Day Two of Crankworx B.C. racing at SilverStar Mountain Resort, with one competitor on a solid gold streak, and another earning his first Crankworx top of the box.
Niels Bensink (NED) earns his first Crankworx gold with a near-flawless performance in finals to take the win in today’s RockShox Pump Track Challenge SilverStar, and Kialani Hines (USA) earns her second gold medal in two days after winning the Dual Slalom yesterday.
It was great. I qualified first, so I just wanted to keep it going throughout the day. All the girls started to get faster, so it was definitely a tough race. But I’m happy to win.
– Kialani Hines
Hines also qualified first in yesterday’s Dual Slalom. When the weather wreaked havoc on the track, the women’s field called it, and Hines was awarded the win based on her qualifying run.
Today, with the sun shining, it was a full out battle to the finish. The weather dried out most of the track, minus on corner that most riders cited as one of the deciding factors for the day.
“That corner was very stressful,” added the American.
“I almost died in that corner,” Brayden Barrett-Hay (CAN) said, laughing, in an early round against Bas van Steenbergen.
It’s scary because you want to come in at full pace because you know how much slower you’re going to come out of it, but risking it and going fast, it’s just so squishy, and if it catches your front wheel, there’s a lot of bobbling going on.
– Harriet Burbidge-Smith
I feel like the rest of the track was pretty straight-forward. It all dried out perfectly. But really all I could think about was that corner. So yeah, tough one. I just had to ride it a little harder than everything else I think, just to get some speed out of it.
– Kialani Hines
Her efforts paid off. She was half a second behind Burbidge-Smith on the right-hand side on their first matchup, managing to charge in their second on the left side and make up for the time. Today’s win is Hines’ third Pump Track win on the Crankworx World Tour.
On the men’s side, today’s win was a first.
“I really wanted this one,” said Bensink, whose top Crankworx result before today was a third earlier this year on the Pump Track in Innsbruck.
This is the event in the B.C. series that I feel like I’m a true specialist in, so yeah. It was good.
– Niels Bensink
Bensink hails from the BMX world and has only been riding mountain bikes for the past two years.
Like Hines he qualified first, just 0.3 seconds faster than Bas van Steenbergen, who he would face in the final matchup for gold.
“Pressure was on against Bas,” the Dutch rider said of his mindset heading into finals.
The right side was running pretty slow, and there was a soft spot in the berm. So I almost feel like you had to be a bit lucky to hit the right line.
– Niels Bensink
Bensink was just 0.39 behind in their first matchup, despite the challenge of the right course.
I think my line was good on the first lap, but Bas still beat me. I knew it was doable at that time. I just needed a perfect lap. My start was the best one of the day, I was leading into the first corner. After that it was just holding on and hoping I would make all the berms and luckily it was enough.
– Niels Bensink
I think the start and the last right hander on the right hand side was the decider for the race. You could have a smooth left side, and everyone was having pretty smooth runs. And then the right side you could have a smooth run, but it came down to your exit speed coming out of that corner. There was no real way that you could hit it so that you could come out of it with speed, it was pretty much just decided on if you hit that little sweet spot to give you good exit speed.
– Keegan Wright
FULL RESULTS: RockShox Pump Track Challenge SilverStar
Women’s podium: 2. Harriet Burbidge-Smith, 1. Kialani Hines, 3. Vaea Verbeeck / photo: Chris Pilling Men’s podium: 2. Bas Van Steenbergen, 1. Niels Bensink, 3. Keegan Wright / photo: Chris Pilling
Today marks the second to last day of racing for athletes who’ve been travelling and racing across British Columbia for nearly two weeks.
And as the weather shifts to cooler temps, it’s also a sign that for many it’s the end of a long season of riding and racing bikes.
It’s not even that. If that was it that would be fine. This is like my sixth month of being at events overseas.
– Harriet Burbidge-Smith
Like many on the Crankworx B.C. circuit, the Australian Red Bull rider will be heading to the Southern Hemisphere next to keep the competition rolling, a trip that will require athletes to quarantine for two weeks in transit.
Everyone is not looking forward to it, but I’m so looking forward to it. Stretching and chilling out every day. Netflix binge. Not even a lie, that’s what I’m going to be doing.
– Harriet Burbidge-Smith
Today’s event gave a nod to what’s to come. Three riders who made it to finals (Keegan Wright, Robin Goomes and Tuhoto Ariki Pene) all hail from Rotorua and will be racing in their hometown at Crankworx next month when the festival kicks off November 1.
It’s good to see. Kind of feels like home I guess. Riding with the crew.
– Robin Goomes
Today’s results also add points to those near the top in the standings for King and Queen, without disrupting the order. Van Steenbergen and Verbeeck continue with their commanding leads, with one more event on the docket likely to affect points.
CURRENT STANDINGS: King and Queen of Crankworx
Next up, a double-header day to wrap the 12 days of competition of Crankworx B.C. The Crankworx Air DH SilverStar will kick off finals action Saturday morning, with the spotlight shifting after to one of the most highly anticipated events of the series.
The Title Slopestyle @ SilverStar Bike Park presented by CLIF will see Slopestyle’s elite take to the new course built by Brett Rheeder and Matt MacDuff. The event will be broadcast live on Red Bull TV.
Schedule and live broadcasts available here: Red Bull TV. Schedule and details for all events to come during Crankworx B.C. 2021: crankworx.com
About Crankworx World Tour
About Crankworx World Tour
Crankworx is the ultimate experience in mountain biking. Born in Whistler, B.C. in 2004, Crankworx has evolved into a multi-stop international festival series. The Crankworx World Tour brings together the best mountain bike athletes to compete in elite-level competitions in a variety of disciplines. Crankworx World Tour festivals also host races for amateurs, Kidsworx contests for young riders, participatory events, and celebrations of mountain bike culture, all while showcasing amazing destinations.
Official website: crankworx.com
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