August 2016: Good Month or Bad Month

August was a good month for Tracey Hannah, who came to Whistler Crankworx with her sleeves rolled up, ready to do battle with Canada's best gravity racers on their home soil. The Australian has been on a tear this year, moving back up the World Cup ranks, and in a pre-race conversation, Tracey said that she had trained hard for this season, but more importantly, that she has never felt more confident on the bike than she has this year. Hannah had to settle for second place in the Garbanzo DH, two seconds behind Squamish shredder Miranda Miller. The Garbanzo must have been a warm up lap for Hannah, because she then trounced all comers at the Canadian Open, which is that country's most important National contest - sometimes referred to as the "BC DH World Championships." Tracey put ten seconds on second-place Manon Carpenter, and was over 14 seconds up on third-place Vaea Verbeeck, who was the top Canadian. Beginning with Verbeeck, local BC hotshoes filled out the next five spots. With that victory, Hannah nailed down the Crankworx overall DH title as well.





Brett Rheeder upheld the Whistler Crankworx tradition of winning the Red Bull Joyride in the first round with a single run - a story normally written by his arch rival, Brandon Semenuk. It was clear from the start that Sunday was all Rheeder's. Brimming with confidence, power and grace, the Freestyler from Toronto put in a near flawless run on a track that saw most contestants struggling with wind and wits just to finish with a clean run. His score for his first try was an untouchable 93, and it probably would have been higher if the judges (who reportedly were tipped off that Semenuk was using a custom made Freecoaster rear hub to allow him to execute reverse tricks) had not been anticipating a breakthrough performance from Brandon. That was not to be, however, as Semenuk suffered a rare brain fade and botched both of his runs before he even got rolling. It was a convincing victory for Rheeder - his first Crankworx Joyride win - and one that could only have been sweetened if his frienemy had also been on point that day.






was an unappealing predicament, further worsened by the fact that most 2017 models are visibly improved with rider-forward geometry, 12-speed transmissions and "Metric" shocks. Collectively, the big brands were tight lipped about it, but with no gentlemanly way to dump the overstock, they pushed the big red "Sell" button in early August, advertising discounts up to 35-percent and more. New bikes were popping up everywhere on the trails.








I thought I was the only viewer who was fed up with Claudio Caluori's and Rob Warner's persistent dismissal of Rachel Atherton's outstanding performances as either "expected" or the logical byproduct of a female riding in the proximity of penis-bearing siblings. Turns out a lot of people are fed up with it, including Rachel, who shrugged it off for most of her career. At least, until Mont Sainte Anne, where she was the second fastest racer - female or male - through the speed trap, and was inspired to post a comment to that effect on her social media page.

But, those achievements pale by comparison to her racing skillset. Talent and luck can win you a race or two, but to win consecutive World Cup and World Championship victories, to dominate as she has, requires mechanical and physical preparation, focus, line-choices, back-up strategies, planning, and execution at a level that few, perhaps only a handful of athletes in the game today could comprehend, much less perform consistently. It would not be an exaggeration to state that Rachel Atherton's understanding of what it takes to be a successful professional downhill racer is unmatched by any male or female competitor in the game today. Claudio and Rob, if you can't come up with anything better to describe Rachel's performances, then give us your silence.





Crankworx Whistler management has been wringing its hands over the shirtless fans who cheer and beer on the infamous Heckler's Rock drop. Behind the scenes, race photographers have been sternly asked to avoid shooting images of the shoulder-to-shoulder pack of boisterous fans who show up hours ahead of the start time to mock and roar at racers as they streak past during the Canadian Open DH. This year, hecklers crossed the line, allegedly throwing beer cans and rocks at chair-lift riders, mocking tourists, and disrobing female hecklers - riotous fun for some, but not the family entertainment that Crankworx promoters were striving for. The party ended with a trip to the hospital for a young man who was struck by a rock - reportedly, a relative to the First Nation Counsel who will determine if Whistler Blackcomb will gain access to tribal lands necessary to complete the corporation's master plan. Crankworx officials say they will re-route the downhill next year to eliminate the "Rock."

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MENTIONS: @trek, @Polygonbikes

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