A local mountain biker finished off this year’s UCI World Cup series near the top of the rankings.
Despite a foot injury she got in practice that kept Elly Hoskin from the final race on Sunday, Sept. 17 in Châtel, France, the 19-year-old ranked second overall in the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup in the Women’s U21 category.
Hoskin has been competing throughout the year in six races, never finishing lower than fifth. This includes a second-place finish and three third-place finishes.
In doing so, Hoskin has found herself ranked second overall in the category next to fellow Canadian, Emmy Lan, in first. Another Squamish mountain biker, Lily Boucher, ranks ninth in the same category.
Before breaking her foot, when asked about how she feels about her finishes so far this year, she replied, “Freaking fantastic.”
“I’ve worked my ass off for the past two years to get here. I wasn’t expecting I would even be able to attend the whole series at the start of the year and I can’t believe I have and have managed to do pretty well on top of that,” she wrote in an email.
Hoskin’s mother, Nicole, said Elly has been doing a lot of these races independently of her family, as her father, Tim, has been battling an illness back in Squamish.
“We've encouraged her to go fulfill her dreams to race World Cup, and she's getting it done on her own for the most part,” wrote Nicole in an email. “We couldn't be more proud and look forward to her upcoming seasons when we can participate more.”
“It’s impossible to be unhappy with what I’ve accomplished. Thank you to everyone for getting me here. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had,” Hoskin wrote on Instagram after announcing her injury.
In another post with a photograph of her holding the second-place trophy, she summarized her feelings in one word.
“Overwhelmed,” she wrote.
Hoskin followed up in an email upon her return to Squamish and said, initially, having "such a silly little crash take me out just was gutting."
"I did so much prep for this last race block, so I felt a bit ripped off, but sometimes that’s the nature of the sport," she continued.
Still, she reiterated that "consistency really paid off" in earning the second overall rank.
"Still chasing that first win, but it’ll just have to be next year."
Hoskin said she is not entirely sure what her recovery process looks like yet and will be off the bike for a little while. But that doesn't seem to be holding her back for too long.
"That leaves some time to reflect on the year and start planning for 2024," she said.
Check out more information about the race at ucimtbworldseries.com.
