When the Whistler Mountain Bike Park opened for the season in May, park manager Brian Finestone said he expected it to be in top shape for the 10 days of Crankworx.
Less than 72 hours before the mountain bike festival kicks off, as it runs July 15 to 24, Finestone’s prediction appeared to be ringing true.
“The lower mountain is riding more like we typically see in early June. We haven’t got into the dusty, dry, potholed time of the year that are usually the conditions around Crankworx,” Finestone said Tuesday (July 12). “The trails in general, racetracks or not, are all fantastic right now, and I think the people that are here (to compete) are starting to realize just how good the bike park is because a lot of those people miss that stuff in typical years.”
Finestone’s trail crews have been hard at work getting the downhill courses prepared, especially with plenty of snow left over from the winter and this year’s Crankworx being several weeks earlier than usual.
“A few things conspired against us between the late spring, the amount of snow and the earlier date — we had our work cut out for us,” he said.
Despite those challenges, Finestone said the Garbanzo Downhill scheduled for Tuesday (July 19) will keep the same course as last year — kicking off at the Garbanzo lift hut and showcasing a number of the park’s trails en route to the finish area.
“The original course, the snow has been completely removed and we’ve improved a bunch of sections,” he said. “We’ve cut some pedal-catcher roots and improved the trail to the point where it should be the best Garbanzo Downhill we’ve had in a few years.”
Adding to the time constraints was the movement of the Canadian Open Downhill on the schedule. The race has been traditionally held late in the week, but Finestone’s glad to see it moved to the opening weekend (Sunday, July 17).
“Normally, it’s been the Sunday after the slopestyle and I don’t think it got its fair spectator share by being after that big show,” said Finestone. “This year’s course has been ramped up yet again.”
The Heckler Rock under the Fitzsimmons Chair will no doubt be a popular spot for spectators, but Finestone said there will also be a “high-speed road gap” lower down on the course where a wood road gap for the slopestyle course was once located, and the area should make for a good spot to take in the action as well.
Meanwhile, the slopestyle course being constructed in the Boneyard by Paddy Kaye’s Joyride Bike Parks team for the July 23 Red Bull Joyride is coming together nicely as well, said Finestone.
“The full re-design with Red Bull on board has allowed them to be a little more creative,” said Finestone. “They brought in some new dirt and their own hydro-seed grass, so it’s going to be a whole new look and feel to that course.”
Outside of the bike park, one event is making a comeback, as the Fat Tire Crit will be held in Whistler Olympic Plaza, providing a spectator-friendly race that’s been absent for several years.
The event gets Crankworx underway on Friday and will feature an 800-metre loop, with riders in the men’s and women’s divisions racing for 20 minutes plus five laps. Competitors will be pulled off the course as the races progress so only eight remain for the final five laps.
“It was really before Crankworx was called Crankworx, so it was a while ago,” said Crankworx’s Leslie Tomlinson, recalling the last time Whistler hosted a mountain bike criterium.
“In my experience as a pro racer, it was always an exciting showcase of a different aspect of mountain biking because it’s a very short track… and it’s head-to-head, right in front of the crowd,” added Tomlinson. “It’s also something to bring the event down into the Village instead of looking up at everything. Being right in Whistler Olympic Plaza, it’s something that the crowd can really get involved in.”
Most of the week’s competitive events will be webcast live if you’re not able to make it down to watch in person. For a full rundown of Crankworx events, check out www.crankworx.com.
