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Want to check out the action from Crankworx BC? You can catch all the broadcasts live on Red Bull TV from 23 September to 2 October. The event will be taking in a few destinations in BC including Sun Peaks Resort, Golden/Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, and SilverStar Mountain Resort.
This isn’t the final stop on the Crankworx world tour this season. Although Crankworx Whistler was cancelled, this event will take place followed by Crankworx Rotorua in November.
Here’s what’s on and when over the next few days:
Crankworx BC Schedule:
- Thursday, September 23: Specialized Dual Slalom Sun Peaks
- Friday, September 24: Crankworx Downhill Sun Peaks
- Monday, September 27: CLIF Speed & Style Kicking Horse
- Friday, October 1: RockShox Pump Track Challenge SilverStar
- Saturday, October 2: Title Slopestyle @ SilverStar Bike Park
The press release reads:
The eyes of the mountain bike world have shifted to Western Canada. Over the past few days, they’ve followed the stories of their favourite riders as they’ve gotten in their final training sessions, packed up, and hit the road. Destination: Sun Peaks, British Columbia, Canada. Now, together on the same (perfect, tacky) soil, the games can begin.
In total, Crankworx B.C. will include nine hours of live mountain bike racing and competition at three destinations within the province: Sun Peaks Resort, Golden/Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, and SilverStar Mountain Resort. Yesterday, athletes got their first taste of racing, with the practice for tomorrow’s DH, and practice and qualifications for the Dual Slalom. Qualifying results saw some familiar riders at the top, and some newer names charging to the front.
Dual Slalom in BC
Qualifying first were Vaea Verbeeck (CAN) and Bas van Steenbergen (CAN). Verbeeck has won two Dual Slaloms in the Crankworx World Tour competition (both in 2019). She also made a clean sweep of the event during last year’s CLIF Crankworx Summer Series, winning all three. For his part, van Steenbergen hasn’t clinched a top spot in Dual Slalom in the World Tour competition yet. He has two second place finishes to his name (both in Rotorua). Like Verbeeck, he had great success at the Summer Series, winning two out of three.
Other notable results include Tomas Slavik (CZE) who had the fastest lap of the day at 26.252. Also Tegan Cruz (CAN), just 1 second off the pace, qualifying in third. For the young RockShox Trek Race Team athlete, this is his first time racing in the Pro category. The 15-year-old (who’ll celebrate his 16th birthday next week in SilverStar with Crankworx) most recently won the Dual Slalom event in Innsbruck in the CWNEXT (next-gen) category.
On the women’s side, Verbeeck’s timed runs were both fastest. Nipping at her heels were Kialani Hines (USA) and Danielle Beecroft (AUS). One back, qualifying fourth, the rider who took the Dual Slalom win in Innsbruck and is currently in the lead for the overall Queen of Crankworx race in the midst of the season of a lifetime.
Harriet Burbidge-Smith (AUS) set off for a couple of overseas competitions in May, intending to return home in June. Instead, she’s been riding a wave of success around the world since then.
Return for Harriet
The goal was a last-minute alternate spot at Formation, and I decided to take the risk and take that spot. And then, because it was such a big deal to get out of Australia I thought, let’s add Crankworx Innsbruck to that. Just to make it a bit more worthwhile. And that was my plan, then I was going to go back and quarantine, and that was it. And then I got some results in Innsbruck that myself and my support team were super stoked on that, along with that support and bit of prize money, I was like ‘ok, maybe we can stay a bit longer.
Harriet Burbidge-Smith
In between events and competition since then, her year took another unexpected turn: she was offered a sponsorship with Red Bull Australia and a coveted Red Bull helmet.
“It was a surprise,” she said of getting the call while travelling to L.A. after an event. “Dream come true when they called me.”
Burbidge-Smith’s rise mirrors the momentum in women’s mountain biking overall this year. Especially in the realm of freeride, many of the athletes at Crankworx this week have been part of a movement that has completely changed the game.
I think this year the biggest takeaway from the fact that there’s been all these events that’ve happened is that I feel a lot more at home at these events. There are all these female riders just doing sick stuff and are so supportive of each other, and we all build each other up. It sounds cheesy and corny, but it legit feels like that. You get so hyped watching Robin and Casey and them doing all this crazy ‘world’s first’ shit, and Caroline doing the front flip. And then all the girls here, they’re just so fast and so confident on their bikes. And it’s so cool, and I feel proper part of it because of all these events.
Harriet Burbidge-Smith
Crankworx BC 2021
Burbidge-Smith and the roster of 29 other Crankworx B.C. athletes will be racing tomorrow on a new course at Sun Peaks Bike Park, built for the event but that will remain a permanent part of the bike park going forward. It features a series of berms (watch for the second set that are especially tight), rollers, a spine, and a flat turn slalom section.
For more, head over to Crankworx.com.
Related Content:
Crankworx BC Will Start on 22 September
Top 5 Slopestyle Runs – Crankworx Innsbruck 2021
Downhill Replay – Crankworx Innsbruck 2021
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