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Buchanan claims pump track title with win

Australian Turner tops men's field in Crankworx debut
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Caroline Buchanan and Bodi Turner celebrate their Ultimate Pump Track Challenge wins on Aug. 17. Photo by Dan Falloon

Of course it was going to come down to Caroline Buchanan and Jill Kintner.

In all three previous Crankworx pump track events, the Australian and the American faced off in the finals, with Buchanan capturing two of those meetings.

With the overall series title on the line at Blackcomb Base II, they met again, with Buchanan getting the best of the nine-time pump-track champion thanks to a blazing first run as she earned the $5,000 series bonus.

The track this year was straight with less turning than in previous years in Whistler and in previous Crankworx stops this year, which BMXer Buchanan said she enjoyed.

"I'm stoked to win in Whistler. It was that collision course right to the final with me and Jill Kintner. We battled all year," Buchanan said. "Every year, Whistler is the final of the series and this was a straight rhythm so it was a little bit different to normal, but it was fast."

U.K. racer Joey Gough knocked off 16-year-old American Jordy Scott in the small final.

On the men's side, fellow Australian BMXer Bodi Turner took the field by storm in his Crankworx debut, upsetting France's Chaney Guennet in the round of 16. Guennet had entered the night second overall in the series standings and sought to knock off countryman Adrien Loron for the prize. Turner then defeated close friend Barry Nobles of the U.S., before edging New Zealand's Michael Bias by just 0.01 seconds in the semifinals to face Mitch Ropelato, who could claim the series title for himself with a victory. Turner got the best of the veteran American, though, and snagged his first-ever win.

"I'm a little overwhelmed so it was a little hard to control the nerves," he said. "A lot of the stuff I practice for BMX racing, I was able to apply today to keep the nerves down and focus on my line. In BMX, you've got a bunch of people cutting you off, but in this one, it's just you."

Bias edged Loron in the small final, though the Frenchman still came through to win the series championship. He was denied clinching the King of Crankworx title, as he needed a top-two finish to do that. He'll look to secure that with a finish of fourth or higher in the Giant Dual Slalom on Friday night. The finals begin at 6 p.m. in Skier's Plaza.

Kintner, meanwhile, leads the Queen of Crankworx chase by 215 points over Buchanan. She will clinch automatically if she makes the final, but if she fails to record any points, will clinch if Buchanan finishes lower than third.