<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI tried to give whatever I had\u201d<\/h2>\n
This weekend was not the comeback from that injury Iles was hoping for. The Specialized racer crashed in his first qualifying run. Energy depleted from a heavy flu, he struggled with the physical 1199 course and crashed again in Q2.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first time I haven\u2019t qualified all year,\u201d a visibly exhausted, physically and emotionally, Iles said after the race. \u201cI\u2019ve had the flu all weekend. I tried really hard to push through that, and tried to do my best today. But two crashes in two runs is not really normal for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I pushed myself the the limit today and tried to give whatever I had, but it didn\u2019t go my way,\u201d Iles said, adding \u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the pressure of being at home and feeling like I\u2019ve got to deliver something.\u201d<\/p>\n
The weight of that pressure was immediately evident on an emotional Iles\u2019s face during his live interviews post-run. The Canadian apologised to fans, family and organisers, saying he felt like he\u2019d \u201cLet them down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iles is, to state the obvious, \u00a0accustomed to the pressure of a start hut, and the weight of expectations. His first elite World Cup win actually came in front of a Canadian home crowd at Mont-Sainte-Anne. But home country and home town can be different things. Both Iles and Goldstone, who also failed to qualify, were constantly surrounded by fans and doing a steady stream of media and sponsor obligations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just had nothing left.\u201d<\/h2>\n
While the pressure came crashing down on Iles as soon as he missed out on qualifying, he said the hometown World Cup was more motivating than distracting in the lead-up to the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels amazing,\u201d Iles said of having the World Cup come to town. He said the weight of the experience didn\u2019t hit until after the racing. \u201cHonestly, I didn\u2019t think about the pressure. It wasn\u2019t something that was in the back of my mind. I was more just excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, the physical effect of the unfortunately timed illness is what derailed his day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think more than anything, the sickness just took it out of me completely. I thought this morning I had a good run going, then I had a stupid little crash that took me out of Q1. In Q2, I came out of the gate and I just had no energy. I just had nothing left. I tried to push and ended up crashing. It\u2019s just the way it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The result?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking, to say the least. I\u2019m not going to get to experience the race tomorrow because today was such a nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n
The weekend\u2019s not over, though, even if Iles\u2019s own race is.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s other Canadians that made it in, so tomorrow I\u2019ll be up there cheering for them and for Tahn\u00e9e [Seagrave].<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n