It all came down to speed at this year’s Mons Royale Dual Speed & Style with the entire contest coming down to a 0.82 point margin between a lightening fast Tomas Slavik and style sender Kyle Straight after a tightly fought second and final run of the mens final.
A heated afternoon of racing filled with upsets and controversies boiled down to the final showdown between the two on-form men of the day. Strait was looking like he was the man to beat all evening with his blend of blistering speed and boosted tricks, but Slavik’s Dual Slalom race approach, which saw him still pedalling mid-air, was chosen over Kyle Straight’s backflip to massive double tail whip on the final run of the night. The judges were quick to award the final decision but only by the smallest of margins.
Kyle Strait with the double tail whip on the final jump that was just not enough to beat Tomas Slavik. P: Quentin Kenning
Strait was blisteringly fast all day but it was just not enough in the final matchup against Slavik. P: Cam McDermid
Tomas Slavik in beast mode. P: Quentin Kenning
The pioneering women of Dual Speed & Style went went straight to a final between Casey Brown and Jill Kintner, which saw Casey go down on the last jump in the second heat giving the win to Kintner. It was the first time that the women had competed in Dual Speed & Style and the girls were absolutely sending it and paving the way for the future.
Kintner and Casey were tightly matched going head to head earlier in the day. P: Quentin Kenning
In the end Jill Kintner bested Casey Brown in both heats, taking the historic win. P: Cam McDermid
A massive end to a massive day. P: Quentin Kenning
There was plenty of controversy up until the final rounds of the event when Adrien Loron was disqualified in his semi-final for a false start, which meant he had to miss out on the finals.
Last year’s winner and favourite Martin Soderstrom went down on the slick lower slalom section in his second heat of the quarter final matchup against Kyle Strait and was visibly frustrated to be taken out of contention. Local favourite Conor Macfarlane chose the style approach, but was taken out in the final elimination rounds by faster opponents and summed up the challenge of competing in this unique event: “Man, it’s so hard to do tricks, and race at the same time.”
Loron coming to terms with the disqualification in a post-heat interview. P: Cam McDermid
Martin Soderstrom was a favourite all day until a crash in the quarters took him out of the running. P: Cam McDermid
Conor Macfarlane exploded out of the gates in each race. P: Quentin Kenning
But found that his choice to trick the jumps put him far enough behind opponents to be out of the running. P: Quentin Kenning
Falling behind on the treacherous outside line. P: Quentin Kenning
A style hungry crowd had lined the lower areas of the course next to the whip jump and were vocal in their demand for tricks (especially the old favourite backflip) from competitors as they sent the final ramps before the finish line. It was a massively entertaining day of racing in an event that is hugely popular with both racers and fans alike.
Stoked Emmerson Wilken. P: Quentin Kenning
Style vs Style. P: Quentin Kenning
Kyle Straight rips past the VIPs. P: Cam McDermid
Fans were on form all evening. P: Quentin Kenning
Future Dual Speed & Style frothers. P: Cam McDermid
Crankworx continues tonight with the Pump Track Challenge and the Mons Royale pop-up shop will be open until 10pm so make sure to stick around after the Pump Track session. It’s sure to be a big night!
