Crankworx Whistler Countdown is On: What to Watch

Brace yourselves for the grand finale of the Crankworx World Tour, descending upon the heart of Crankworx in Whistler, British Columbia, from July 21st to the 30th. With an all-new downhill course, the crowning of the 2023 King & Queen of Crankworx, head-to-head racing moving back to the “Boneyard” and an impressive list of riders already confirmed, Crankworx Whistler is sure to put on a show the fans all know and love. You can catch it all live on Red Bull TV.

For those planning to make the pilgrimage to Whistler, there are still a few VIP experience passes available for Red Bull Joyride (Skybox and Slopedeck already sold out!), and an all-new experience to Crankworx Whistler – Creekside VIP @ the ROCKSHOX Canadian Open DH.  Grab your tickets HERE, while you still can!

As we eagerly anticipate the final stop of the 2023 Crankworx World Tour, our reigning King and Queen of Crankworx sit atop the leaderboard. But as history has shown, the finale is a battleground where anything can happen, setting the stage for exhilarating showdowns.

King & Queen of Crankworx

1. Bas van Steenbergen (CAN) – 596 // Caroline Buchanan (AUS) – 803
2. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (NZL) – 559 // Martha Gill (GBR) – 600
3. Jackson Frew (AUS) – 500 // Jenna Hastings (NZL) – 580

Preliminary rider lists for each event are listed below and check out the full schedule of events here: crankworx.com/whistler/schedule/

Here is what to expect for the final stop of the 2023 Crankworx World Tour.

RockShox Canadian Open DH

When: Sunday, July 23^rd, 4:00 pm (PDT)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

ALL NEW DOWNHILL TRACK – 1199:

• The 2023 Canadian Open DH course is a bone-rattling, heart-stopping, and adrenaline-pumping one-run take-down of one of Whistler’s newest and most incredible tracks.
• Dubbed “1199” in honour of the late, legendary Canadian DH talent Stevie Smith and his historic 2013 World Cup overall title (culminating with 1199 points), this trail will be WILD with three massive drops, plenty of steeps, and multiple line choices.
• Starting near the top of the Creekside gondola, with the finish line below in clear view from the roll in, the new “1199” trail runs approximately 2.5kms in length, with an impressive 500-meter descent, finishing just above the Creekside Village in area known as the Timing Flats.

2023 What to watch for:

• On the Elite Women’s field, Valentina Holl and Gracey Hemstreet are locked in for racing. Both ranked among the top ten UCI DHI Elite Women Standings for 2023, these two will surely be atop the podium, but with a brand-new track, who will come out on top?
• 2022 RockShox Canadian Open DH podium finishers, Peter Knott (2^nd place) and Kye A’Hern (3^rd place) are also confirmed to attend.
• Local sea-to-sky Canadian downhillers, Finn Iles, Jakob Jewett, and Lucas Cruz are confirmed to race the inaugural RockShox Canadian Open on 1199. Born and raised riding the steep and loose gnar of the sea-to-sky, these three will likely be fractions of a second off one another.

Ultimate Pump Track Challenge

When: Wednesday, July 26^th, 6:00 pm (PDT)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

2023 What to watch for:

• The head-to-head race format of the Ultimate Pump Track Challenge will return to the base of Whistler Mountain, within the infamous Boneyard.
• The Elite Women’s field is looking stacked with masterclassers of the sport: Kialani Hines and Caroline Buchanan confirmed to race. Buchanan continues to reign supreme as not only the Queen of Crankworx, but the Queen of Pump Track. Hines got close to stealing Buchanan’s top step spot at Crankworx Rotorua earlier this season. Will she be able to catch her in Whistler?
• Jayce Cunning will be making his Whistler debut. Cunning has proved his dominance in this discipline since coming into the Crankworx scene last fall. The other pro men known to battle it out for a step on the podium are all confirmed to attend: Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, Ryan Gilchrist, Niels Bensink and Bas van Steenbergen.

Crankworx Whistler Dual Slalom

When: Thursday, July 27^th, 6:00 pm (PDT)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

2023 What to watch for:

• Riders will face off on an all-new track in the Boneyard at the base of Whistler Mountain.
• The Elite Women’s field has some strong contenders confirmed like Martha Gill, Caroline Buchanan, Harriet Burbidge-Smith, and the long-awaited return Jordy Scott. Martha Gill has been making a name for herself on the slalom course this season, but Jordy Scott will surely be hungry for the win after a shoulder injury kept her bench side for the first three stops of the world tour.  
• Elite Male Dual Slalom gold-medalists from across the 2023 World Tour are confirmed to race: Jackson Frew (1^st place Crankworx Rotorua), Ryan Gilchrist (1^st place Crankworx Cairns) and Jakob Jewett (1^st place Crankworx Innsbruck). Reigning King of Crankworx Bas van Steenbergen also confirmed to race and after qualifying first place the last two stops of the world tour, is keen to bring home a W and earn top points to defend his crown.

Outdoor Research Speed & Style Whistler

When: Friday, July 28^th, 5:30 pm (PDT)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

2023 What to watch for:

• Riders will see a brand-new course located in the Boneyard at the base of Whistler Mountain. Spectators will see a melting pot of disciplines and strengths, as this crowd pleaser event sets the stage for the world’s best slope athletes, World Cup racers and Crankworx all-stars to see who can put their skills together and rise to the top.
• 2022 Crankworx Whistler Speed & Style gold-medalists, Jordy Scott and Tomas Lemoine are both confirmed to compete. Scott the master of speed, and Lemoine the master of style.
• Many heavy hitters are locked in for the Elite Women’s field like Robin Goomes, Caroline Buchanan, and Harriet Burbidge-Smith. Buchanan will be looking for redemption after a crash took her out of the ladders in the 2022 Crankworx Whistler Speed & Style event. Slopestyle young guns, Patricia Druwen and Alma Wiggberg have been close to the top step of the Speed & Style podium. Can their bag of tricks get them enough points on the board to beat Speed & Style legends like Goomes, Buchanan and Scott?
• Garret Mechem, Edgar Briole, David Lieb and Kaos Seagrave will be the riders to watch among the Elite Men. They will have a tough battle to fight with the GOAT of Speed & Style, Tomas Lemoine set to compete.

Red Bull Joyride

When: Saturday, July 29^th, 4:30 pm (PDT)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

2023 What to watch for:

• Emil Johansson (SWE): The stylish Swede is coming off impressive Slopestyle wins at Crankworx World Tour stops in Rotorua, New Zealand, Cairns, Australia and Innsbruck Austria, which saw him officially overtake Whistler legend, Brandon Semenuk who held the record with 11 career Crankworx Slopestyle victories. These consecutive wins clinched Johansson’s third Triple Crown of Slopestyle in as many years. Now the winningest athlete in Slopestyle history, Johansson will be on the hunt for another big win as he looks to further cement his legacy as the greatest Slopestyle athlete of all time. 
• Dawid Godziek (POL): Perhaps if not for a certain Swedish superstar, we would be talking about Dawid Godziek’s rise to glory, as he has finished a close second (less than 2 points per contest) in every Crankworx Slopestyle this season. However, this Polish powerhouse has plenty left in the tank and a few tricks up his sleeve as he looks to upset Johansson in impressive fashion in the final contest of the 2023 Crankworx World Tour. 
• The dynamic Frenchmen Duo, Tomas Lemoine and Tim Bringer are slated to compete on the Red Bull Joyride course together again. These two shared the 2022 Red Bull Joyride podium, Bringer taking silver and Lemoine taking bronze (and also breaking the internet sending the final feature; which will now forever be called ‘Lemoine Gap’).

Preliminary Rider Lists for Non-Broadcast Events:

• SCOR Air DH Whistler – View Preliminary Rider list HERE.
• Official Whip-Off World Championships Presented by POC – View Preliminary Rider list HERE.
• Canadian Open Enduro – View Preliminary Rider list HERE.

In addition to the pro events on broadcast, Crankworx Whistler is also stoked to bring back the infamous Deep Summer Photo Challenge, Dirt Diaries Video Competition presented by Swatch, Liv A-Line Women’s Session and new for this year: Adaptive MTB B-Line DH Race.

VIP experience passes for the RockShox Candian Open DH and Red Bull Joyride are still available for purchase HERE. For those of you who can’t make it, we will be posting all the action on @Crankworx Instagram, YouTube and you can catch all the action live on Red Bull TV.

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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