Photo Epic: Downhill - Crankworx Rotorua 2021
Mother nature can really shake things up. If you woke up today predicting Jenna Hastings would take her first Crankworx win, or that Louis Hamilton would take top spot over Brook Macdonald, Tuhoto-Ariki Pene or Sam Blenkinsop….you should head to Vegas, stat!
With a slim, but highly talented field of riders dropping, the race became a tale of two weather systems, but more on that later.
Jenna’s run of 3:15.842 was a full six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Shania Rawson. Casey Brown, participating in her first Crankworx Rotorua 2021 event, landed on the podium in 3rd.
The men’s side is where mother nature had her say. Midway through the field, the blue skies clouded over, inviting the rain onto the Rotorua course. As the field dropped, so did the rains. Louis Hamilton put in a heater with a time of 2:51.038, and would remain on the hotseat for the rest of the race. Dan Booker finished second, and Jonty Vink wrapped up 3rd.
Despite the long day for many of the riders, spirits were still high while the sun was out
Those pink shoes did Casey Brown well landing her in 3rd after only just escaping quarantine
The Larches section of the track is steep, off-camber, and always something to behold when riders are on course
Louise Ferguson is originally from the UK but moved down to NZ a few seasons back. Her run showed just how comfortable she's become in NZ with a 4th place amongst a talented field
Steep, grassy, off-camber sections are the norm for this track
This old guy, Mikey Haderer, has been riding in Crankworx events since the beginning. He's got some experience. Will we see the red white and blue come out in Rotorua?
As the clouds started rolling in, riders were anxious to get down the hill
Jenna Hastings had an incredible run that would slot her into the top spot
The track crew always knows how to keep spirits high. It's a party up there
Left to right: Shania Rawson, Jenna Hastings, Casey Brown
Left to right: Dan Booker, Louis Hamilton, Jonty Vink
Podium:
Crankworx Rotorua Downhill presented by Gull
Jenna Hastings (NZL) // Louis Hamilton (NZL)
Shania Rawson (NZL) // Dan Booker (AUS)
Casey Brown (CAN) // Jonty Vink (NZL)
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14 Comments
jk...good eye