6 Things We Learned at Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle

The biggest stars in Slopestyle mountain biking graced Innsbruck with a battle for the ages during the inaugural stop of the Crankworx World Tour in Austria. Nicolai Rogatkin (USA) or Brett Rheeder (CAN) were both more than keen to keep their hopes of winning the Triple Crown of Slopestyle alive and threw down runs that will no doubt go down in the history of the sport.

1. Rheeder and Rogatkin – A battle for the Ages

Must watch TV. The Rheeder (CAN) vs. Rogatkin (USA) battle did not disappoint and delivered a battle for the ages, in which arguably the best two runs in mountain bike slopestyle history were dropped within minutes of each other. Coming off his win in Lets Gets, FRA, Brett Rheeder finished round one with a nearly flawless 94-point score and took the lead going into the second round in which Nicholi Rogatkin countered with a historic, jaw-dropping 96-point run that can only be described as progression personified and included the world's first cashroll-tailwhip to claim the victory.

Rogatkin throwing his twister on the dirt-to-dirt jump.

2. Two Men Enter, One Man Remains

Rotorua winner, Nicholi Rogatkin (USA) and Lets Gets winner, Brett Rheeder (CAN) headed to Innsbruck as the only two men who could win the never been accomplished Crankworx Triple Crown of Slopestyle season-long competition. With Nicholi’s performance, he leaves as the only rider with a shot to win the Triple Crown as the tour heads to Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler, mountain biking’s biggest spectacle in mid-August.

Brett Rheeder making oppo 720s look effortless.

3. Innsbruck’s Incredible Inaugural

An incredible day in the Tyrolian capital city saw the world’s best mountain bike slopestyle riders put on an epic show of force in front of the awesome Austrian crowd. The historic winter sports center, which has hosted the Winter Olympics twice and the Air & Style snowboard competition, strengthened its position as a summer sports and cycling destination in hosting its first ever Crankworx Slopestyle competition with the Alps and looming Bergisel ski jump providing a beautiful backdrop.

Missed the slopestyle at Crankworx Innsbruck? Fear not! You can re-watch the entire live broadcast and all the highlights on-demand and anytime on Red Bull TV!

Emil Johansson with a beautiful backflip double tailwhip.

4. Unbelievable Performances

Where to begin? Szymon Godziek’s (POL) moto-inspired runs including massive superman double grabs? Nico Scholze’s (GER) incredible tsunami-backflip? Thomas Genon’s (FRA) seemingly effortless style? Tomas Lemoine’s (FRA) amazing repertoire of technical variations? The smooth but unbelievably technical runs of Emil Johansson (SWE)? There are way too many highlights to choose from as the 16 riders put on a show for the ages in Innsbruck.

Lemoine dropping into his podium run with a 360 barspin.

5. Elevated, Inspired Course

The slopestyle course designed by Tom Hey had innovative elements for all athletes to elevate their game. Hero dirt, variety of terrain, hips, big jumps and huge airtime gave the riders a platform to take their creative riding to the next dimension.

Simon Godzyek taking off into the mountains superman style.

6. Broadcast Highlights

Former X Games snowboarding goal medalist Tina Dixon joined the RBTV broadcast team of Pat Parnell and Cam McCaul to navigate all of the day’s incredible riding. A special mid-race show with Canadian mountain bike Hall of Famer Richie Schley and Swedish legend Martin Söderström cannot be missed as they take the audience through the first round of runs and break them down at 1,000 frames per second and discussing the historical progression of tricks and courses over the years.

Tommy G with his incredibly stylish 360 tuck no hander.

Red Bull TV is available on connected TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and more. For a full list of supported devices, visit this page. Stay up-to-date with the latest on everything bike related on the Red Bull Bike Channel at redbull.tv/bike.

Rogatkin, Rheeder and Lemoine on the podium.

Watch the Crankworx Slopestyle World Tour – LIVE on Red Bull TV
Crankworx Rotorua : Replay of live broadcast available on demand, anytime
Crankworx Les Gets: Replay of live broadcast available on demand, anytime
Crankworx Innsbruck: Replay of live broadcast available on demand, anytime
Crankworx Whistler: August 20, 7:30pm CEST

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MENTIONS: @redbullbike / @rasoulution

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