2021 Maribor World Cup Downhill Race Slideshow

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A heavy weekend of World Cup Downhill mountain bike racing comes to a dramatic close in Maribor, Slovenia. Dry course conditions and high speeds spelled disaster for a long list of some racers, while others kept their composure and found success. Sven Martin and @maddogboris sum up an incredible even with photos and audio interviews in our slideshow.

You can listen to all the audio interviews in our podcast player or below this show, too.

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The heat was scorching come Sunday. Temperatures steadily crept up, another element for the riders to navigate. Myriam Nicole stuck to her process and it paid off, she also greased the triple on the way to 1st place in Elite Women. -Sven Martin
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Myriam Nicole leaning her way to victory. @maddogboris
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Staying cool while warming up. This elusive balance was sought and found by Pompon. -Sven Martin
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Pompon keeping it tidy where Tahnee and Bernard went down earlier in the week. This track with its speeds would bite where and when you least expected. -Sven Martin
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Eleonora Farina surprised even herself with a second place today. After watching her in practise, I can’t say I was surprised at all, fast and confident. -Sven Martin
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Eleonora Farina speeding into a smashing 2nd place in Elite Women. @maddogboris
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Camille Balanche letting the rainbow stripes do the talking in the sun. 3rd place in finals. @maddogboris
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Triple logo attack from Cammie and Monster Energy on the live feed. Ta. -Sven Martin
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Monika Hrastnik with her third and sweetest podium here in front of her home crowd. It was also the toughest she reckons. -Sven Martin
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Monika Hrastnik managed the dust well and stepped it up into 4th place. @maddogboris
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Nothing better than crossing the line in green especially when it means you are guaranteed a podium. Monika Hrastnik. -Sven Martin
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Despite a big crash in practice earlier in the week, Tahnee held on for a podium spot in 5th. @maddogboris
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Tahnee bounced back from a solid rag doll the day before to put on a brave run. Good enough for a podium. -Sven Martin
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Bench presses needed if you want to celebrate with this big bottle. Hardly a concern for anyone up there. Your fastest women today. -Sven Martin
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Loris was textbook all week. Float like a butterfly. -Sven Martin
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Sting like a bee. -Sven Martin
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Loris, cooler than the other side of the pillow. @maddogboris
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Number 1 for Loris! @maddogboris
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Up goes that 33. @maddogboris
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Loris looked composed and solid through the rough stuff all week. @maddogboris
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There's grit, then there’s Daprela. This is how you have to attack in practice if you hope to end up on or near the top come race day. -Sven Martin
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Thibaut Daprela attacked in his typical wild style but has definitely worked on his consistency. He kept it rubber side down and put a great time down, beaten only by last man down the hill Vergier. @maddogboris
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Daprela laying down a smoker with only Loris to go. @maddogboris
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Laurie Greenland tilting and shifting his way onto the hot seat. Back on track just when it counts. -Sven Martin
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Laurie Greenland, 3rd place and proud. @maddogboris
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Minnaar, too tall and perhaps too old to do the full-chin-below-the-bars tuck, but hardly necessary when you have already broken the sound barrier. Our sport's Kelly Slater for sure. -Sven Martin
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Greg definitely whispering something akin to "get off my lawn, kid." @maddogboris
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The GOAT just staying GOATier. @maddogboris
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A fifth for Loic is a testament to just how tough, challenging the course and conditions were here this week. -Sven Martin
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Loic, almost faster than TV. @maddogboris
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If we could read their minds... @maddogboris
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Phoebe Gale almost missed her start. Well in a way she actually did. Luckily calmer heads prevailed and she was able to take another win. -Sven Martin
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Phoebe Gale with a hug worthy of a .791 victory. @maddogboris
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Maribor's Junior Women's winner, Phoebe Gale. @maddogboris
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Junior Women's Podium @maddogboris
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Jackson Goldstone had a wild crash on day 1 but made it through to take the win in finals. These kids are tough… @maddogboris
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Jackson Goldstone, seen here in his race run, was one the first riders, and only junior, to quad the last section in the woods. He gave it a go after he heard Loris was doing it. Impressive stuff especially after such a tough Saturday. #whistlerRoots -Sven Martin
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Boost Bro. Lonely last runs before the juniors early race run. Jackson Goldstone. -Sven Martin
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Jordan Williams hot into 2nd Junior Men @maddogboris
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Jordan Williams gave Jackson Goldstone a run for his money and missed the win by just 0.3 seconds. @maddogboris
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Your fasted junior qualifier missed out on the win with a mistake up top, but impressive riding and good form before World Champs for Jordan Williams. -Sven Martin
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Junior Men showing they're still kids. What an epic future of racing ahead! Don't grow up too fast! @maddogboris
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We still remember Finn as an excited youth, now old enough to be a role model to fans of his own. @maddogboris
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Your current World Cup Series leaders. -Sven Martin
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Team of the day. Again. -Sven Martin
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Benoit Coulanges has that rare skill in racers that manage to smooth out even the roughest of tracks, all while finding flow at full speed. He just missed the podium this time. -Sven Martin
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Benoit Coulanges, the one all racers had their eye on. He hung on to the hotseat quite a while and matches his number plate with a 6th place. @maddogboris
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Top 40 for Austin Dooley this weekend. We'll see what the future holds with World Champs. #USDH -Sven Martin
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If you’ve seen her jump, you know Jessica Blewitt is just winding up for a monster whip. -Sven Martin
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Luca Shaw helping us remember that the USA landed on the moon first. Boostastic and a solid 7th place. @maddogboris
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Danny being a little more serious in a slightly more serious section. -Sven Martin
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Danny. First run on a brand new jump. Frustrating when his goon skills outclass your best attempts. -Sven Martin
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High speeds and dust always result in battered bodies and bikes from hidden holes and rocks. @maddogboris
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Dan Slack ain't no hack. His first Elite Top 10 for the young rider and worth saying he managed to do it without the help of his mentor Jack Reading. -Sven Martin
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Troy didn’t gel with the dust quite as we’d expect and dropped back to 12th spot. Interesting to see most of the top guys riding different lines through the rock garden in race runs. Fabien Barel in audio. @maddogboris
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Regardless of result, Troy always puts on a clinic. @maddogboris
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This section was nothing but green grass until Brook went by. 15th for the human track destroyer. @maddogboris
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Brook looking back to make sure the track he just flattened remembers him. @maddogboris
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Greg has lots to thank Cortes for. -Sven Martin
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Lachlan lazily leaning in the low light. @maddogboris
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Marine Cabirou's classic, low style. Unfortunately, 10th place was all she could squeeze out of the track while still recovering from Les Gets. @maddogboris
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Wyn getting a dog silhouette sculpture as a Maribor souvenir. @maddogboris
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Eddie down, but EdBull Media House, not out. @maddogboris
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It wasn't Vali's day. After qualifying first, she struggled on race day, off the podium by .6 seconds. @maddogboris
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Luke Meier-Smith blurring everything with a Top 20 result. @maddogboris
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Johan Garcin in 37th place. A fantastic result for the Frenchman. @maddogboris
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Kye A'hern with the vapor trail. @maddogboris
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Kade steezing into 31st. @maddogboris
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Mark Wallace squeaks into the Top 50 in 49th. @maddogboris
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Tuhoto-Ariki Pene with a cracker of a finish in 22nd for the Union. @maddogboris
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Questionable choices. @maddogboris
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Mille Johnset bettered her plate by one spot to take 7th. @maddogboris
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The Continental Atherton men didn’t have the best of luck with Kolb snapping a chain and Hatton crashing out. Kolb still ran to 16th place! @maddogboris
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Not Reece Wilson’s favorite conditions to race with the harsh lighting in the woods, so he kept it consistent and held on for 21st place. World Champs is on the horizon and all that glitters is gold. @maddogboris
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With Reece there is no need for flash. -Sven Martin
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Keep those eyes protected! Might be getting a strange tan with that hole. @maddogboris
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Problems on track for Chris Grice meant he didn’t make it to the second split. According to Instagram, he's ok, just banged up. @maddogboris
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Tuhoto-Ariki Pene really stepped it up and was on form in Maribor. 22nd. @maddogboris
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Remi Thirion had a great run and looked poised for a Top 10 but slipped back to 14th in the last couple of sectors. @maddogboris
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Speeds were high… as were the dust levels. And the heat. Maribor was all around pretty full-on! Goodwill gets some. @maddogboris
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The Union’s Ollie Davis unleashing his inner Steve Peat. -Sven Martin
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Steve Peat unleashing his inner Olli Davis. -Sven Martin
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Top 10 for Veronika, the Italian National Champ. -Sven Martin
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Matteo Inguez, the most stylish racer on the World Cup both in and out of his race kit? -Sven Martin
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Nuts and bolts go fast. -Sven Martin
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Aina Gonzalez hopping into third. -Sven Martin
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Just because. The crowds were still somewhat thin, but so were the outfits. -Sven Martin
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Matt Walker must be somewhat frustrated with his results compared to last year. He’s a calm, patient and steady type though, so he will no doubt be back on the box in no time. -Sven Martin
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Rafael Gutiérrez swaps out, tomahawking into myself and Andy Vathis. Unfortunately he suffered a broken collarbone and felled a tree that pinned Andy to the ground. Luckily for all, a tree is no match for a silverback. -Sven Martin
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Boris is starting a new team. Smokes 'n Spokes Unlimited. #teamrumours
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Atherton Bikes’ Mille Johnset has made steady headways with her riding this year and has new found aggression. Just off the podium but happy with her weekend. -Sven Martin
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The high pivots ate up the rough steep third and fourth sectors of this track. -Sven Martin
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Bernard had his week cut short after losing his front wheel and flying down into some shrapnel. Looks like team Pivot are sadly 3/4 on the injury bench. -Sven Martin
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Union Tools are based just down the road and they have been great hosts as always. -Sven Martin
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Luke Meier-Smith, at such a young age, is already one of the finest corner-shredders in the business on both big and small bikes. With such fundamentals, he has a bright future ahead. -Sven Martin
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Phil the thrill, the sport is lucky to have such a talented personality like him. Moto GP or Super Moto on the tarmac turns. -Sven Martin
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Max Commencal always has his sights set on the rainbow stripes, but will also take as many World Cup wins along the way as he can. -Sven Martin
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Put away your phone and open fullscreen on your computer or smart TV. Then name the rider in the comments. -Sven Martin
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Despite the temps, it's still lush out here in the alpine. -Sven Martin
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Well it's all about taking the right steps in the right direction. Although surely frustrated, Vali held back to play it too safe in the last half of her run. She will be happy to get a crash-free finals out of the way and now her season can truly begin. -Sven Martin
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Troy Brosnan catching the reflection of Reece Wilson's bike that was lying on the side of the track. -Sven Martin
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Kade (if you follow his insta stories) has about a million moments a day. That kid knows no limits. Don't ever change. -Sven Martin
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Tristan Lemire on his way to work where he went on to bag a fifth place. -Sven Martin
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And Kolb snapped his chain right here at the midway part of the track, just before the big pedal section. With jammed-up cranks it was a scary run no doubt. An amazing 16th place but perhaps a Top 10 slipped away from him, too. -Sven Martin
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Walker Shaw is the happiest human you could ever hope to meet. Positive vibes warrior, railing the grass earlier in the week. -Sven Martin
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Jess Blewitt's riding turned more than a few heads this weekend. A solid 8th place in her first Elite final. -Sven Martin
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Good to see Ethan Craik getting back up to speed after missing the beginning of the season. He will be itching for World Champs now. -Sven Martin
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Back but still somewhat battered and bruised from her massive crash in Les Gets. Marine Cabirou finally gets to wear her new helmet. One more addition to the army. -Sven Martin
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Vali makes it look easy where others stiffen up. The speed is there, she just needs to work on her race-day approach a bit more. So hard to find the right balance between too much and just enough. -Sven Martin
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Impressive qualifier and race for Canada’s Gracey Hemstreet in her first World Cup this year. -Sven Martin
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Very different temps and conditions than last year. Be careful what you wish for. Cammie drops in. -Sven Martin
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Quiet the solid podium. Spanning twenty years, too. Here's to twenty more! -Sven Martin

 

Related:
Maribor, Slovenia
Downhill
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
14 comments

View replies to: 2021 Maribor World Cup Downhill Race Slideshow

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rusty
3 years ago
Those must have been tricky conditions to shoot with the light. You guys kill it!
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bulletbass man
3 years ago
Shot of Reese in woods is sweet! Nice to see the sun back at a wc. Awesome slideshow gentlemen.
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Sven Martin
3 years ago
yep. She has so much natural style even on her way to the track when she doesn't even know im about.
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Acadian
3 years ago
Freakkin Minnaarr still out there competing, mixing it up with the young kids and still on the top and in charge of his domain.
You are the GOAT for a reason. Frick'n Frick!
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LookinForIt
3 years ago
Absolutely incredible photos, thanks for the content

Interesting to see Pompon warming up on an e-bike... Maybe with motor off for additional resistance? Motor on to get higher RPMs with lower effort? This warmup tech is beyond me
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Sven Martin
3 years ago
Yep it’s off. Reason it’s an Ebike is twofold - they are a big big team many riders and staff, so the ebike got the nod over a trail bike. Good for recovery and discovery and getting to the pits. Their training is quite regimented so it’s not like they need to go on long xc rides between races. Plenty of fun trails around The venue to have fun on without tiring themselves out
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Stiksandstones
3 years ago
Purple was a thing this weekend eh? I remember a time when I put Eliot in a purple kit at the sea otter, and he wore slippers haha
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bizutch
3 years ago
I can't keep up with all the color combos these days. But I can still say...apple green is missing, which I love.