Crankworx Freeride Mountain Bike Festival

8th Sep 2014

Crankworx Freeride Mountain Bike Festival

The resort town of Whistler, which is located in the British Columbia province of Canada, is known for it’s exceptional skiing mountains. But during the summer months, Whistler houses a wide-variety of other outdoor activities. You can partake in everything from hiking, whitewater rafting and mountain biking.

But this past August, Whistler hosted its annual mountain bike festival – Crankworx. This ten-day festival attracts a large crowd of devoted bike fans and the best riders from around the world. You’ll get a diverse collection of bikers that specialize in different things. Some are downhillers, slopestyle riders and regular bike park shredders. Riders participate in a variety of different competitions to enter the chance to win some cash. You won’t see competitors of this calibre gathered in one place anywhere else or a competition that offers as many opportunities for undiscovered athletes to launch their professional careers.

Throughout the ten-days there is a long list of events that you can watch. There is a Fat Tire Crit, where you watch riders race around the Whistler Olympic Plaza which is a track that is approximately 800 meters. The Dual Speed and Style event, which combines dual slalom course with bigger features to trick. You win this event by exhibiting great speed and technique while also making it look good with tricks, flips and whips. There is the Garbonzo DH, which is difficult 7km trail with roots, rocks and high speed. Another big event is the Fox Air DH which is a true test of a riders jumping capabilities. These are only a few of the many events that go on throughout the weekend. But the biggest and most anticipated event of the weekend is the Red Bull Joyride. It fuses together elements of slope-style, dirt jump and North Shore mountain biking. Each year the courses gets redone with new, unique features to test all riders and to push them to exhibit their best skills. This event give the opportunity for bikers to shine and make history on the course.

Marcelo Guiterrez, the Colombian rider, was bestowed the title of the festival’s top rider overall. Throughout the week, he placed fourth in the Fox Air DH and rushed down the Canadian Open course in two minutes, 50.92 seconds. British Columbia’s own Casey Brown was crowned the Crankworx’s Queen after being the runner-up in the pro women’s race.

The Whistler village is hustling and bustling during these ten days. While there you can enjoy a nice stroll around the village, exploring the endless shops and restaurants. Head over to the Blackcomb side of the mountain and enjoy the weekend farmer’s market and family adventure zone. Head up the Whistler side of the mountain and cross over to Blackcomb on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. Whistler is the perfect place to spend a summer with family and friends. Don’t miss out on all the action awaiting you here in Canada.