Crankworx seems like it was ages ago, but really only a few short weeks have past since the largest mountain biking festival in North America. Taking place in Norco’s own backyard of Whistler, British Columbia, Crankworx is 10 Days of racing, competition and spectacular riding. As a result of attracting the worlds best riders from all disciplines, Crankworx is one event that brings the Norco Team together from around the world. With events ranging from Downhill to Slalom, Pumptrack to Enduro and Trials to Slopestyle, there is an event for nearly every member of the diverse group. It is this reason that from a Norco perspective Crankworx is so much fun. All together in Whistler for the duration of the festival was the who’s who of Norco Riders. Besides the XC, Road and BMX teams, we were just down one soldier – Mislav. Hopefully next year he can make it out.
From Left To Right: Dustan, Angie, Jay, Pete, Dylan, Sam, Nick, Ally, Ben, Ryan, Jon, Darcy, Fionn (missing are Dan and Bernard)
Highlights from the festival were so plentiful that it will be tough to keep this summary short and consise. From race results to spectacular shows, event hosting to ‘getting a coffee’ there were some great moments. I will try and be brief, but here are a few of the top moments from Whistler’s Kokanee Crankworx 2010.
On the small bike racing the three main events were the Dual Slalom, Pumptrack and the Giant Slalom. Between these three events, Angie, Nick, Fionn and Bernard all tried their luck in at least a couple of these events. Top results in these competitions include Fionn taking 4th place in both the Giant Slalom and the Pumptrack while Nick took home the gold for the juniors in the Dual Slalom.
Angie in the pumptrack
When we start talking about gravity, we are looking at the Air DH, Garbanzo DH, Enduro and Canadian Open DH. For these races Nick, Fionn and Bernard all took part and again topped the charts. Nick again took the win for the Juniors in the Enduro while clinching 4th spot in the Garbanzo DH. Fionn placed 5th in the Air DH and Bernard managed to pull off 24th in the impressive field of Elite Men.
Fionn on the Canadian Open Course
The biggest event of Crankworx was of course the Monster Energy Slopestyle. This is possibly the largest slopestyle event in the world and brings out the best known names in the sport. Norco’s very own Sam Dueck was one of the lucky few to be invited to compete after an impressive performance at the Goatstyle qualifyer. Sam’s first run was chalked full of insane stunts such as a tailwhip, 360, barships, and even a Superflip. Sam’s first run score would hold through the competition and give him a 4th place overall. Congratulations Sam on an incredible finish to the Crankworx Festival.
Sam Dueck Super-Flipping
Besides racing, there were a whole lot of other things happening in Whistler during Crankworx. In fact, over the week one of the biggest draws to the village was more than a dozen shows by trials sensation Ryan Leech. Performing on an all-new trials setup, Ryan wowed crowds all week with his perfect balance, flawless riding and a keen eye for seemingly impossible lines. For one of the week’s shows, Dylan Korba even joined Ryan for a demo where together they showed their contrasting trials style and incredible skill on a bike.
Ryan Leech Dropping off the Trailer
Dylan had a little bit of spare time during Crankworx between laps, demos and competing in Trialsworx so he decided to go get a coffee. To some this may seem a pretty mundane task; for Dylan even Starbucks can be an adventure.
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