King Tomas Slavik coasts to his coronation with a smooth Ultimate Pump Track Challenge presented by RockShox run, which took him to the semi-finals and a 40-point, fifth place finish.
Season-long gravity mountain biking contest pushing talent to go above, beyond and into new disciplines In the two years since Crankworx launched its season-long test of skill and staying-power, there has yet to be an odds-on favorite for
King of Crankworx.
Coming into 2016, reigning
King Tomas Slavik (CZE) wasn’t even on the radar, let alone a contender for the toughest competition in gravity mountain biking. In accumulating more points than any other athlete in the men’s field, however, the former Fourcross World Champion has set himself a world apart—and put a bullseye on his back for 2017.
“There are so many big names charging for this title, and it’s (worth) so many events and points, it’s almost impossible to say who will be the guy at the end,” says Slavik (CZE), who fully admits the idea of “getting ready” in the off-season goes out the window when comes to the Crown.
Slavik launched his run for King in Rotorua, picking up points on the pump track and a first place in the Mons Royale Dual Speed & Style. Photo: Clint Trahan
With less than a month to go before the first of four Crankworx festivals gets underway, Slavik acknowledges it's anyone’s game once more this season as there are still so many variables at play.
Crankworx will include 23 competitions, in six disciplines, in the points tally for the title. It has tweaked the competition, removing the whip-off and Whistler’s cross-country event, and adding two new air downhills, based on the iconic
Fox Air DH in Whistler. And just as it was last season, earning the Crown will require a minimum of two disciplines.
Adrien Loron during his second-place finishing run of the Ultimate Pump Track Challenge presented by Rockshox at Crankworx Whistler. Photo: Sean St Denis
The frontrunners have taken the hint and started to expand their repertoire of strengths, knowing it's going to take more to hit the scoreboard. And the challenge appears to be reshaping the face of gravity competition.
Discovered on the Crankworx Les 2 Alpes pump track, at 19 years old, the first
Pump Track World Tour Champion,
Adrien Loron (FRA), has just ventured into downhill, racing Red Bull Valparaiso Urban DH in Chile and the iXS DH Cup in Bariloche last month, in hopes of improving on his streak as a frontrunner.
The inaugural King of Crankworx, Bernard Kerr (GBR), was injured training for the
Mons Royale Dual Speed and Style, knocking him out of contention right out of the gate last season, but he isn’t backing down. After succeeding with a scattergun approach in 2015—with strong finishes in pump track and dual speed and style—he’ll be gunning for his strength and piling on the downhills.
“I will, for sure, be still going for all-out speed to put me in contention of the King of Crankworx title again as this is definitely what helped me win it back in 2015,” he says. “There are some new rules now, and different events, and more stops, that I feel are going to play to my advantage. I really can’t wait to get it underway and get my Crown back.”
Fortunately for fans who love the chase, Kerr’s strategy will have plenty of followers.There are more downhill events than any other discipline in this year’s competition—and more downhill athletes vying for the Crown.
Matt Walker takes it airborne in the Crankworx Rotorua Downhill presented by iXS. Photo: Sean St Denis
Sam Blenkinsop (NZL), who was second in contention for the Crown last season, and
Matt Walker (NZL), who led the pack coming out of Crankworx Rotorua, will no doubt shred in the first round, as they look to set the stage for their year.
Walker left Crankworx Rotorua last season in the points lead, but his hopes were dashed before stop two.
“Injury put me out of contention and I’m looking for redemption. I’ll be doing as many events as possible to get points across the board,” says Walker, who must also defend his
Giant Toa Enduro win.
A dark horse for the Crown, fellow Kiwi Keegan Wright has had some interesting victories of late. Last month, Wright was the surprise winner in the New Zealand national championships, near Wanaka, and he also won the 2W Giant Enduro, in Rotorua, taking out the likes of Wyn Masters (NZL) and Justin Leov (NZL). And he has been known to podium in the pump track.
King and Queen? It was possible coming out of Rotorua last season, and Jill Kintner (left) and Matt Walker (right) took their moment of glory as frontrunners. Photo: Clint Trahan
A total of four Americans, with backgrounds in all different disciplines, will take the stars and stripes into battle, including:
Barry Nobles,
Mitch Ropelato,
Kyle Strait, and retired slopestyle and freeride legend
Cam Zink.
Nobles took a good run at the title in 2016, and added a speed-and-style-like kicker to his backyard this winter to get into competitive rhythm. And Ropelato has shown he’s got as good a chance as anyone racking up points, and he can be outright dominant on the pump track, with wins in 2011, 2012, 2013 and again last year in Whistler, to his credit.
And we wouldn't want to discount good friends, and slopestyle compatriots, Strait and Zink. Both have racing backgrounds to draw on, with Zink winning multiple dual speed and style golds over the past few seasons, and Strait consistently proving he is always a contender for the podium in dual slalom, speed and style, and on the pump track. He has even built a dual slalom course at his house.
Crankworx Rotorua runs March 25 – April 2, and will be broadcast live, all season long, on
Crankworx.com and Pinkbike.com. Tickets are on sale now at
Crankworx.com.
And so the year closed, with Queen Jill Kintner and King Tomas Slavik, standing atop the stage for their coronation. Photo: Sean St Denis
Crankworx Rotorua Broadcast schedule:
Mons Royale Dual Speed and StyleThursday, March 30
17h00–19h00 NZDT
6h00–8h00 CEST
Wednesday, March 29
9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. PDT
Rotorua Pump Track Challenge presented by RockShoxFriday, March 31
19h00–21h00 NZDT
8h00–10h00 CEST
Thursday, March 30
11:00 p.m. – 1 a.m. (Friday, March 31 – Saturday, April 1) PDT
Crankworx Rotorua Downhill presented by iXSSaturday, April 1
16h00–18h00 NZDT
5h00–7h00 CEST
Friday, March 31
8:00 p.m. – 10 p.m. PDT
Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle in Memory of McGazzaSunday, April 2
11:30–14:30 NZST
01h30–4h30 CEST
Saturday, April 1
4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. PDT
All four events in the quest for the
Triple Crown of Slopestyle are broadcast LIVE on all your devices exclusively on
Red Bull TV. The Rotorua Slopestyle event, the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza, is the finale of the festival, on April 1 and April 2, 2017, depending on time zone.
Barry Nobles and his fiancee, Caroline Buchanan, slayed the 2014 Whistler pump track, but he finished out of contention in the race last season. Photo: Sean St Denis
www.pinkbike.com/news/can-any-woman-dethrone-queen-kintner-2017.html