RockShox Enduro Challenge – Mt Buller

The final weekend of January saw Mt. Buller host the first round of the Rockshox Enduro Challenge. Mt. Buller is a familiar place to anyone who races downhill having hosted many races over the years of operation, but this was to be a fresh race style for the mountain with a six stage enduro race, with liaison stages to link each section together. The event pulled in some big names such as Jared Graves, Richie Rude, Jerome Clementz, Sam Hill and Troy Brosnan, for anyone out there who is observant, you’ll see all of those riders are current or past world champions, quite an impressive field!

The track linked some of Mount Bullers classic tracks such as parts of international with some lesser known track around the mountain, and then with some of the newer Epic trail network. The tracks had a lot of up in the liaison stages, taking more than a little puff out of many riders, but the slog was rewarded with some great downhill sections, some opening up to some amazing alpine views.

The results were as follows:
Pro Men
1. Jared Graves 23:28.05
2. Troy Brosnan 24:27.04
3. Ryan De La Rue 24:29.68
4. Richie Rude 24:38.41
5. Sam Hill 24:45.73
6. Ben Forbes 24:49.82
7. Paul van der Ploeg 24:53.10
8. Ben Cory 24:54.54
9. Jerome Clementz 24:56.70
10. Chris Panozzo 24:59.73

Pro Women
1. Peta Mullens 28:07.67
2. Brodie Chapman 28:42.97
3. Claire Whiteman 29:08.96
4. Pauline Dieffenthaler 29:25.96
5. Sarsha Hungtington 29:39.57

February 2, 2015

Crankworx – Canadian Open

The Canadian Open is the final race on the final day of Crankworx Whistler, it usually attracts many big names of the downhill world. This year was no different with many big names such as Danny Hart and Marcelo Gutierrez and though Steve Smith didn’t race, he was around all week to say hey to his fans.

The track this year was the same as always, with the sun being out for the last few days the track had become very dusty and a little bit loose!A�But no where near as loose as all the people at hecklers rock, who turned on the heckle all race again this year. The track was wide open and fast, with times dropping quickly and speeds going faster and faster, even through the technical sections.

We were so busy clambering down the hill trying to avoid all the hecklers that we got lost in the racing. So when we got to the bottom the results were a surprise to us too.

The results were
1.A�Marcelo Gutierrez
2. Danny Hart
3. Connor Fearon

A special mention also goes to two up and coming junior racers, Remy Morton and Jackson Davis who finished 1st and 3rd respectively in the junior men’s category.

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Photos: Jason Stevens Photography. Facebook:A�www.facebook.com/jasonstevensphotographyA�or follow @jasonstevensphotography on Instagram

August 18, 2014

Crankworx – Joyride

Today is the biggest day of the crankworx festival, the Joyride day, one of mountain bikings largest events, if not the largest one. Part of the FMB world tour and the most prestigious slopestyle competition on the planet. The course has some new bits and some re-designed pieces to suit riders more after their input from last year. From the very start it appeared that riders were comfortable on the course with large airs and big tricks being thrown through the practice sessions. It was shaping up to be quite an event! Even the weather came to town with the sun coming out just in time for the scored runs.

Everyone came out very strong, some pushing perhaps a little too hard, with only two runs to get a good score. Tomas Zejda was possibly the best looking rider to crash out, in the first run with Brandon Semenuk putting down the strongest first run with some huge tricks and looking very solid. With first runs completed everyone got a re-shuffle so the highest scored rider would come down last. This left some big names to come first who had crashed out frst run to come down early, Cam McCaul and Darren Berrecloth were both early to do their second run, but also made further mistakes to the crowds dismay, however continued their runs to put on a show. Before we knew it there were only the top three left to come down. And come down they did! Plenty of style, plenty of huge tricks being thrown. When all the dust settled the podium looking like this:

1st Brandon Semenuk
2nd Brett Heeder
3rd Anthony Messere

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Photos: Jason Stevens Photography. Facebook:A�www.facebook.com/jasonstevensphotographyA�or follow @jasonstevensphotography on Instagram

August 17, 2014

Crankworx – Dual Slalom

One of the last remaining dual slalom races in the pro circuit, for us oldies who remember them being everywhere! The Crankworx Dual Slalom is a fun event, notorious between riders who race each other head to head in a serious racing atmosphere with all the laughs of riding between friends. The weather here in Whistler was a little questionable with the sun peaking out momentarliy before the rain started coming down, not heavily but consistently. Both of the pump track winners, Barry Nobles and Caroline Buchanan were racing today, would te BMX bandits be a dark force?

As racing rolled on it did apprear those two would be a force to be reckoned with, looking very quick, as was Mitch Ropelato and Jill Kintner. As the finals came around all of these names were involved in them. At the end of racing Jill Kintner and Mitch Ropelato walked away on the top step.

Mitch Ropelato was so quick that he had time to throw in some style

Racing couldn't be much closer — Racing couldn’t be much closer

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Photos: Jason Stevens Photography. Facebook:A�www.facebook.com/jasonstevensphotographyA�or follow @jasonstevensphotography on Instagram

August 16, 2014

Crankworx – Whip Off World Championships Mega Pictorial

There isn’t a lot to say about the Whip Offs here at Crankworx except it got wild! Finn Iles took out the men and Casey Brown took out the womens. Instead of writing a boring piece about how sideways everyone got, we thought we would just show you! So here is a mega collection of images, enjoy:

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Photos: Jason Stevens Photography. Facebook:A�www.facebook.com/jasonstevensphotographyA�or follow @jasonstevensphotography on Instagram

August 15, 2014

Crankworx – Fox Air DH

Victoria Armstrong was looking good over the first section of jumps

Welcome to Whistler, BC. The home of the world famous Crankworx. And the worlds largest bike playground. With this in mind, we at Downhill247 need to get some riding in too, so for the crankworx reports we are going to keep it short and sweet with a selection of banger shots and a quick write up with the key ingredients such as results and key points. We hope you enjoy the stories from Crankworx and we will see you on the hill!

Fox Air DH is run on the all famous A-line track, lots of jumps, lots of bumps and plenty of high speed. Todays weather was verging on ordinary, with drizzle all morning and as racing bagn the rain was on and off, though never heavy it was enough to make lots of the corners very greasy.With the ladies coming down the hill the speed increased quickly with Claire Buchar looking very fast, only really being beaten in speed in the sections we saw by Tracey Hannah.

With the men beginning it was all a question of speed or style, lots of riders were scrubbing the jumps, buts a few were throwing in some whips, perhaps practicing for tomorrows whip offs. The start lists seemed to be slightly skew with plenty of listed started not seeming to take to the track. Sik Mik was looking quick, and very confident for his first race back on the bike, look out world champs!

Racing finished up like this:

Pro Women:
1. Jill Kintner
2. Aneke Beerton
3. Tracey Hannah

Pro Men:
1. Mick Hannah
2. Chris Kovarik
3. Danny Hart

Tracey Hannah throws in some style on her way down the hill

Travis Pastrana flip... — Travis Pastrana flip…

...did not go to plan — …did not go to plan

Choo, Choo!! David McMillan comes up caboose on this train

Its night Whistler without drunk spectators, Right?! — Its not Whistler without drunk spectators, Right?!

Fastest and most stylish rider through the rocks definitely goes to this guy

Aline living up to its standards of wild whips

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Photos: Jason Stevens Photography. Facebook:A�www.facebook.com/jasonstevensphotographyA�or follow @jasonstevensphotography on Instagram

August 14, 2014