Andrew 'Needles' Neethling Joins Crankworx

Andrew Neethling, seen here in the 2014 Crankworx Les 2 Alpes Downhill presented by iXS - European Cup, will join team Crankworx behind the mic in Rotorua this week. Photo: Sven Martin

Fourteen years of professional riding prowess have landed the stalwart South African racer Andrew “Needles” Neethling a place behind the mic as the new Crankworx commentator. Neethling joins the Crankworx crew for the first stop of the World Tour, in Rotorua, New Zealand, going on air Thursday, Kiwi time, for his first broadcast, the Mons Royale Dual Speed and Style. It will be Wednesday in Europe and North America. (Broadcast times)

“I have so many good memories from Crankworx as it has always been such a fun week,” said Neethling, who placed top-25 in an elite men's field of 80 athletes at his last competitive World Tour event, the 2016 Canadian Open DH presented by iXS.

Neethling’s competitive profile centres on his DH success—he’s been a fixture on the UCI World Cup circuit, with several podiums to his name—but he also lays claim to cross-country, enduro, and even dirt jump victories. And having competed in the first Crankworx event ever held, before the event was a Crankworx, let alone a Crankworx World Tour, he can proudly wear the pioneer flag before an international audience.

Neethling says he took every opportunity he could get to jump in the commentators' booth throughout his career, often throwing himself in the fray after his World Cup races for spontaneous interviews. Photo: Eric Palmer.

As for big CWX wins, Neethling cites a full-bore takedown as his big hit.

“I have had some very successful years with results, good times with friends, and even participated in Slopestyle back in 2004, but winning A-Line (Air DH), and beating Brian Lopes's long-lasting record, in 2011, was very special to me,” he said.

Lopes placed second in Whistler's fast and furious Air DH race down the iconic, jump-laden A-Line in 2005, before winning it for the next five years running, from 2006 to 2010. Neethling caught the eye of Crankworx top brass when he stepped into the booth to help with coverage after an injury in Les 2 Alpes two years back. With his career transitioning to this next level, he says he is looking to help promote the sport moving forward.

“I feel this way I can stay in the industry, which has given me a ton. Racing is exciting, but I could, obviously, never do that forever. I have always been an analytical rider, so I hope I can add extra insight from a rider’s perspective to the fan at home,” he said.

His first official gig with the Crankworx team will be to commentate Wednesday’s Rotorua Air DH and the Official Oceania Whip-Off Championships presented by SPANK.

Whippin' it for the masses, Neethling punches high up above Crabapple Hits, in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, as the Official Whip-Off World Championships presented by SPANK gets down and dirty.Photo: Dave Trumpore.

The same year he beat Lopes in the Air DH, Neethling placed second, out of 81 riders, in the Canadian Open DH in Whistler. Photo: Eric Palmer.

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