Crankworx is Coming: 2016 CWX Whistler Retrospective

Crankworx is upon us. It’s an event that’s become a monster in its own right. How do you even describe it? It’s downhill racing and enduro and slalom and pumptracks, and whip-offs and heckling and cheering. Not actually into the whole spectating thing? For a lot of people, Crankworx is also the perfect excuse to bail from work and spend days riding the bike park in one of the greatest mountain biking locations in the world. Did we mention movie premieres, product launches, kids races and the only cheese-related event in which you can tear your ACL?

In a word, Crankworx is rad.

As we gear up to take on Whistler, here’s a brief reminder of what made the 2016 edition of Crankworx great.

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To start off Crankworx Whistler's 10 days of mountain bike action, the first big eye catcher that you don't want to miss is the Dual Speed and Style. Attracting the fastest racers and most skilled slopestyle riders, this event is fair game for both to throw down whichever skill they have. But which riders will be able to combine the two for the top spot?

Next up, Crankworx brings the Canadian Open Enduro, a favourite stop of the EWS rounds. This event puts racers up to quite the challenge where their endurance, technical riding, and focus are fully tested.

On that note of endurance, this downhill race is not a short or pedal friendly piece of cake. The Garbanzo DH drops racers down 3,400 feet of rugged terrain in the Whistler Bike Park.

In contrast to that, the Fox Air DH has racers going flat out down A-Line, usually a trail you might prefer not to race, but cruise down in style on any other day. That's not exactly the case here. The Air DH showcases racers' skills to scrub, trying to stay as low as possible on the consecutive table-tops, while carrying maximum speed around the berms and not missing a pedal stroke.

It's one versus one. With just a quick walk up from the base of the mountain, you can find the Dual Slalom course located on the road side of the Red Bull Joyride course. This event makes for easy spectating of the head to head action where racers zig-zag their way through a course of jumps, rhythm sections, and berms.

There are pumptracks and then there is this masterpiece of bermed and roller engineering. The Ultimate Pumptrack Challenge lives up to its name. Riders duking it out, no pedaling allowed, pure style, technique, and momentum. Always a good show. Mitch Ropelato and Jill Kintner took the win last year. Who will it be this time around?

An afternoon spent lounging in the grass and marveling at the sheer steeze of the world’s most styling mountain biking aeronauts. Whip-Off Worlds is always a crowd pleaser.

Casey Brown and Finn Iles got the nod from both the judges and much of the crowd in 2016. It’ll be fun to see who throws the best whip this year.

Just like it sounds; Wide-open, burly DH action. Stake out a spot on the course and watch some of the best descenders make “damn hard” look almost easy. Or, if not “easy” then “fast as hell”.

How do you describe Joyride, other than the obvious "Dudes on little bikes performing ridiculously big and crazy feats, way up in the air."

Joyride is equal parts inspiring and terrifying. There's a reason Crankworx saves this slopestyle event for last: When it comes to spectacle, there's no topping Joyride.

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MENTIONS: @officialcrankworx

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Racing and Events Crankworx