{"id":6700,"date":"2020-08-07T15:07:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T13:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/43ride.com\/en\/?p=6700"},"modified":"2025-10-21T11:35:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T09:35:29","slug":"clif-crankworx-summer-series-cruz-and-verbeeck-reign-supreme-in-kicking-horse-dual-slalom-amidst-hectic-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/43ride.com\/en\/events\/2020\/clif-crankworx-summer-series-cruz-and-verbeeck-reign-supreme-in-kicking-horse-dual-slalom-amidst-hectic-moments\/","title":{"rendered":"CLIF Crankworx Summer Series: Cruz and Verbeeck reign supreme in Kicking Horse Dual Slalom amidst “hectic moments”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a week and a half of dusty tracks and hot days on the CLIF Crankworx Summer Series, racers were thrown a curve ball by Mother Nature. Midday, the skies opened up over the craggy peaks of Golden, B.C. and dust turned to sludge. The ensuing rain delay on qualifications and finals left racers playing the waiting game and battling their inner demons, instead of their opponents.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lucas Cruz vs Mark Wallace \/ photo: Clint Trahan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was pretty mixed emotions really with the rain at the beginning and then a big course hold. Racing\u2019s racing. Always fun and I had a great day.<\/p>– Lucas Cruz<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Pemberton downhiller took his first win of the Summer Series, after finishing third in the SilverStar Dual Slalom last week. And while Cruz was riding strong as the field narrowed over the course of the day, he had his work cut out for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finn Iles vs Mark Wallace \/ photo: Chris Pilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To break through to the finals, he faced off against Bas van Steenbergen, who was ahead after the first of their two matchups. Van Steenbergen, for his part, had already knocked out Kirk McDowall, who\u2019d qualified second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s definitely a top contender for Slalom all the time, so I just kind of tried to keep that aside and stay on my own line, and race my own race,\u201d<\/em> said Cruz of his mindset going to battle against van Steenbergen. \u201cAnd it worked out.\u201d<\/em> Van Steenbergen was ahead as the two faced off the second time, but went down. Cruz charged ahead and into the finals where he would line up against Mark Wallace.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wallace went into finals on a wave of momentum, having qualified first overall. But in his fight to get to the gold medal matchup, he had a \u201chectic moment\u201d as he faced off against Finn Iles.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bas van Steenbergen vs Finn Iles \/ photo: Chris Pilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the middle gates there, on the grass turns, we were both pretty side-by-side. I tucked my front wheel in a right-hander, and then it started to hook and I thought \u2018I\u2019m going to overturn straight into Finn here.\u2019 So I kind of looked over to see where he was at, and then just watched him tuck the front and crash. And then I somehow managed to save mine and cruise down. Kind of a hectic way to the finals but I\u2019ll take it.<\/p>– Mark Wallace<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Asked whether the distinguished downhiller expected to take a podium in Slalom coming into the series?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely not, but I was pretty excited to do Slalom. I\u2019ve never really raced it much… I just had a blast today.<\/p>– Finn Iles<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Fabien Cousinie vs Mark Wallace \/ photo: Chris Pilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The race for the women\u2019s podium had its own fair share of edge-of-your-seat moments.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andr\u00e9ane Lanthier Nadeau, who won Tuesday\u2019s Enduro, lined up in the gates next to Vaea Verbeeck, who\u2019s distinguished herself in recent years as a top Slalom contender with a mean snap out of the gate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Casey Brown vs Miranda Miller \/ photo: Chris Pilling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Their first matchup was tight, with both women riding on the edge. Sending it over the final jump, ALN knocked her back wheel on the landing, but managed to stay upright.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBin it or win it,\u201d<\/em> she said, laughing, from the finish corral before heading back up for their second matchup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last one, I knew I had a slightly faster lane, and we were super close on the first run, so it was really whoever was going to make it first through the finish line. I spun through the second last flat corner gate where I was trying to get on the gas to get that margin before the finish line, and I believe she did too, but I didn\u2019t know. You\u2019ve just got to push as hard as you can until you\u2019re done, and that\u2019s when you know.<\/p>

It was another roller coaster. Slalom is one of the disciplines that I\u2019m always stoked on. It\u2019s the best kind of riding. I\u2019m so happy Kicking Horse put a track together. I think everybody had a really good time.<\/p>– Vaea Verbeeck<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Vaea Verbeeck vs Casey Brown \/ photo: Clint Trahan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the battles for third, Casey Brown won out over Miranda Miller, while Iles charged hard in his second matchup against van Steenbergen, enough to claim the final podium spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FULL RESULTS – Kicking Horse Dual Slalom: Elite Men<\/a> and Elite Women<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n