2026 was always set to be a big year for Finn Iles. As soon as Whistler was officially confirmed as a World Cup stop, bringing the series to the Canadian\u2019s home town for the first time ever, it was clear it was going to be a year to remember. But what\u2019s taken place since January has turned into a wild rollercoaster for the Specialized racer.<\/p>\n
Back-to-back World Cup wins, his first since his 2022 victory at Mont-Sainte-Anne, vaulted Iles into the leader\u2019s jersey. Going into the summer break Iles sat second overall behind teammate Jordan Williams. That high lasted just days, though, as Iles fractured an ankle training at home in B.C.<\/p>\n
We caught up with Iles to talk about why going off-line, in an era where athletes share everything, is so important to balancing the highs of winning and lows of injury. Why Whistler\u2019s World Cup debut could be the biggest moment for Canadian downhill in years. And why it will feel way different than it looks on Instagram.<\/p>\n Finn Iles: It feels really amazing. It\u2019s something that not a lot of people get to sort of experience. We have already had such amazing races in Mont Saint Anne. But to have one like truly in my hometown, somewhere where I went to high school and elementary school, and learned how to ride a bike, it means a lot. And I think as a kid, I would have loved to have a World Cup in Whistler. So to finally have it and to be able to try and showcase what it is to be like a Canadian downhill racer is going to be pretty special.<\/p>\n I did on 2023, but I injured myself, so\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yeah, absolutely. I would really love to be racing Red Bull Hardline. I guess I kind of have to wait on my team and my team manager to let me know if I\u2019m allowed to compete because obviously there\u2019s a little bit more danger involved and everything else that goes with Hardline. But if \u00a0all goes well, yeah, I\u2019m gonna be there. I\u2019m gonna be riding, and yeah, I\u2019m looking forward to that one as well.<\/p>\n Yeah, that\u2019s pretty awesome. \u00a0Especially because Cypress, like you said, is like one of my favourite places to train in the winter. And now that they\u2019re like putting in a bike park up there, I think it\u2019s going to be perfect timing for them to host an event. I think having it so close to Vancouver is going to be amazing, especially as the North Shore was so instrumental in Canadian downhill riding. Now we get to have an event with all these crazy features and woodwork and all this other stuff that reflects that, and also brings attention back to the North Shore.<\/p>\n I tend to not share as much as other athletes on Instagram. I do kind of like to keep a little bit more of like my personal stuff \u00a0private. Especially with that injury, it was hard because I didn\u2019t have a timeline. I didn\u2019t have like a day when it was going to be better because it was such a vague injury. I had two slipped discs in my lower back. That one of those things where I heard a lot of different opinions where some people were telling me I was going to deal with this for the rest of my life, where it might just pop up again, others were telling me it might just go away. So it was hard for me to be able to share anything on on social media that was like concrete, where I could be like, \u2018This is what\u2019s wrong with me.\u2019on<\/p>\n So I played my cards close to my chest. I didn\u2019t want any rumours to get out, and I would almost rather people think \u00a0I was having a bad season than thinking that like I was dealing with this injury that could \u00a0drag on and on. For me, \u00a0trusting my team to trust me to go through the process and really get through that injury was incredibly important. I\u2019m really happy that I was able to go through all the rehab steps, go through everything to make myself better, and now this year have the season that I\u2019m having feels pretty awesome.<\/p>\n It was pretty incredible. Coming off the back of last season and dealing with that injury and dealing with all the things that come with not riding, where it\u2019s like I don\u2019t understand the bike, I don\u2019t know why it\u2019s not working for me, Loic [Bruni] is winning races, Jordan [Williams] is riding fast, like all these different things, that created a lot of self doubt going through the off season. But I think the emotions came out because I knew that I put so much trust in myself to be able to get back to where I usually am and to ride the way that I usually ride, and I think that all the hard work I put in this off season all came together at that moment.<\/p>\n In Loudenvielle I finished fourth. I was so close to the podium and I was so angry. Like, I knew I could have won that race, I just had too many mistakes. So for it all come together at the next World Cup? To just really click into riding the way I know I can was an incredible feeling. I mean, it was almost five years without a win. So to win that just meant the world. Some people only win one and they never get back up there. To go through all the things I have and be able to get back on that top step was amazing.<\/p>\n In Leogang, I actually went through Q2. In practice, I crashed on this stump and went into the fence. I did the exact same thing in Q1. In Q2, it was pouring rain and I thought, like, I just built all this momentum and I\u2019m back in the same position as last year. I started doubting myself, thinking, like, am I going to miss another qualifying this season?<\/p>\n When I got to the top, I thought, \u2018Alright, I\u2019m going to feel an emotion either way when I get to the bottom, so it might as well be a really good one.\u2019 So, when I dropped in, I felt so free. I just felt that I didn\u2019t even care at that point, all I could really do is ride my bike. I ended up winning Q2 by like four and a half seconds and I had the fastest time of the day by three. After that, I thought I could win. I just had to do the exact same thing the next day.<\/p>\n I went out the next day with no pressure, no stress. Warming up, I thought, \u2018Holy, I think I\u2019m actually going to win today.\u2019 To actually get it done felt so amazing. Sitting in the hot seat for as long as I did was way more stressful than preparing for the race. Sitting in the hot seat just not knowing what your fate is and not being able to decided it is way gnarlier than going last.<\/p>\n I think it was good that it was a back-to-back weekend. That really benefited me because if there was a week off, I probably would have dipped like emotionally. So having that back-to-back race, there was no time to like think about it or rest. It was like, okay, this is done. Now we\u2019re straight focused into Lenzerheide.<\/p>\n Coming into Lenzerheide, I think I\u2019ve almost never felt that confident. From day one, the guys on track that work for the team were like, \u00a0I think you can win again. But agin, to go out there on my race run and actually achieve that was insane. I almost feel like Leogang was a run that I did and ended up winning. Versus, in Lenzerheide, I felt like I truly won the race. I went out and was like, \u2018I am better than everybody else.\u2019 That was a crazy feeling because I\u2019ve never had that before. I\u2019m not usually someone like that. I\u2019m a rider that rides with ego. I\u2019m usually riding with myself, where I\u2019m focusing on being the best version of myself. But in Lenzerheide, I went out and was like \u2018I\u2019m a dog and I\u2019m going to do my job today\u2019 and it seemed to pay off. Again, a crazy feeling because it\u2019s not really who I am. But it seemed to work.<\/p>\n Yeah, it factors in quite a lot. I think for me, mental strength and mental preparedness comes from my physical preparedness and my preparation for racing. So it it starts with how I\u2019m training the off season, how dedicated I am to working on the bike, how well the team has worked with me, the amount of days I\u2019ve put in. For me, that builds a mental base that I can go from. \u00a0Then I start working on my mental state so that I\u2019m able to be as focused as I possibly can be when I\u2019m in the start gate. It\u2019s not thinking about what can go wrong or what can go right. It\u2019s just more about being in the moment. \u00a0That\u2019s something I work with a mental coach on.<\/p>\n For me, just being able to be in those moments feels like a privilege. That mindset has really helped me find \u00a0my best riding and my best self when I\u2019m in the gate. I don\u2019t have to doubt, I don\u2019t have to question. I can just focus on thinking \u2018This is awesome like it\u2019s me and my bike and if I go really fast it\u2019s gonna be really fun and I\u2019m gonna probably have a great result because I\u2019m really good at doing this.\u2019<\/p>\n Yeah, it started like two days after I got back.<\/p>\n Yeah, it was a crazy one. With the two wins and being second in the overall, I was coming home needing a big rest. So I took a week off and just tried to refocus myself and check back in. When I went riding, I didn\u2019t even crash. I just cased a jump. It was one of those things where I just got really unlucky with the way that it happened. It wasn\u2019t really. a lack of focus, just things happen. It just kind of sucked to have this injury with worlds coming up and the World Cups that I missed. But having to more races at the end of the season that I can be ready for gives me a really good goal to try feel as fast as I can.<\/p>\n Yeah, I\u2019m really looking forward to having that in the community, and having that for the entire Sea to Sky, even all of Western Canada. Whistler\u2019s kind of the Mecca of mountain biking. Western Canada hasn\u2019t had a World Cup since 2001 in Vancouver or 2005 at COP [in Calgary]. So to finally have on in Whistler, it\u2019s going to be mind blowing. For me, it\u2019s an incredible opportunity so I can\u2019t wait. I\u2019m hoping that a lot of people show up and come out and cheer us on.<\/p>\n I think it\u2019s a continuation of a legacy that was started with Stevie [Smith] in terms of just showing like a Canadian can be World Cup champion. I think it\u2019s going to inspire a lot of young kids as well as just put the sport in front of more people eyes. I hope for mountain biking it helps strengthen the community in British Columbia.<\/p>\n For me, it means a lot right now because with the amount of social media, I think people get lost as to what the real thing looks and feels like. I think for kids to come out and see how the mountain bike community is, how they act together, how all the pros are together? I think that will inspire a lot of people not only to want to be racers, but to be involved in the community. It\u2019s such an incredible group of people. We have such a great group of racers at the World Cups.<\/p>\n I just think now it\u2019s so easy for kids to see so much on social media. But when they come here, I think it\u2019s just a totally different vibe, energy, everything. So it should be amazing.<\/p>\n Whistler hosts its first-ever World Cup downhill from September 25-27, 2006.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\nCanadian MTB<\/em>:\u00a0Getting the chance to race a World Cup in your hometown is like pretty rare. How does that? How does that opportunity feel?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
You were injured for the Canadian Open DH during Crankworx. Have you had much of a chance to race on 1199 before? Will a home track give you much of an advantage.<\/h3>\n
So not a huge advantage, then. After Whistler, there\u2019s Hardline at Cypress. With you missing a couple races this season, is there any temptation to jump into that.<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>That\u2019s on Cypress Mountain where you do a lot of your training when you\u2019re at home. It must be pretty cool to see an event like that not just coming to Canada, or coming to your local zone. But also having Hardline in a part of the season where there\u2019s no World Cup conflict, so it might actually be a possibility for you to race.<\/h3>\n
So that all makes for a very exciting fall and a huge year. To back up a bit, last year was pretty challenging for you, with a lingering injury. You were pretty quiet about that, at least publicly. In an era where athletes seem to want to, or are pressured to share everything online, that approach stands out. Why did you want to keep what was happening a bit more to yourself instead of sharing the process along the way?<\/h3>\n
Yeah, coming out of a year of dealing with injuries and winning two World Cups is just incredible. What did it feel like getting that first win, four years after Mont-Sainte-Anne?<\/h3>\n
<\/a>How did that weekend in Leogang go? Did you get the feeling that you could win early on? Or did feeling good start to add to the pressure to then deliver in finals?<\/h3>\n
I can\u2019t imagine how stressful that would be. So then, from not winning a World Cup since 2022, you turn around and do it again the next week. How do you just click right back into the work like two days after that high?<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Listening to you talk about those wins, it seems like the mental side of racing seems to be as much of a part of the conversation as the physical side. I know we just talked about how much work you did to recover from last year\u2019s injury, but how much does the mental aspect of the sport factor into your training? How do you prepare for that?<\/h3>\n
So that\u2019s managing the positive side of your mental focus. But you returned from Europe right when a forest fire started in Pemberton.<\/h3>\n
And then you injure your foot. How do you maintain that mental focus when you have all these other things being thrown at you going into the World Cup summer break?<\/h3>\n
Yeah, that means Whistler is the first race back.<\/h3>\n
You\u2019ve talked about the 2005 World Cup in Calgary as something that like inspired you to start racing. What do you think having a World Cup in Whistler will mean for the future of like downhill in Canada.<\/h3>\n