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10 days of freeride

Crankworx Whistler packs more into world's biggest mountain bike festival
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moving target

From the opening Phat Tire Crit to the closing Canadian Open DH, Crankworx Whistler is simply the biggest mountain bike festival in the world with the prize purse — $175,000 this year — to prove it.

As always, there are a few new things this year as well as some familiar events that have become fixtures since the first four-day Crankworx freeride festival in 2004.

Phat Tire Crit — aug 10

This is technically the second year for this spectator-friendly race, although it's really a throwback to years ago when the Village Stroll was taken over for a fat tire race over the cobblestones. The new venue at Whistler Olympic Plaza makes for an incredible spectator experience as riders hammer out laps of a short 800-metre course that includes a mix of cobblestone, asphalt and gravel. There are a few tight corners and a chicane, as well as a raised start/finish platform that makes things interesting.

The event is open to everyone, with both Pro and Open categories and a cap of 80 riders per category. Riders will start together in a group and officials will pull off slow riders over the course of the race until just five riders remain for the last three-to-five laps. The men will race for 20 minutes plus five laps, the women for 15 minutes plus three laps.

The top male and female will each earn $1,000, with $600 for second, $400 for third, $300 for fourth and $200 for fifth. As well, there are five Prime Cash Grabs available for the top riders on select laps that will be announced by the ringing of a bell. Entry is $30 and everyone can take part.

The warm-up is at 5:30 p.m. and the racing gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Live music will take to the plaza stage at 7:45 p.m. with the Young Empires, followed by the Arkells at 8:45 p.m.

Last year the wins went to U.S. rider Brian Lopes and Katherine Short from the Sunshine Coast.

Canadian Open Enduro — Aug. 11

The Canadian Open Enduro has been redesigned this year as one of the official stops on the North American Enduro Tour. The competition includes four timed downhill sections, which the competitors reach by biking uphill to the start. The climbs are not timed, but racers do have to reach the timing stations within a set period of time.

The first course is Crank It Up (upper and lower sections) in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. The second course is in Lost Lake Trail, starting just after the first bridge on Central Scrutinizer. It also features Treacherous Cretins, Toads of the Short Forest, Gee I Like Your Pants, Son of Mr. Green Genes, and Jelly Roll Gum Drop. Course three has riders climbing up Blackcomb and includes Golden Boner, Roam in the Loam, and the Magic Trails back to the base of Blackcomb. Stage four includes a gondola ride to the Roundhouse and another lift ride to the peak of Whistler Mountain. It features the new Top of the World trail to Highway 86 and the descent down No Joke, a climb up to Little Alder, descents on Expressway, Too Tight, Angry Pirate and Samurai Pizza Cat, a climb back up B Line to Colbeck's Rock, and the descent down Lower Whistler Downhill, Lower Hornet and the GLC Drops.

There are both Pro and Amateur categories and over $8,000 in cash and prizes available for the Pro riders. The top male and female will earn $2,500 and $1,500 respectively, $1,500 and $1,000 for second and $1,000 and $500 for third.

Some of the pro riders already confirmed include Brian Lopes, Adam Craig, Jerome Clementz, Dan Atherton and Karim Amour.

Amateurs are welcome as well, and will compete for prizes in their categories. Pro registration is $70, amateur registration is $60, which includes a two-day pass to ride Top of the World, including the race day and a training day on Friday.

Dual Speed and Style — Aug. 11

The Dual Speed and Style Presented by Avid is a new event for 2012, combining dual slalom and slopestyle into one event where points determine the winner rather than time. Going fast is a good strategy as always, but racers can also earn points by tricking out features of the course. The rider with the most points after two runs (one on each course) moves on to the next round.

The race is by invite only and features a number of riders that cross the line between race and freeride, like Kyle Strait, Cam Zink, Tyler McCaul, Cam McCaul, Greg Watts, Anthony Messere and Kirt Voreis.

The training runs are from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by seeding runs from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The brackets — 32 riders — get underway at 6 p.m. First place is worth $2,500, second is $1,500, third is $1,000 and fourth $500.

Garbanzo DH — Aug. 12

The Garbanzo Downhill is a monster, with 1,100 vertical metres of descending along a technical, 7km course that starts at the top of the Garbanzo Zone. The course includes Original Sin (including the uphill start), Blue Velvet, In Deep, Container, No Joke/Duffman, Golden Triangle, World Cup Singletrack, Ho Chi Min, Longhorn and Monkey Hands to the finish.

The event has both Amateur and Pro categories, with registration fees of $60 and $70 respectively.

Prize money for the pro riders is $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000 for the top three males and $1,500, $1,000 and $500 for the top three females.

There's a closed-course training session on Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the course is open and marked for the public on Saturday. Sunday opens with more training from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by the Amateur categories at 12:30 p.m. and the Pros at 4:30 p.m.

Some of the riders to watch for include Steve Smith, George Brannigan, Nick Beer, Justin Leov, Brook MacDonald, Niko Mullaly, locals Chis Kovarik and Claire Buchar, Brian Lopes and whatever World Cup riders are in town and decide to ride. Sam Blenkinsop and Buchar are the 2011 champions.

unofficial Whip-Off World Championships — Aug. 14

Every sport has a signature move that still gets respect for style even if it's been left behind in terms of the degree of difficulty; skiing's iron cross, snowboarding's method grab, surfing's nose ride... In freeride, that trick is the whip, where riders throw their bikes out to the side and hold them there as long as they can before straightening out for the landing. For extra style, some riders add in a tabletop where they tilt the bike tires parallel to the ground.

To celebrate this signature move, a new event has been added to the calendar this year by mountain bike photographer Sven Martin. His goal is to end the argument over who has the best whip on the mountain.

The event takes place at the Crabapple Hits and anyone can enter and win the cash prize of $1,000. The entry fee is $10.

Air Downhill — Aug. 15

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Air Downhill, a high-speed rip down the A-Line trail that created a whole new category for machine-built bike trails for the downhill set. The course is almost 400 metres and covered with jumps, berms, step-ups, step-downs, drops and other features, but flows well enough that you can ride it chainless.

The event is open to Pro and Amateur riders for $70 and $60 respectively, and there's $8,000 in prize money on the line — $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000 for the top three men and $1,500, $1,000 and $500 for the top three women.

Some of the confirmed riders for this year include Brian Lopes (who won the event seven years in a row before losing to Andrew Neethling), Mitch Ropelato, Steve Smith, Mick Hannah, Jared Graves and Neethling. The complete start list will be posted at 9 p.m. on Aug. 14.

Teva Best Trick Showdown — Aug. 16

This invite-only competition includes some of the top names in slopestyle facing off on two features of the Red Bull Joyride slopestyle course. Each session lasts 45 minutes with the riders themselves judging the winner of each session.

The prize money is $4,000 for the best trick on each feature, plus a $1,000 cash grab where money is handed out to riders by the announcers to recognize solid tricks, solid attempts and anything they and the crowd seems to like.

The event runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Upwards of 10,000 spectators took in the event last year, so get there early to grab a good viewing location.

Pump Track Challenge - Aug 16

After the trick showdown, spectators are invited to walk a little further up the hill to catch the now third-annual Ultimate Pump Track Challenge presented by Rock Shox. Competitors will go head to head on a 20-second track in an elimination format. The time trials feature 60 men and 25 women, which will be reduced to 32 men and eight women for the brackets.

The top male and female will each win $1,000, and the runners up $500. Reigning champions Mitch Ropelator and Jill Kintner are expected to defend their titles.

Qualifying is from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the competition gets underway at 8 p.m.

This event is open to anyone, and registration is $30.

Giant Dual Slalom — Aug. 17

Sponsored by Giant Bicycles, this is a stock dual slalom event with some Whistler-size obstacles along the way. Riders go head-to-head on parallel tracks, then switch tracks for a second run to see who moves on with the lowest combined time. There are both Amateur and Pro categories with entry fees of $60 and $70 respectively.

The course is closed for training from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday. The time trials get underway at 11 a.m., with each rider getting two runs to seed themselves in the brackets. The Amateur brackets start at 3:30 p.m. and the Pro brackets at 6 p.m.

The top four men in Pro will earn $2,500, $1,500, $1,000 and $500 and the top four women $1,300, $800, $600 and $300.

Some of the confirmed pro riders include Brian Lopes, Jared Graves, Sam Hill, Mitch Ropelato, Neko Mulally, Andrew Neethling and Mick Hannah, although the final start list won't be posted until 9 p.m. on Aug. 16.

Kidsworx and Trialsworx — Aug. 16-17

One of the longest running Crankworx spectacles is Trialsworx, where riders attempt to navigate through obstacle courses while the clock ticks, without touching their feet to the ground.

Kidsworx is a fun event for kids under the age of 10, with a few safe options to navigate while parents help them through. It's not a contest so much as a chance for kids to try the sport, and learn a few tips from the always helpful pro riders. Registration is at noon and the events get underway at 1 p.m. at Rebagliati Park.

Trialsworx is a lot more serious, with harder lines and obstacles. The beginner and sport categories compete on Friday at 3 p.m., starting with the course at Town Plaza, while the expert, elite and masters categories get underway at 10 a.m. at Town Plaza.

Mill Bay's John Webster has won the event every single year, and has represented Canada internationally as well. Make sure you stop by and see for yourself what he can do with his bike.

Red Bull Joyride — Aug. 18

This event has a prize purse of $47,250. Think about that for a moment.

Whistler invented the slopestyle format and Red Bull, with lots of feedback from the athletes, is looking to take it to another level with this year's event as the top freeriders in the world will go trick-to-trick on a gravity-fuelled course. The crowd is the biggest you'll see for any Whistler event, but organizers have responded this year by adding more television screens so you'll be able to view pretty much every feature from anywhere.

A lot of the features will seem familiar, but organizers have rearranged the course this year to go side-to-side to give athletes more control over their speed. As well, a new feature in front of the satellite dishes will allow a handful of riders to attempt a trick over a 20-metre gap. The Kokanee Cabin will return once again, but instead of going through the structure, riders will have a choice of riding off the top or off the porch that was built along the side.

Whistler's Brandon Semenuk is the defending champion, and is on a tear recently with wins in four consecutive Freeride Mountain Bike (FMB) World Tour events, including the Bearclaw Invitational on Vancouver Island last weekend. The win put him first overall in the rankings with 4,250 points. He's followed by Martin Soderstrom with 3,862.50 points and Sam Pilgrim with 3,523.75.

Canada has a lot of other strong prospects to watch including Brett Rheeder, an Ontario rider who has exploded onto the scene this year and is currently ranked sixth; Anthony Messere, who placed third at Crankworx last year and currently ranks seventh, Mitch Chubey, Casey Groves and Darren Berrecloth among others.

Ten of the athletes in the competition have prequalified for the finals, while eight will advance to the finals from the qualifiers on Aug. 17, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Each rider has two runs in the finals, which get underway at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, with the top eight riders advancing to the one-run Super Finals. The best overall score out of the three jumps (finals and super finals) will determine the winner.

First place is worth $25,000, second worth $10,000, third worth $5,000, then $3,500, $1,500, $1,000, $750 and $500.

Jeep Canadian Open DH — Aug. 19

Crankworx Whistler organizers are punching up the race side of the festival this year, leveraging sponsorship by Jeep to offer the biggest prize purse of any downhill race this year. The top five men will race for $10,000, $5,000, $3,000, $1,500, $1,000 prizes and the top three women for $5,000, $3,000 and $1,500.

The race is wide open to Amateur and Pro riders of all ages, with entry fees of $60 and $70 respectively.

Training starts on Friday and continues on Saturday on a closed course. The amateur divisions race at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and the Pro categories get underway at 3 p.m.

Confirmed riders include Steve Smith, George Brannigan, Nick Beer, Sam Hill, Marc Beaumont, Andrew Neethling, Justin Leov, Neko Mullaly, Mick Hannah, Brook MacDonald, Jared Graves, Chris Kovarik and Claire Buchar.

The final start list will be posted on Aug. 18 at 9 p.m.