Culminating in the Canadian Open Enduro, this year’s Crankworx Whistler has officially comet to a close. The ultimate celebration of mountain biking brought together nearly 1,000 athletes from around the globe to Whistler from July 19-28.
A Week of Multi-Discipline Events
Throughout the week, a variety of events took place, ranging from pro racing to Kidsworx events for the next generation, as well as Adaptive and CWNEXT events. The first weekend saw the RockShox Canadian Open DH, an extremely challenging race down the 1199 track in Creekside. The second week kicked off with an adrenaline-fuelled lineup of the Garbanzo DH, Air DH, the Official Whip-Off World Championships presented by POC, and the Specialized Dual Slalom. Friday concluded with the Outdoor Research Speed & Style before moving into the second weekend. Before closing the day with the Ultimate Pump Track Challenge, the showstopper Slopestyle event, Red Bull Joyride, moved to the morning of Saturday due to wind on the forecast for the afternoon, drew an estimated 35,000 spectators to the iconic Boneyard at Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Finally, the festival drew to a close with the Canadian Open Enduro earlier today.
Canadian Open Enduro: Showcasing Endurance and Skill
An international lineup of athletes showcased their endurance, persistence and technical skills across four stages of the Canadian Open Enduro. Starting at the scenic ‘Top Of The World’ at Whistler Blackcomb, riders were rewarded with stunning views before dropping in for the final descend.
Canadian Jesse Melamed and Ella Conolly from Great Britain clocked the fastest overall times. Melamed defended his title from last year, putting down the fastest times of the day in all four stages. For Conolly, this victory marks her second medal of the week after securing silver at the Specialized Dual Slalom on Thursday. Joining them on the podium were female rider Noga Korem from Israel and Lief Rodgers, who shared second place. This is Rodgers’ second silver medal at the Canadian Open Enduro in a row, but the first in the Elite category. Whistler-based Chilean Florencia Espineira Herreros clocked the third fastest time for the women, while Remi Gauvin rounded out an all-Canadian men’s podium.
Canadian Open Enduro Podium
- Ella CONOLLY (GBR) // Jesse MELAMED (CAN)
- Noga KOREM (ISR) // Lief RODGERS (CAN)
- Florencia Espineira HERREROS (CHI) // Remi GAUVIN (CAN)
In addition to competition podiums, several series awards were presented throughout the week. Martha Gill and Ryan Gilchrist were crowned the new King & Queen of Crankworx, each earning CAD $ 20,000. Both athletes showcased their diverse skillsets across multiple disciplines, with Gilchrist dominating the King standings since Crankworx Rotorua in March. On the women’s side, Jordy Scott challenged Martha Gill on several occasion throughout the season, ultimately finishing in second place. Last year’s King of Crankworx, Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, has been surpassed by Jackson Frew during Crankworx Whistler after sitting in second place for the past months. Shania Rawson, competing at all Crankworx World Tour stops for the first time this year, came third in the Queen of Crankworx standings and also received this year’s ‘Trailblazer Award’.
Queen & King of Crankworx 2024
- Martha GILL (GBR) – 1152 pts // Ryan GILCHRIST (AUS) – 1144 pts
- Jordy SCOTT (USA) – 1042 pts // Jackson FREW (AUS) – 951 pts
- Shania RAWSON (NZL) – 837 pts // Tuhoto-Ariki PENE (NZL) – 870 pts
David Godziek, winning three of this year’s Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship (SWC) events, secured the Triple Crown of Slopestyle and the overall SWC victory. For the first time ever, women competed in the SWC, with Texan rider Shealen Reno winning the overall standings due to her consistent performance across all four events.
Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship:
- Shealen RENO (USA) – 2329 pts // David GODZIEK (POL) – 3000 pts
- Alma WIGGBERG (SWE) – 2320 pts // Tim BRINGER (FRA) – 2600 pts
- Robin GOOMES (NZL) – 2320 pts // Erik FEDKO (GER) – 2096 pts
Adaptive Events and Inclusivity
While it is still progress to be made in making mountain biking and Crankworx fully inclusive, this year’s Crankworx Whistler took significant steps forward by hosting four Adaptive events, three of which were competitive races. The week kicked off with the Specialized Dual Slalom and continued with two Downhill events and an Adaptive Jam. Unfortunately, the Downhill race on the B-Line trail encountered technical issues with timing, preventing it from being scored. After consulting with the athletes, Crankworx has made the difficult decision not to re-run the event due to scheduling conflicts and the unavailability of some athletes. Instead, the prizes allocated for that event will be distributed equally among all riders. Crankworx Whistler is committed to further enhancing accessibility and inclusivity for adaptive athletes and spectators in the future.
Looking Ahead: Crankworx Summer Series & World Tour 2025
Crankworx Whistler marks the final festival of the Crankworx World Tour for 2024, a year to remember with significant milestones. With women competing in the Slopestyle World Championship for the first time ever, HERstory was made across all festivals. After a successful eight years, Crankworx Innsbruck has hosted its final edition in June with a star-studded lineup of athletes competing across a variety of events at Bike Park Innsbruck. However, the season is not over yet. Crankworx Summer Series is returning to SilverStar next week, featuring a Gold Level Slopestyle event, a BC Cup Downhill, and Pump Track Challenge. Later in August, Crankworx Summer will debut in Atlantic Canada at Sugarloaf Resort, hosting a Dirt Jump Invitational, Dual Slalom, Bronze Level Slopestyle, and two Downhill events.
More info here:
- Crankworx Summer Series SilverStar, August 2-5
- Crankworx Summer Series Sugarloaf Resort, August 16-18
International fans can already mark their calendars for 2025, as the first stop of the Crankworx World Tour has been confirmed for March 5-9 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Excitement is already building for what promises to be an unforgettable kickoff to another thrilling season of mountain biking. Stay tuned for more updates on @crankworx and crankworx.com.
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
Media: facebook, instagram, twitter, youtube, flickr