out from us! -Dan Hearn - editor's note - WAY TO CRUSH IT, FELLAS! Time for some sleep!!!<br />
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PHOTO— Andy VATHIS