Hundreds of people raced in this year's Garbanzo and Air Downhill (DH) events, but only one launched himself out of the starting gate in a hot pink suit with a matching tie and gloves.
That man is Joshua Scott. He grew up riding bicycles, but did not encounter mountain biking until his 15th birthday when a friend introduced him to the activity. Scott first arrived in Whistler in May 2023 for a planned half-dozen months of summer…but like many fellow Australian expatriates, he grew to love the Sea to Sky.
Scott just finished competing in his third Crankworx festival. He's not quite as fast as Jackson Goldstone, not quite as tireless as Richie Rude and not quite as infamous as the scantily-clad Mikey Haderer, but nobody is out there rocking his particular choice of attire.
Despite not being personally close with any breast cancer patients or survivors at first, Scott knows that the disease is relatively ubiquitous. According to a 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) study, it is the most common cancer variant for women in 157 out of 185 nations.
Last year he raised $500 by competing in a suit with a pink tie. This time he upped the ante and colour-coordinated his entire garb.
"It's a cause that over the two years of fundraising, I've come to know a lot of people around me are affected by, and it's a super important cause so I just wanted to get behind it by racing in a suit," explained Scott. "If I'm looking good while I'm doing it, then that's a bonus."
'Crankworx is probably my favourite time'
As part of the senior men's division, Scott placed 17th in his Garbo run and 35th (i.e. last among all finishers) at the Air DH—but those results are hardly the point.
"It's unbelievable," he said. "I [thought] I'd be only here for one season, but I just love Whistler and Crankworx is probably my favourite time of the summer: all the riding, all the community. I'm very grateful that I get to be a part of it and compete alongside pros and everything else. It's just epic to be a part of such a world-class event."
Scott's Pink Panther exploits might not have transpired after a Phat Wednesday race crash tore his outfit weeks before Crankworx, but he made some timely uniform adjustments: patching holes and cutting the sleeves off the dress shirt he'd wear beneath his jacket. None of that made riding Garbanzo on a 30-degree day any more comfortable, however.
"I knew this event was going to be hard, but that's part of the reason why I wanted to do it for the fundraiser, pushing myself for a great cause," the 23-year-old remarked. "I had a few injuries to manage: my knee, and also my thumb was the main one, so that was tricky. I couldn't practice as much as I wanted to, a lot of arm pump, but I just tried to save some energy for the bottom.
"Everyone wants to push up top, but you pay for it when you get into the trenches of the double-black tech on In Deep and your arms have got nothing left. Just tried to maintain a good pace through and make it to the bottom."
Scott rides his mountain bike every chance he gets—except for when he's working at the Whistler Grocery Store or attending Whistler Community Church. He has raised more than $750 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia to date, and folks interested in supporting his platform can donate here.
