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Crankworx 2006: Part Two
27th July 2006 - Peter Mozola
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Yesterday was an off day in the Crankworx schedule. There were no on hill events, just training. There was little for me to cover, except the Events crew putting the finishing touches on the stunts and raking out the Boneyard.
Today featured the "Super D". This event is relatively new overall, so I will take a minute to explain it.
A Super D is a blend between a Cross Country Mountain bike race and a Downhill. More precisely it is basically a downhill event in which legs are separated by climbing sections.
With the help of Richie Schley and Brian Lopes to ensure the course had a good enough balance between endurance and adrenaline I was actually anticipating seeing this. I am not what one would call a rabid XC fan, though I respect these athletes immensely, so for me to be at all enthused about an event with climbing in it is saying something.
Adam Craig with Dave Burch on his heels
The course started just above the top of the Fitzsimmons Chair, with a short start climb leading into an aggressive downhill section.
There was a few places one could shoot photos, I opted for the start. I was lugging around almost fifty pounds of camera gear and did not feel like trying to chase anyone around the hill.
Looking at the list of Pro Men I was pleased to see that Brian Lopes was listed amongst some of XC's elite such as Team Giant's Adam Craig and Rocky Mountain's Andreas Hestler. I figured that the start would be a great place to catch Lopes sprinting. However Pro Men was the last category to go, so I would just have to wait.
Number 193 Dion Clark wisely staying away from the crowd
One of the most exciting starts I saw was surprisingly in the Men's Master Amateur category. Gunning down the start straight elbows were in full force to ensure a spot through the first corner. At the finish, Dion Clark took the win here with a time of 11:48.34 which was only bested by the Men's Pro winner.
The Women's categories had some last minute cancellations and "No-Shows" so they were all grouped together at the start. Though it turned out that Pro Women would only be Charlotte Klein, she was pleased to have others to race with… at least at the start.
Charlotte Klein riding solo
Finally the Pro Men's category was called up. I pulled focus on the start line and instead of the five I was expecting, there were only two.
Oregon's Adam Craig and Whistler's Dave Burch.
Brian Lopes, Andreas Hestler, and Yoshito Tsuji were absent. They would remain that way.
I walked over and chatted with them for a few minutes prior to their start and got the bright idea that I might be able to shoot their start, sprint to the Chair and ride it down in time to catch their finish.
I was wrong. I was not that fast. They were indeed faster.
I did manage to catch Craig sailing off the GLC drop on the way to his win from the chair.
I missed Dave Burch though because of the massive Slopestyle finish stunt blocking my view when he went off.
I did however hear the crowd roar because he sailed off the drop with a nicely tweaked tabletop. Who says XC guys can't rip.
Floating off the GLC drop
Making the name known
All the lines of the slopestyle course
Raking and finishing the Boneyard
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