Kokanee Crankworx 2011 - Red Bull Joyride Qualifying results!

Qualifying Results

1. Anthony Messere 91.6
2. Geoff Gullevich 84.0
3. Greg Watts 78.2
4. Tyler McCaul 76.6
5. Jamie Goldman 76
6. Cam McCaul 73.6

7. Andreu Lacondeguy 73.2
8. Kurt Sorge 70.2

With the top 10 riders pre-qualified, 14 riders started qualifying and the top 6 were supposed to advance. However Martin Soderstrom decided not to compete after his injury in practice the other day, so 7th place Andreu Lacondeguy advanced into the final.


Report by Mathew Mallory

In previous years the biggest features of the slopestyle course were taped off, only to be seen on the big day in front of thousands upon thousands of screaming spectators. With a different course design this year that only really had two lines everything was open and ready to be hit. This years course is filled with lots of big hits that feature wood take offs. When the rain came in yesterday it made everything slippery and dangerous so with safety on their mind the organizers pulled the plug and decided to hold the qualifiers this afternoon.

With the sun shining riders made their way to the top knowing that only six of them would advance to the Redbull Joyride. A few years ago most of the runs these lads put together would have been a game winner but with the evolution and progression of the riding as well as the consistency that everyone has now mastered it takes a lot to make it through.

Everyone was busting out their big moves, linking jump after jump and trick after trick together in a mind-blowing display of slopestyle skill. It would be great to see more people qualify but to run the Joyride Slopestyle in a manageable time-frame there can only be a limited number of riders.

With a stellar cast of riders it was a tough one for the judges. Guys like Graham Agassiz were going huge off the lips, tossing tricks like it was nobody's business and generally showing off their chops. Other riders played it safe like Jack Fogelquist who put together smooth, flowing lines and stomping everything clean and then there was Andreu.

Lacondeguy is known for going big and he did not disappoint. He laid down one of his text book lines with stylish tricks that he held forever. When he throws a superman the bike is inverted and he's straight out horizon, and holds it that way until the last minute. You can see the the short, stocky spitfire isn't playing the spin to win game but going for style. A definite influence from his time on the moto. And in true Andreu style he went on record after his two qualifying runs saying that the jumps still were not big enough.

Unfortunately crashes took out some of the contestants. It is common in a two run format for the riders to lay down a solid but safe run on their first lap. Something that will score them some points and hopefully be enough to move them along. The second run is where they hang it all out. In unfortunate incidents Kyle Strait and Andrew Taylor didn't quite have what it takes to make it through on their first run, and trying to step it up in the second and nudge themselves into the top six they both hit the dirt. Andrew when he over-rotated a three-sixty off the start ramp and Kyle on the final hit of the course.

Strait was back on form, it was like watching the Kyle of yesteryear compete with big, burly tricks off of everything he hit but in a botched double tailwhip, his signature move, off the Kokanee Shack Beefeater went down hard and had to be taken off the course by the fantastic Whistler Bike Patrol and the ever-present medics.

Greg Watts may be the most consistent rider when it comes to tricks, this guy seems to be able to do everything in the slopestyle book and he can usually do them as a combo. His run was textbook, flips, barspins, tailwhips and usually all done together. With a couple of solid runs under his belt he was sitting comfortably in third. The final three spots kept changing hands as riders came down and in the end it was Tyler McCaul, Jamie Goldman and Cam McCaul (who has been riding with a very damaged shoulder).

The two stand out riders of the day were Anthony Messere and Geoff Gulevich. One unheard of and one well known. Geoff has been in the limelight since he was eighteen and this year he has really stepped up his game. It would be easy to think that Geoff's brain is upside down and slightly off axis after watching his run. With a big 360 off the start ramp it was game on as the Rocky Mountain rider showed a lot of style and smooth moves on every hit including a 360 off the start ramp and two buttersmooth corked backflips (one being off the Kokanee Shack at the bottom) It was obvious that Geoff wanted to make it to the main show.

Geoff's run would have had him sitting in first place if it wasn't for Anthony Messere. An almost unheard name until yesterday's Best Trick contest thrust him into the limelight. The young rider from Surrey, B.C. who was just picked up by Raceface and Smith Optics showed that he has a bright future in the sport. The sun was definitely shining on his shoulders this afternoon.

Anthony, who Greg Watts is claiming to mentor after three weeks of crashing at his house is almost dizzying to watch. Having more than a pocket full of tricks on lockdown it is almost impossible to describe everything that he packs into one run. Like his mentor there is too much going on to list but he was inverted, massive tailwhips and a mean flipwhip to end it all. When the dust had cleared it wasn't even close and of course Anthony qualified first. He will now be facing the big boys tomorrow and if today was any indication he is ready. But make no mistake everyone who lines up at the top of the Redbull Joyride course is hungary for a win and nobody is going to be a push over. After seeing the qualifiers today the new course looks awesome and we are all in for one heck of a show.

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