It was a night of repeat wins and rising talent on the Pump Track at Crankworx Rotorua. On the Pro Women’s side, perennial Pump Track champion Jill Kintner (USA) reigned supreme in the RockShox Rotorua Pump Track Challenge presented by Torpedo7, reclaiming the top stop she missed out on last year to Caroline Buchanan (AUS). But her win didn’t come without a fight. Kintner was at a disadvantage halfway through the Big Final, with her opponent Kialani Hines (USA) crossing the finish line +0.06 seconds ahead of her in their first matchup. Jill Kintner Jill Kintner: That’s where I feel…
Author: Tomas
As the 2018 slopestyle season prepares to kick off at Crankworx Rotorua the world’s best Slopestyle riders are beginning to emerge from the long, cold nights of winter. Like most others, Thomas Genon spent the off-season training – or as Tommy G says: “Just riding my bike, like I would normally do anyway.” If he’s not riding though, Tommy G has his shovel in his hand and digs. To show what he had been up to, the French Stylemaster invited Harrison Mendel, Nic Genovese and Bartek Wolinski to his training compound north of Montpellier to check out some of the…
Jill Kintner (USA) left it all out on the dirt today, running a smooth and calculated race on Skyline Rotorua’s Mr. Black trail and reclaiming the top podium spot in the Crankworx Rotorua Air DH, and the top spot in the race to claim the Queen of Crankworx title in 2018. Jill Kintner Jill Kintner: I was pretty fired up after last year. I sprinted a lot harder and knew exactly where I touched my brakes at every part and just stuck to my little practice plan. 2017’s race belonged to Vaea Verbeeck (CAN). This year she and Kintner swapped,…
The long and cold winters in Sweden might be nice for cross-country skiers and ice skaters but it’s less than ideal for mountain bikers – especially Slopestyle riders. So how does FMB World Tour ace Max Fredriksson train for the contest season? Max’ new video series ‘Off-Season’ offers a close look at how the young Swedish rider recovered from his season-ending injury in 2017 and how he prepared for the first contest at Crankworx Rotorua. The series features guest appearances by Thomas Genon, Tomas Lemoine, Brett Rheeder, Tom van Steenbergen, Louis Reboul and Simon Pagès and will be released on…
A familiar sight in unfamiliar territory tonight, as reigning Queen of Crankworx Jill Kintner (USA) takes the win in the inaugural 100% Dual Slalom Rotorua at Crankworx Rotorua, alongside Tomas Slavik (CZE). Jill Kintner Tonight’s win marks the sixth consecutive win in the discipline at Crankworx for Kintner, who’s claimed the top step every year in Whistler since 2013. As for Slavik, he won in Whistler in 2016 and 2017, making tonight a three-peat in Crankworx Dual Slalom competition. But while the Queen prevailed, the battles were tight. Second place finisher Kialani Hines (USA) proved a worthy opponent for Kintner,…
International downhill racing season kicked off today with Sam Blenkinsop (NZL) taking the win in the all-new Redwoods Downhill at Crankworx Rotorua. Sam Blenkinsop His time of 2:53:44 edged out some of the discipline’s top riders including fellow Kiwi Brook MacDonald (NZL), who finished in 2:56:26, and Mick Hannah (AUS), who crossed the finish line in 2:58:28 after a signature suicide-no-hander. It also pushes Blenkinsop to the front of the pack in the battle for King of Crankworx with a total of 300 points ahead of Keegan Wright (NZL) who sits at 275 after winning the Giant Toa Enduro presented…
Starting off international competition season in commanding fashion, Casey Brown (CAN) takes a big win today in the first event of Crankworx Rotorua, winning all six stages of the Giant Toa Enduro presented by CamelBak in the Pro Women’s category. Casey Brown But while decisive, over two minutes faster than second place finisher Ronja Hill-Wright (AUS), the win was no easy feat. Brown rode Stage Five (aptly named Te Ahi Manawa, which translates to “Fire Heart”) blind, then finished her day with some added spice on the final stage. Casey Brown: I love racing without really knowing what’s coming up.…
One day from the start gate, the most difficult competition in mountain biking 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. Crankworx Rotorua 2017 – Vaea Verbeeck Other changes for this…
Even though there is long and successful cyclocross history in my native land of Czechia, the gravel community is still being born here. Until recently it was the same with me. The only experience with dropbars I’ve had yet was on my road speed machine. Only this winter I found out how much fun I can have with my new cyclocross/gravel bike! Finally, I can work on my fitness in the winter and yet have fun too. Is the cyclocross an ideal solution for a gravity mountain biker how to survive long and boring off-season with fresh mind and even…
Here is the list of athletes that will be rocking our neck braces, and/or protection gear, apparel and helmets in 2018.
With the 2018 season just weeks away, the Enduro World Series (EWS) is delighted to announce the 30 teams competing for the coveted team championship this year. It’s been a busy off-season, with plenty of changes to some of the biggest brands and some new teams entering the arena keen to make their mark on the year ahead. Sam Hill, EWS Finale Ligure 2017 This year’s Platinum EWS teams are Chain Reaction Cycles Mavic, Cube Action Team, Santa Cruz SRAM and Specialized. Chain Reaction Cycles Mavic will welcome Irish rider Kelan Grant alongside reigning World Champion Sam Hill and Elliott…
It certainly feels like it’s been a long winter this year… The yearning for perfectly shaped trails, stunning mountain views and getting out there to ride with buddies is huge! Mountain bike rookies and families still have to be patient until the doors to Bikepark Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis open on June 8, but the new clip with Jackson Goldstone, “Day out with Dad”, may provide some relief and certainly create some stoke for the new season ahead. Jackson heads to the family region of Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis with his dad Ron to have some fun shredding the trails in and around the bike park.…
Following the release of the critically acclaimed feature movie on iTunes in May 2017, Deathgrip is now available to stream worldwide on Netflix. The feature movie puts the defining style of Brendan Fairclough with the progressive filmmaking of Clay Porter. Over 2 years in the making and following its chart-topping release on iTunes, DEATHGRIP can now be experienced through the world’s leading movie and TV streaming service. Photo: Ian Collins DEATHGRIP is a Metis Creative film in association with GoPro. Supported by Scott Sports, LifeProof and Monster Energy. Further support provided by Yakima, Adidas, DMR Bikes, Troy Lee Designs, Deity…
The FMB World Tour is heading into its ninth season and we are looking forward to a banger competition this year. The installment of the Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship (SWC) has also brought a couple of additional changes to the FMB World Tour. Apart from introducing the first preliminary calendar of the new season and the FMB Wildcard Events for the SWC, we will be giving you an update on all the changes that have been made. So let’s dig in! Alex Alanko / photo: Cedric Derodot Preliminary Calendar The FMBA expects over 35 events to be part of…