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Pump track a rumble in the village

Kintner, Loron top fields in evening spectacular
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KILLER KINTNER Jill Kintner (right) powers through an early heat against Alanna Columb en route to winning the Ultimate Pump Track Challenge. Photo by Dan Falloon

More than just the winners were pumped at the Pump Track Challenge.

On the women's side, Seattle resident Jill Kintner came away with a win in the event in Whistler Olympic Plaza for the fifth time in six years, rebounding after Australian competitor Caroline Buchanan edged her out of the top spot in 2014.

Kintner edged past Anneke Beerten in the final to claim the win. North Vancouver's Micayla Gatto rounded out the podium.

"It's not that easy. It's like a tense, quick effort. A back-to-back effort," Kintner said. "The final (was toughest). Your nerves are up and I know Anneke's always tough, so I'm just trying to get really solid pumps and look out of the turns really hard.

"By the time you get to the final, you're a little bit shaky from all the heats."

Beerten, however, claimed the first-ever world tour championship in pump track with 350 points to Kintner's 250. Kintner did not take part in the second stop of the Crankworx tour in France.

"It's amazing. We had three great rounds, and to take the overall (title) is just great," said the Dutch rider. "The one that I won, the first one in New Zealand, was the best one, but at the other two, it was a great battle and I enjoyed all of them."

Adrien Loron won the men's event while also claiming the overall title by blasting past Joost Wichman in the standings.

In the race, Loron defeated Paul Basagoitia, who claimed his first podium finish at Crankworx since winning the slopestyle event in 2005. Rookie Dakotah Norton ended up in third.

"This is so awesome for me," Loron, the top qualifier, said in a release. "Basagoitia was the only guy who has never lost to me, and he is such an awesome rider."

For Basagoitia, the success was a return to his BMX roots after taking a break from it to pursue his freestyle interests. But now, the 28-year-old Nevadan has returned to the speed events and finally has something to show for it.

"I felt like there were many years I came so close," he said. "To do it here in a different discipline, that's fairly cool."

After getting past 23rd-ranked Hannes Slavik in round one, Basagoitia knocked off three more highly ranked competitors until hitting the brick wall of Loron in the final. Basagoitia felt getting past Keegan Wright in the round of eight took a lot out of him, but he was generally happy with the evening in Whistler

"I didn't start off that good. I qualified (10th) and realized 'I've got a lot of work to do,'" he said. "I ended up just knocking everybody off in the brackets, and then I ended up in the final four. I realized I have a good chance of getting on this podium. Next thing you know, I was in the big final, and I knew I could have won, but I was a little sloppy."

The victory allowed Loron to secure the overall pump track title.