PRESS RELEASE: CrankworxOne day from the start gate, the most difficult mountain biking competition is about to kick off for another year.
Taking the battle to the next level, 2018 will see the crowning of a Royal Family of the Crankworx World Tour. As in past years, the King and Queen will be named at the end of the season. They’ll each receive $20,000 CAD for their efforts, while for the first time the second place overall riders will receive $10,000 CAD each, and third overall will each receive $5,000 CAD.
Other changes for this year include the addition and re-introduction of some key events, including an all-new DH race, Dual Slalom and the return of the Whip-Off.
Here’s how it’s all shaping up as the battle to be crowned begins anew and Crankworx Rotorua kicks off international competition season in March from the 17th to 25th.
Enduro Why it’s key: Most points up for grabs.Win the Giant Toa Enduro presented by CamelBak and walk away with an impressive 225 points. With six skill, speed and endurance-testing stages awaiting competitors, it’s no easy feat, and the decision to compete certainly not an easy one. Will taking on the full-day Herculean effort deplete valuable resources needed to crush through the rest of Crankworx Rotorua’s nine days? It’s a calculated risk every rider has to make for themselves. In 2017 Matt Walker (NZL) placed second in the Giant Toa Enduro, then kept that momentum rolling, taking the lead in the battle for King coming out of Rotorua. Points for the top 10 riders are awarded after this full day race.
Matt Walker and Casey Brown, getting amongst the greens (and puddles) at the enduro in Rotorua in 2017. Photos: Boris Beyer and Fraser Britton
In addition to Walker, Sam Blenkinsop (NZL), Casey Brown (CAN), Keegan Wright (NZL), and Vaea Verbeeck (CAN), among others, are registered to take on this Rotorua classic in the Whakarewarewa forest, kicking off the festival.
DownhillWhy it’s key: DH points aplenty.This year, there are three downhill races on the schedule in Rotorua, each with points up for grabs for the top 10 pro men and women, including 150 points to the first place finisher of each. That’s a lot of races and a lot of points.
First up is the wildcard. The Redwoods DH is new for this year, and for many this will be the first time racing in the Whakarewarewa forest. Launching the day after the Enduro, those not taking on the previous day’s challenge may have the advantage. Watch for Tracey Hannah (AUS), the Crankworx Downhill Champion three years running, to rise to the challenge, along with The Bulldog, Brook MacDonald (NZL).
Next up, speed and style co-mingle on Mr. Black, Skyline Rotorua’s answer to Whistler Mountain Bike Park’s A-Line. In years past, fast and stylish riders like reigning Queen Jill Kintner (USA) and Bas van Steenbergen (CAN) have dominated, but the battle for royal supremacy seems to have changed the game. 2017’s King, Adrien Loron (FRA), proved his all-round mountain bike mastery at Crankworx Whistler this past summer, emerging victorious in the Fox Air DH and claiming valuable points which eventually enabled him to clinch the title. Did others stand up and take notice? Undoubtedly. The Crankworx Rotorua Air DH will be our first glimpse into who’s had their eyes on the prize during the off-season.
Bas, eyes on the prize on his way to the third podium spot in the Rotorua Air DH, while Kintner practices on the DH track at Skyline in 2017. Photos: Fraser Britton
The Crankworx Rotorua Downhill rounds out the three in commanding fashion. Look for current World Champ Miranda Miller (CAN) to show what she’s got, as well as Mick “Sik Mik” Hannah (AUS), who took second in 2017, Tahnée Seagrave (GBR), Finn Iles (CAN), in his first international race as an elite, Kintner, and Loic Bruni (FRA), the latter two who both topped their respective podiums in 2016. It’s anyone’s game. Get the details on the Crankworx Rotorua
webcast schedule.
Head-to-HeadWhy they’re key: Where the multidisciplinary masters play to win.In some ways, these are what the King and Queen race is all about: they’re the great equalisers where mountain bikers from multiple disciplines battle it out against one another. Three head-to-head events are on the schedule in Rotorua this year (Dual Speed & Style, Dual Slalom and Pump Track). For each, points will be awarded to the top eight riders for finals with 16 or more riders. Points will be awarded to the top four for finals with 15 or fewer.
One of the most anticipated additions to the 2018 Crankworx World Tour is Dual Slalom. In Rotorua, Empire of Dirt has laid down a new track that’s got competitors frothing. Empire of Dirt’s Adam King describes the track as “old school meets new school” with a top section of berms and rollers, leading into a bottom section of flat turns that heads into “a sweet little double.” The excitement around the 100% Dual Slalom Rotorua also stems from the fact it offers up another option for female competitors to get amongst it. Watch for Kintner, who’s called the discipline her favourite in the past, to rise to the challenge. On the men’s side, Bas van Steenbergen has said the same, while 2016’s King Tomas Slavik (CZE) has proven his speed time and time again on the slalom track in Whistler.
Empire of Dirt is also leaving its mark on the Pump Track, with an all-new course for this year. King describes the 2018 battleground for the RockShox Rotorua Pump Track Challenge presented by Torpedo7 as “bigger and better.” Historically, the Pump Track in Rotorua has seen some of the fest’s most epic battles play out. 2018 is looking to be no exception, with the likes of Kintner, Loron, Danielle Beecroft (AUS), and Chaney Guennet (FRA) queuing up to take on the new course. Get the details on the Crankworx Rotorua webcast schedule.
Finally, Dual Speed & Style loops the trick specialists into the mix. There’ve been a few tweaks to the rules of this evolving discipline heading into 2018’s Mons Royale Dual Speed & Style Rotorua, with riders now facing a stiffer time penalty if they don’t do a trick. Watch for riders who’ve mastered the true balance required like Tyler McCaul (USA), Barry Nobles (USA), and Tomas Lemoine (FRA) who won in Innsbruck. Get the details on the Crankworx Rotorua webcast schedule.
Whip-OffWhy it’s key: Back on the table.Once again part of the King and Queen points battle, the Official Oceania Whip-Off Championships presented by SPANK is a jam session that’s pushed many outside their comfort zone and sideways into the New Zealand night. For whip veterans like Casey Brown, who’s also signed up for every single event available to female competitors, the extra 100 points on offer for first (points are also available for second and third, for both women and men) could be the boost she needs to make it to the top. On the men’s side, watch for Reed Boggs (USA) who took the win in 2017, Austin Warren (USA), who came in 2nd in the Whistler Whip-Offs last year and is taking on an impressive number of events in Rotorua, as well as Ryan Howard (USA), who’s laid claim to the championship belt many times.
SlopestyleWhy it’s key: The dark horse in the battle for King?With so much on the line during Slopestyle, it’s not often these riders have royal aspirations, though with exceptional talent comes exceptional circumstances. Points are available for the top 10 in the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza, which could make the difference for Slopestyle riders who compete in other events like Lemoine, who podiumed in Slopestyle and Dual Speed & Style in Innsbruck last year, and Boggs, who’ll likely be aiming to bag some points in the Whip-Offs. A re-shaped course awaits this year’s Slopestyle competitors in Rotorua as, for the first time since Crankworx touched down in the Southern Hemisphere in 2015, the course will see a refresh with a few jump rebuilds. Get the details on the Crankworx Rotorua webcast schedule.
Noticeably absent from the Crankworx Rotorua ring will be 2017’s second runner-up, Caroline Buchanan (AUS), 2015’s King, Bernard Kerr (GBR), and last year’s winner of the Crankworx Rotorua DH, Jack Moir (AUS). Buchanan suffered a broken sternum, collapsed lungs, a broken nose, and life-threatening bleeding around her heart after a devastating car accident in December. She’d originally hoped to be ready for competition in New Zealand, but instead will be attending Rotorua in a supporting role alongside fiancé Barry Nobles. Kerr meanwhile is out with a broken foot, but says he’s hoping to get back in the game and make up the points in Europe. Moir is a late withdrawal, currently recovering from a back injury.
Overall, points are up for grabs at 30 events for men and 22 for women across the Crankworx World Tour’s four global stops.
It’s on for another year, folks. We’re sure we don’t have to tell you twice, but it’s time to get stoked. This space is about to get rad as the superheroes of mountain biking step up to the start gate and launch into the 2018 season, taking on each other and the world.
Crankworx Rotorua will be coming to you LIVE on all your devices on crankworx.com. Plus, the quest to be crowned the Slopestyle World Champion will be coming to you live, and on-demand, on all your devices exclusively on Red Bull TV and crankworx.com.
Check out the
full schedule and lock those dates and times in your calendars.
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Are these what you wanted??? Are you happy now??? What do you want from me??? I'm under a lot of pressure here!!!