Round two of the Enduro World Series may have been a completely new venue, but it offered up some familar terrain: mud, rain and Sam Hill and Cecile Ravanel on the top steps of the podium. Sam Hill Colombia will go down in the history books as the most unique EWS race to date, with an opening stage that raced through the downtown streets of Manizales, followed by six stages in a single day amongst the dense rainforest high above the town. The tropical climate of Manizales lived up to its reputation with regular downpours throughout practice and racing, a…
Author: Tomas
The Enduro World Series stays in South America for round two, but this time the dust of the Chilean Andes is replaced by the tropical rainforest of the Colombian mountains. Round two, EWS – Alcaldia de Manizales – Mas oportunidades, promises a completely different challenge to the season opener in Lo Barnechea last weekend. Starting with an urban prologue in downtown Manizales on Saturday, the main race will see riders take on seven stages in a single day on short stages through some of the world’s most iconic coffee plantations. Sitting on the equator, the tropical climate will see the…
Less than three months to go! We are already looking forward to the Out of Bounds Festival in Saalfelden Leogang: From June 7-10, the Austrian bike mekka will once again attract the world’s best mountain bikers and tens of thousands of fans. The Out of Bounds Festival combines the Mercedes Benz UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup with a stacked program. Apart from side-events, that are open to public participation, and the large Expo-Area, the Out of Bounds Festival 2018 will also feature an open-air concert. Check out the 2017 highlight clip to get in the mood: — News about…
Cecile Ravanel and Sam Hill finish the first Enduro World Series (EWS) of the year just as they left it last season – reigning champions. Sam Hill The Lo Barnechea Montenbaik Enduro offered up one of the most exciting season starts to date, as the infamous Chilean anti-grip waged a war of attrition on body, bike and morale. Reaching altitudes of 3500m, the loose, dusty trails caught out even the most calculated of riders, with one of the highest mechanical failure rates in recent memory. Martin Maes However, there was one man who defied the odds and kept everything together…
A new season of new tricks and new stars was ushered in in Rotorua today, as Brett Rheeder (CAN) led a train for McGazza as a victory lap in the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza.
International downhill competition season launched in New Zealand today, with Sam Blenkinsop (NZL) going flat out through slick peanut butter dirt after 24 hours of rain drenched the Crankworx Rotorua Downhill track.
A legend returned to the top step at Crankworx Rotorua tonight, reclaiming a podium position that was his three years ago – one he’s been trying to get back to ever since. Martin Söderström Martin Söderström: I know everyone says that you have no words when you win, but it’s really like that. It’s just a big, big, relief. I think I won here, like, three years ago, and I was like “Oh, it’s not that hard to win Mons Royale Dual Speed & Style.” I’ve been trying so hard at every event since then, for three years, to win.…
The Enduro World Series is back and heading to Chile for the first race of the 2018 series. The new season kicks off with the Lo Barnechea Montenbaik Enduro high in the Andes mountains to the east of Santiago. It’ll be a tough start to the year as 500 riders take on the famous Chilean ‘anti-grip’ over two days of flat out racing. After incredible performances last year, all eyes will be on reigning champions Sam Hill (Chain Reaction Cycles Mavic) and Cecile Ravanel (Commencal Vallnord Enduro Team) – although they’re up against an ever growing field of riders hoping…
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…
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…