Well, that's a wrap on Crankworx Rotorua 2019. But before you cut off your wristbands, pack up your bikes and hang up your helmets, let's take a walk down memory lane and relive some of the best moments from the week.
Day one of Crankworx 2019 was relatively quiet on the main grounds of Skyline Rotorua, as the bulk of the action was happening in the Redwoods - Whakarewarewa Forest at the 100% Dual Slalom.
One of the fastest events at Crankworx, the Dual Slalom is a crowd-pleasing and energetic way to kick off the festival.
We got our first glimpse at the Mons Royale Speed & Style competitors during the practice session on this day and we could already tell that it was going to be an entertaining event.
Meanwhile, the Rotorua Air DH presented by Bosch took place on the trails of Skyline Rotorua in the afternoon, with Mons athletes Shania Rawson and Ronja Hill-Wright putting down blistering times. Shania ultimately got to climb the podium steps to third place behind heavyweights Vaea Verbeeck and Anneke Beerten.
It was the day we'd all been waiting for; the Mons Royale Speed and Style. And although our Mons athletes faced some freakish bad luck when it came to competing (injuries, broken bikes etc.), we were stoked to see Kiwi Billy Meaclem come out on top after a crazy nail-biter of an event.
Later, Mons athlete Peter Kaiser turned his luck around and clinched the top spot in the Official Oceania Whip-Off Championships presented by SPANK. That guy sure can get his bike sideways.
Racing kits went on for the Crankworx Rotorua Downhill presented by the Professionals on Friday. Shania Rawson was among a Pro Elite group of legendary racers, but still put up a solid time.
Later that night, she blew us away during the RockShox Rotorua Pump Track Challenge, dominating the field in every round. She narrowly lost to Kialani Hines in the finals, but was nevertheless stoked to win second place. Impressive work Shania.
Arguably one of the most anticipated events of Crankworx is the Maxxis Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza. Surprising no one, Brett Rheeder laid down an seemingly effortless run, earning him a cool 93.75 in the first round. After that, no one could touch him and he walked away with first place, followed by Tomas Lemoine and Alex Alanko.
After the slopestyle, the inaugural Mons vs. Maxxis party got underway featuring tunes from the Redbull Sugga and MC'ed by the godfather of mountain biking himself, Brett Tippie. In the mini-bike jousting competition, the Mons team fought hard, but ultimately the Maxxis crew came out on top.
After a week of blue skies and beautiful temperatures, of course it would rain on the day of the EWS100. However, the Mons women Phoebe Coers and Ronja Hill-Wright took it in stride and grinned through the muddy stages at Skyline Roturua and the Redwoods. Phoebe took home fourth place, narrowly missing a spot on the podium, but setting herself up well for the next EWS stop in Tasmania.
Thanks for joining us at one of the world's most epic mountain bike festivals. We had a blast. Look for us at the next stop of the Crankworx World Tour in Innsbruck, June 12th - 16th.
Photos: Jay French and Katie Lozancich (Teton Gravity Research)
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