Photo Story: Crankworx Rotorua 2021 Warm-Up - Racing Returns to the Southern Hemisphere

Nov 3, 2021 at 8:35
by Clint Trahan  


Good things come to those who wait. Always look on the bright side of life.

Dropping in.
photo
After another beautiful opening ceremony athletes were keen to head to the top of the mountain for practice

Lachlan Stevens-Mcnab Tuhoto-Ariki Pene go round and round. Just like everyone else on the pump track.
The courses here in Rotorua could easily be described as works of art

The wait is over. After 18 months of, let's face it, a pretty challenging time the world over; Crankworx has returned to the southern hemisphere in a bid to complete the world tour for 2021.

Crankworx is here the courses are open
Griffin Paulson Marcel Hunt checking the course out.
After a long hiatus the Rotorua slopestyle course is again unlocked and ready for the riders

Max Fredricksson making the wheels go round.
Max Fredriksson had an unfortunate mechanical in BC and is looking for some redemption

What a journey it’s been. I don’t need to dig into the details; we all have our stories, struggles, grievances; but like any storm cloud, the sun isn’t too far behind, just waiting to shine.

Bas Van Steenbergen in the starting gate.
Remy Morton proving RedBull s slogan true.
First up is pump track

Bond Ashley Bond.
Sam Blenkinson with the sleeve.
In the past, Crankworx Rotorua has been at the end of the NZ summer and the track is already torn up by the time the athletes arrive. This year is a different story. The riders all get a fresh track

Emil Johansson has a five win streak going. One more win and he ll have six. Math is wonderful.
Emil Johansson has a five win streak going. One more win and he'll have six. Math is wonderful

A lot of people have put in countless hours to pull off what some felt was impossible. Bringing Crankworx to the precipice of Crowning a King and Queen, possibly handing out a Triple Crown trophy, and showing the world that, despite the challenges of a pandemic, life can go on in a safe manner, hope survives.

Alfie Stevens and Ronja Hill Wright over the spine.
Matt Walker. Best I could do on this one. Sue me.
A spine in the pump track is a unique feature for NZ and makes for some great racing

Griffin Paulson is one to watch in Rotorua. Can he de-throne Emil Stay tuned
Long live McGazza

The next four days will see the athletes competing in:
Dual Speed and Style
Downhill
Whip off
Slopestyle
Pump Track
Dual Slalom

Danni Beecroft doing Danni Beecroft things.
Max Fredricksson Tomas Lemoine making slopestyle a team sport.
Danni Beecroft, Max Fredricksson, and Tomas Lemoine getting warmed up for all the events to come

Brook MacDonald is rad Nuff said.
Brook is home and you can tell. He's one rad dude, enough said

This will be the first time Crankworx has finished outside of Whistler in the history of the event. Needless to say, the stoke is high, sleep is low, caffeine is on tap. Redbull too.

Max Fredricksson saying welcome to Crankworx.
What's up Erik Fedko

Stay tuned, it's going to be a hell of a ride.

Chur!

Author Info:
ClintTrahan avatar

Member since Jun 27, 2014
32 articles

18 Comments
  • 19 0
 Woah, that Fedko pic! Never seen anything like that. Crazy!
  • 3 0
 We're about an hour away in Tauranga, and had planned to take our work crew down the for the event – but alas, the whole event is 'no spectators allowed' now. I get it, just gutted is all
  • 2 1
 Wait, what? We aren't even allowed out of Auckland. Who is going to be at the event? Any overseas riders or is it locals only?
  • 1 0
 Exactly. Did the overseas contingent have to do their stint in MIQ?
  • 5 1
 @IndySteel: I'm pretty sure they all did... plenty of posts on social media from riders being stuck in hotel rooms for the past two weeks.
  • 5 0
 @ChazzMichaelMichaels what were you going to compete in? Hopefully they managed to find some substitutes for you.
  • 3 0
 @PhillipJ: I specialize in APAs in the overweight and middle aged class Smile
  • 5 0
 @IndySteel: Are you really that Naive?

Of course they did - Just like any other athlete that is coming and going from this country. import rugby players. The All blacks - All of our International pro elite riders have done multiple MIQ stints this year.

What a silly thing to ask.

There was 40 government assigned places set side for crankworx in the MIQ system. This has been in the works long before we went back to level 2 or 3. They were always going to do MIQ.
  • 2 10
flag on-the-move (Nov 3, 2021 at 20:12) (Below Threshold)
 @IndySteel: They took up places in MIQ that kiwis needing to get home for important reasons had to miss out on, this whole event should be boycotted.
  • 2 0
 The oversees athletes are here its just the locals from Auckland that are missing out
  • 2 0
 And us from the Waikato? and Queenstown. Everyone who is not pro elite - or competing in the "elite" fields is not riding.
  • 2 0
 @Aled-DHI: Yeah, meanwhile events for kiwis like the Dodzy are canceled. Makes no sense to me.
  • 1 0
 @Aled-DHI: yeah it sucks aye
  • 1 0
 @inside-plus: they were saying at the volly meeting that they had the go ahead for spectators but they thought that is one person with covid attended everyone would catch it and they didnt was to take that risk so decided not spectators of non elite atheletes
  • 1 0
 Bring it on. Can't wait. Vegas dirt is totally here at this time of year
  • 1 0
 So stoked
  • 1 0
 That was hero dirt







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