Photo Epic: Red Bull Joyride - Crankworx Whistler 2022
As the Joyride athletes woke up and looked out their window, they were presented with dark skies and gusts of winds that had every flag in Whistler Village billowing back and forth. Not the ideal conditions for the 10th anniversary of Red Bull Joyride. The rider's meeting on the morning of finals concluded with the riders agreeing to cancel the morning practice session due to Mother Nature. Fortunately, as the day went on, the weather started to cooperate, the sun started to peak through and the wind died down, although the finals were pushed back an hour to ensure the athletes were competing in the safest of conditions. The crowd came out in droves to watch the world's best slope riders hit the brand new Joyride course which the living legend, Brandon Semenuk, had a hand in designing and included a 16.7’ wide sphere similar to the one seen in Semenuk’s film, Realm. The riders were stoked on the course and the fans were super stoked to erupt as the athletes performed poetry in motion as they made their way down this mind boggling course.
The heavy-hitting final started with the gnarliest of tricks and never stopped until the last run that came from our first place finisher Emil Johansson, whose last run was a victory run as no other competitor could touch his first run score. Although Emil's incredible first run was something out of a video game, an honorable mention has to go to Tomas Lemoine - he boosted the entire last feature on the course, the on-off-drop. There is no picture that would do this justice, you just have to go watch the replay. He would finish third behind Timothe Bringer. Another Red Bull Joyride for the books.
Lucas Huppert on the first of the four-pack - all of the riders had to get used to how easy it was to over-jump this feature.
Emil on the hip.
Lemoine 3 invert
Riders’ meeting
Emil’s big nac out of the dish
Erik Fedko dripping with style.
Dawid Godziek 3 Indian air
Emil Johansson during practice providing a show for the fans who were making their way up to the Boneyard.
Huppert spent the most time in the dish doing 1.5 laps before bar spinning out
Max Langille made his Joyride debut. He had a goal of putting down a clean, solid run and he did just that.
Tim Bringer’s tail whip out of the dish
Erik Fedko bringing fire straight out of the gate.
There's always one
Making it look effortless.
Fredriksson’s invert in the dish
Fedko using every ounce of stretch in those riding pants.
Tom Isted during practice
Thomas Genon with a foot-plant three off the first drop.
Erik’s white kit standing out from the huge crowd in the Boneyard today.
Tim Bringer on the hip.
Rogatkin launching off the boner log.
Tommy G with a high up handplant on the sphere.
Tail whip to start things off
The fans were hyped
Dawid Godziek giving the fans on the lift a show.
Emil Johansson throwing close to infinity tail whips.
Lemoine double whip
The views from the Boneyard were phenomenal.
Huppert
Tuck out
Nicholi Rogatkin doing what he does best, spinning. Relentlessly spinning.
Emil Johansson shows the birds how it's done.
Tim Bringer flip tuck
Tim Bringer harnesses the power of the lightning pants to take him to a 2nd place finish.
Tim gets the crowd going as he drops in for his first run.
Erik dropping in off the new start drop.
It gets the people going
Getting horizontal on the hip.
Fedko off the boner log. Speed had to be very precise off this feature.
Couderc carving
David Godziek on his first run of the finals.
Max Langille’s big flip Indian air
Emil with a Nac out of the sphere.
Into the finish corral to put the finish on a 94.6 point run.
This run had some real potential, with a whole lot of technicality.
Emil Johansson
Trail boss Justin Wyper
Fedko's second run didn't go as planned, however he still put on a show for the spectators.
Tim Bringer on his way down to secure a podium spot.
Tomas Lemoine with a shoulder tire buzz that would make Kyle Strait proud.
Tim had a huge day out there with a well-earned 2nd place.
David Lieb won a slot in Joyride from a previous competition and he made himself right at home - there is no doubt that this is where he belongs.
Just cruising for the fans on a victory lap.
Getting in the zone
3 whip
Sometimes it takes a boom lift to get the camera where it needs to be when guys like Max Fredriksson are boosting as high as he does.
Golden hour for Lucas Huppert.
Spot the rider
Rogatkin cork 7
Tommy G on the step-down right after the drop-in feature.
Tomas Lemoine on the second to last feature.
Lieb backflipping his way into a 9th place finish.
Lemoine on his way to gapping the finish line drop.
Tomas Lemoine on going all in: "I can't believe I had the courage to do it in the second run, because I was almost going to be happy with fourth. But Joyride doesn't happen every week, you know? I said "you're here, you have a second chance, try your best, we'll see what happens"
Testa flipping down in to the finish
It wasn’t Nicholi's day. He takes a minute to deal with a crash he would rather forget. He still got up and rode out the rest of his run.
Erik on cruise control down to the finish corral
Emil with a lazy 3 on his victory lap.
The Don. 8 in a row.
The show wraps up as and it starts getting dark in the village.
Proud team manager
Emil Johansson 1st, Timothe Bringer 2nd, Tomas Lemoine 3rd
This makes 8 in a row for the Emil, who will surely go down as the most winning slope rider of all time.
It never gets old
Those Pit Viper kids are crazy
Endless time and patience for the fans
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Cameras just got completely the wrong sight for apreciation...
But I got to watch Lemoine scout the last feature for 20 mins then " test" send it during practice which was jaw dropping and our excitement just kept building as his run started - "is he going to send it?".
Then I got to see the entire jump side on and it blew my mind. I'm shocked that there are no decent photos or videos of this epic send from that viewpoint. I guess no one thought that would ever happen.
Absolute epic send.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnhIkVacTVE&t=216s
Wonder if that version makes it through when recounting events to colleagues on Monday?
"Check this video, I was stood just out of shot..."