"I had a rough year - I broke my collarbone, and it was a hard comeback," said Fumic to
Cyclingnews. "I knew I'd need a lot of time and maybe I could be back in shape in time for the world championship. For me, it's motivating to get a good result like this."
"The day before the race, I told my guys that I had a good feeling and could go for the medal. I grabbed one of those medals and now I'm really happy."
"I crashed early in the race on the Treehouse rock garden and lost some places. Once you have any problem, the speed at the front is so fast, you often can't come back, but I was focused. When I crashed, I was like, 'ok, I have a plan. I'll make it back.'"
He did what he planned. He first caught the second group, and then continued.
"I didn't hide at all. As soon as I was up to Jose Hermida's back wheel, I overtook him. I wanted it so badly. I pushed hard. In the end, it was close; Nino [Schurter] was only 15 seconds in front of me and he did have a little crash at the very end."
Jose Hermida, who eventually finished third, was pushing hard behind Fumic.
"I could always feel his pressure and he was breathing behind me. But it was a good thing."
"I have a couple of good podium spots now - I'm just missing the top spot. I think I'm on my way. Next year's going to be a good year."
Fumic will ride the final World Cup round in Hafjell, Norway this weekend.
Manuel Fumic (Cannondale Factory Racing) scored his best-ever world championship finish in the elite men's cross country race in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa earlier this month. He broke his collarbone earlier this season and missed several of the World Cup rounds, so for sure, his silver medal performance was something special. Due to that injury, he dropped from third to 14th in the world rankings. 
