All hail Crankworx
Crankworx is like mountain bike Christmas, but four times a year. This past weekend, the raddest riders in the world descended on Innsbruck to compete in whip-offs, dual slalom, pumptrack, speed & style, downhill and slopestyle competitions, and more. Most importantly, they were in Innsbruck to have a really good time and celebrate all the incredible things that can be accomplished on two wheels.
Naturally, a large contingent of participants showed up on Trek bikes. From Emil Johansson’s history-making slopestyle run, to Caroline Buchanan’s incredible reign as the Queen of Crankworx, to Kade Edwards dropping jaws in the whip-off, here were some of our favorite moments from Innsbruck.
Emil Johansson cannot be stopped.
Emil Johansson may be an alien
For the first time in his incredible run of success, Johansson had to come from behind to win a Crankworx slopestyle event after being bumped down to second place after Dawid Goziek’s run in Round 1. With his back against the wall, Johansson pulled out all the stops and busted out two world-first tricks for his winning run. Via Pinkbike:
“I did an oppo 3 windshield wiper on the last one, I did an oppo 3 unturndown to regular double downwhip,” Johansson said. “I brought the switch truck to double downwhip out in Rotorua and that kind of opened up my mind to how I can flip this and make it different. I thought about it and I came up with this trick that I started working on later on and all of a sudden I felt like it was close enough to try it.”
Johansson won his 12th Crankworx slopestyle title, breaking Brandon Semenuk’s record, and won Crankworx’s famed “Triple Crown” for the third year in a row, extending a streak that no one may ever approach. Watch his winning run, and gaze at greatness.
Caroline Buchanan is unstoppable as Queen of Crankworx
There’s nothing Buchanan can’t do on two wheels. The Australian BMX and pumptrack dynamo has been upping her freestyle game over the last few years, and is one of the most impressive riders you’ll ever see.
In Innsbruck, she won the pumptrack competition, while also placing fourth in dual slalom, sixth in speed & style, and 19th in downhill. Watch her win yet another pumptrack title below.
Vali is on a heater.
Vali Höll can't stop winning in her home country
Right off the heels of her first DH World Cup win of the season in Leogang, Höll went to Innsbruck and scored a second big win in a row by a whopping 9.4 seconds. Innsbruck is just a two hour drive from Höll’s hometown of Salzburg. She has had plenty of friends and family cheering her, and in return she’s been giving them performances for the ages.
You can watch her winning run below:
Kade was made for whip-offs.
Kade Edwards RIPS in the whip-off
Edwards took third in the men’s competition with a thing of beauty. Not much more needs to be said, just enjoy:
Reece Wilson gets back on a Session
It has been a long road back for Wilson, who suffered a broken leg early this year and has been gradually working his way back into racing form. He isn’t 100 percent just yet, but he was able to get several runs down the course, and he’ll be participating in Round 3 of the DH World Cup in Val di Sole this weekend. (He and the boys will also be rocking some absolutely stunning kit and Session frames.)
The Scotsman is not only one of the best downhill riders in the world when healthy, but also one of the most engaging personalities. When he was in Innsbruck he took time out to give some braking tips in terms of his second favorite sport: Golf.
So fetch
Wilson and Edwards took out Trek’s new Fetch+ 2 and had a blast with it. Note: This is not the Fetch’s intended use case, but boy is it fun to watch:
Our favorite images
Enjoy a selection of some incredible sights, courtesy of photographer Boris Beyer:
