Taking on the Crankworx World Tour: The Caroline Buchanan Interview

Working hard and winning big. Caroline Buchanan schooled her friends on the Crankworx pump track in 2014 and hopes for a triumphant return. Photo: Scott Robarts.

Two years ago, she moved from the Crankworx omnium to the global stage, focusing on BMX en route to the 2016 Summer Olympics. Now, Caroline Buchanan returns to the fold with her sights set on Queenship, Crankworx World Tour domination, and enjoying every moment as she lives the ride with fiance Barry Nobles. First stop? The Crankworx Rotorua Air DH.

We’ve missed you the past two years. How does it feel to be back on the Crankworx circuit?

Me and Barry are both really excited. I feel like I always have the most fun in the two years after an Olympic Games, when we can sort of mix it up and do a whole range of disciplines. We missed it as well. I’ve only ever done the Whistler Crankworx. I’ve never actually done any of the other stops. So, for me, it’s all fresh and exciting.

Buchanan pounding down the line to victory, against Jill Kintner, in 2014. She would not enjoy the same experience in Rio last year, finding her hopes of an Olympic gold medal dashed in the semi-finals. Photo: Scott Robarts.

Are there any takeaways from The Olympics you’re bringing with you into this season?

Well the thing about the Olympic Games is it’s that pinnacle of all sport around the world. It’s a big pressure event, but overall, it’s beyond sport. To then go back and compete in BMX World Titles, or World Series, or Crankworx events, really that pressure side of it sort of slips away. That’s been one of the best things that I’ve taken away is being able to handle more of the daily pressures of racing, while being able to enjoy it.

You’ve got another exciting project coming up that seems like it’s going to tap into that. Can you tell us about it?

Me and Barry, this year, we’re sort of linking in with all the Crankworx races and doing a lot of TV and video content and showcasing our ride this year. We’re calling it ‘Living the Ride’ and allowing everyone to come along on that journey with us. We put a big focus this year on not just getting caught in that ‘eat, sleep, train, race, repeat’ cycle, but working hard and playing hard. Putting in the work, but then stepping back and really enjoying the Crankworx atmosphere, the events that are going on, and...all those sort of adrenaline adventures. We’re going to be there [New Zealand] for 23 days, really living the ride and taking it all in. I’m already kind of nervous and excited. For me and Barry, it’s already one of the most exciting trips we’ve ever planned for.

Let’s talk downhill. We’ve seen you back on the big bike recently. You raced the Fontana Winter Series this year, winning the race and beating Anneke Beerten. We know you mostly from BMX, four-cross, pump track, and dual slalom, what’s prompted you to shift some focus on to DH this season?

Coming off the back of the Olympic Games, coming in as a World Champion, and tipped to win a gold medal, then crashing out in the semi-final, I was really devastated. I wanted to set a completely separate goal for myself. For BMX, a lot of my goals are sort of set for me, with criteria I have to meet, and Olympic selection. It’s everyone else's goals. So, for me, this year I set my own goal, which is to compete in the full Crankworx series, and across the board become a better bike rider, whether it’s learning backflips on my mountain bike, which I did that at Woodward a few weeks ago, or stepping onto the downhill bike and really challenging myself there. All of that is combining into Crankworx, and I really want to see if I can be in contention for Queen of Crankworx at the end of it.


Tell us about the bike you’ll be riding in the Crankworx Rotorua Air DH.

Airborne Plague
Weight: Around 35 lbs
Frame size: Small
Bar: ODI 780m
Stem: ODI
Suspension: Rockshox
Wheel size 27.5
Wheels: Carbon Sped Precision
Pedals: Shimano
Air over coil
Tires: MAXXIS minions DHF
Tire pressures: 32 back - 30 front


You mentioned doing backflips at Woodward. What are other things you’ve added to your pre-season training this year that is different from what you’ve done before?

I worked a lot on my skills. There are a few big dirt jump trail spots that I’ve always wanted to try. Since I haven’t had races that I can’t be injured for, I stepped outside of that comfort zone. There was obviously a lot of fear, but I just started really pushing the boundaries of that, knowing that if I did get injured, well, that’s OK because I didn’t have an Olympics coming up. So it started there, with a lot of skills in my off-season, and now it’s sort of progressed to making sure, because I’m still doing BMX World Championships this year, the US BMX Nationals series, and then my Australian National BMX Championships at the same time, I’m still maintaining that competitive edge on BMX. I want to win another two titles in BMX and four-cross this year, so I have to still be able to have that explosive BMX sprint and train for that. But they both complement each other so much...mountain biking is transferring onto the BMX. Really, for mountain biking, all I’ve had to do is get on the trail bike a little bit more. I’m fortunate I live by a really good mountain, Greer, in Southern California, and there are people like Rachel and Kyle Strait, and just amazing bike riders around me, so we’ve started riding with all of them. That’s brought up my endurance levels a lot, quite quickly, which I haven’t had from doing 30-second sprints at BMX events.

You mentioned in your Crankworx bio that you’ve got your sights set on the Queen of Crankworx title. What’s your strategy?

I’ve looked a little bit at the points schedule to see what actually counts this year, and what I can focus my energy on. It’s quite logistically challenging with me and Barry travelling together. We’re like ‘Damn, we’re going to have to travel with six bikes to that event?!’ So we’ve decided on pump track. He’s doing the speed and style, and then the Air DH at all of the events, and I’m going to dabble in the downhill at some, as well. I’m focusing on the ones I think I could do well at, and be up there on the podium. Jill Kintner’s definitely going to be one that’s hard to beat. She has that past knowledge of winning the title, and being consistent in the whole season. So I think between her and Anneke, they’re definitely going to be the ones that are going to be in contention and battling all year.

While pump track dominance may be in this BMX star's blood, the 26-year-old opens her season with Crankworx on the Air DH course as she ventures toward new goals. Photo: Scott Robarts.

You’ve talked before about how much you like the vibe at Crankworx. What do you mean by that?

It’s just the vibe of it...it comes back to just enjoying the ride, enjoying what two wheels is about and the love...there’s actually so much great synergy between the crowd that’s just drinking beer and loving it, and really getting into the excitement of it all. Then the athletes, we’re out there putting on a good show, and whilst there’s the competition side of it, there’s the lifestyle side of it and that buzz and energy. There’s the video events going on at night and the different launches. Everything combines into what mountain biking is about, and what events really should be like. I think a lot of events around the world have really lost track of the sport side of it, and the fun, and the heart and the adrenaline, and it’s become so much just a qualifying step. So that’s my biggest excitement for Crankworx this year, and Barry thinks the same. We’re excited to be a part of it and be a part of the show.

When we think of you and Barry, it’s hard not to go back to that moment on the pump track in Whistler in 2014, with both of you on the top step. Do you think we’ll see another Caroline/Barry podium-topping moment this season?

We would love to. It’s the only time for us ever in our career we’ve both stood on the exact same podium at the same time, and I remember it poured down rain a few moments afterward, and it was just sort of for us that fairy tale moment. We would love to make that happen again.

Engaged and engaging, the Caroline Buchanan and Barry Nobles pairing could prove wildfire on the pump track, where their last Crankworx showing had them sharing the top podium spot. Photo: Nina Porcelli Fenn.

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