Day eight of Crankworx Rotorua brought a battle of the elements with the RockShox Rotorua Downhill event. With 75 mm of rain, and wind at the top, riders treated this more like a survival challenge than a typical race run with more tripods than the media crew. From seeding ’til the end of the elite male race runs, the rain came down hard, the ruts were deep, roots were exposed, mud bogs everywhere, and even a newly coined spectator feature called “Heckler’s Puddle.” It was a tough battle out there for riders to keep things rubber side down, and the…
Author: Tomas
Day seven of Crankworx Rotorua brought spectators an action-packed double header with Specialized Dual Slalom Rotorua in the afternoon followed by Crankworx Rotorua Pump Track Challenge presented by Torpedo7 once the skies started to put on an epic sunset for the riders and fans. Starting the action off with the Specialized Dual Slalom Rotorua, the riders got to experience a completely different track from the dry conditions they rode in qualifiers only two days before. Qualifying in sixth place, Jackson Frew fought his way to the top step of the podium today, and it was no easy battle especially with…
An iconic track, real fruit ice cream, trail doggos, good vibes, and real quick humans all came together yesterday to kick off Crankworx Rotorua 2022, reminding the world of one thing that was abundantly clear: New Zealand knows how to set a vibe to race some bikes. This was classic Rotorua racing, with some of the world’s best lining up at the start gate to take on the Kiwi locals. The Crankworx Rotorua Taniwha Downhill track (described by Crankworx DH Manager Dave Hamilton as “well known in NZ as the OG!”) welcomed 184 racers, pro and amateur, to the Whakarewarewa…
Nikita Ducarroz will compete in the BMX Freestyle World Championships in less than a month in Abu Dhabi (UAE). While the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist is considered a medal hope, her story of mental health gives hope to others. The daughter of a Swiss father and an American mother, Ducarroz enjoyed the benefits of dual citizenship and grew up in Northern California while spending summers with her grandparents in Geneva, Switzerland. At the age of thirteen, Ducarroz began suffering from severe anxiety attacks, which led her to isolation within her own home. “BMX helped me to overcome my fears” It…
Gabriel Wibmer, part of the next generation of mountain biking’s Trials and Freeride scene, has pulled out all the stops in his latest edit. ‘The Grind’ sees the young Austrian lift his creativity to another level, hitting the streets of Hamburg with a new perspective on what obstacles can be ridden, and how he can ride them. Watch Gabriel’s edit here: Already known for his incredible ability to blend Trials and Freeride disciplines into mind bending edits, Gabriel has added inspiration from BMX street and flatland into the mix to create this truly unique piece of content. Gabriel approached bike…
If you’ve ever been to Whistler Bikepark, you’ve probably been overtaken by a golden-haired rider – her name is Amy Ertel. She has just joined the RASOULUTION team to get support in her professional career, giving Amy the opportunity to focus on riding. Born and raised in the heart of the mountain bike capital, Whistler, BC (CAN). Amy discovered mountain biking at an early age through her father who she still rides with today. With more and more girls and women shredding bike parks and taking on freeriding, it is exciting to watch the progression of female mountain biking. We…
fizik is expanding its footwear to offer two models with the GORE-TEX Koala membrane. This addition will be ideal for winter and cold mountain biking. The TERRA ARTICA GTX shoes will be the ideal companion for MTB riders who are not afraid of the cold. The new model, with a revised design, is full of technical details that will allow for sporty outings, even in the harsh conditions of the off-season. fizik is pleased to present its first two models of shoes equipped with GORE-TEX. After two years of work, the brand of the Italian company, Selle Royal Group, now…
In addition to spectacular slopestyle action, an unbelievable 120,000 spectators and a firework display of world’s firsts, the Red Bull District Ride 2022 also had one more novelty: For the first time in the history of the Nuremberg-based urban freeride event, five women were giving their everything on the breathtaking course between Kaiserburg and Hauptmarkt. The Red Bull TV video “Women’s Progression Session” tells their story. Caroline Buchanan (AUS), Gemma Corbera (ESP), Patricia Druwen (GER), Kathi Kuypers (GER) and Ellie Chew (NZL) made up the quintet that was allowed to practice on an FMB Diamond mountain bike slopestyle course for…
Today was the fifth and final Crankworx competition in beautiful Cairns, Australia, and it was all about Specialized Dual Slalom. The momentum and excitement could be heard through the crowds of Australian fans cheering, ringing cowbells, dinging rims, and downing shoey’s of Red Bull all alongside the course. This Dual Slalom track was full speed. Riders were shifting gears the entire way from top to bottom, accelerating all the way through to then collect composure getting to a flat corner section to the finish line. It was clear how much the riders needed to stay on their toes throughout the…
The humidity was thick and the crowd teeming with anticipation as 14 of the top Slopestyle riders in the world brought the heat, energy, action, and hype to match in today’s Crankworx Cairns Slopestyle. Playing host to the third Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship contest of the season, the sunburnt Australian dirt saw moments so tense and enveloped in silence you could hear a pin drop, and moments so explosive they were nearly deafening. After first runs, Erik Fedko sat in first. Nicholi Rogatkin, who had said he was seeking redemption in Cairns, was sitting in second. And Emil Johansson,…
It’s only the beginning of a big day at Crankworx Cairns, kicking things off with the Pump Track Challenge. This was a show that did not disappoint with the course itself setting the stage and blowing away riders and spectators alike with its creative and unique design. The team at Flux Trail have done an incredible job with the Crankworx Cairns Pump Track, providing some tight racing today for the riders. The Elite Male gold medalist, and newcomer to the Crankworx scene, Jayce Cunning, was able to master the track and particularly the back berm, generating more speed than any…
While most of the Crankworx events are new to the scene in Cairns, today’s downhill event brought the riders and spectators back to an iconic track in the history of downhill racing. A lot of sweat and tears have been shed on this historic course, and today was no exception. There’s a lot of pedaling on this track, with a few flat spots, climbs and the last section to the finish line is an all out sprint. The experience on this track really paid off for both Australian rider Troy Brosnan and Cairns local Tracey Hannah. They seems to know…
“You have some wins, and it’s cool, but that one was special.” This from Australia’s Harriet Burbidge-Smith, who brought home the W tonight in head-to-head Speed & Style Cairns racing at Smithfield MTB Park. It was a combination of everything. The flips is a big thing for me. It’s a new thing for me, so to get them in every run, that’s still a battle for me. They feel good but it’s still scary, which maybe takes off the pressure ’cause I’m not thinking about racing, I’m just thinking about getting that dialled. That, and I haven’t had a good…
The first day of Crankworx Cairns has brought with it a host of other firsts: the first sprays of Aussie sparkling, popped by the first-ever champs of the inaugural festival, showing off the first sets of Crankworx hardware to be handed out in the Land Down Under. The reason for the firsts above? The first Crankworx whips to hit Australian soil. The Trek Official Australian Whip-Off Championships presented by POC kicked off Crankworx Cairns with one heck of a party. A party hosted by 51 riders throwing down 556 whips, to be specific. The Whip jump was the first of…