|
|
Crankworx 2006: Part Three
27th July 2006 - Peter Mozola
Back to articles
July 26, 2006. This is the day of the Jim Beam Air downhill. Racers from every corner of the globe are here to challenge the most famous mountain bike trail in existence. Their objective is vastly different than most who roll down it. A-line is famous for its jumps, but for today, each of those is an obstacle to speed.
You can't gain speed pedalling when you are in the air.
There were nearly 200 competitors for this event in all. I chose to shoot the pro categories only because I really did not feel like baking in the sun all day long.
Brian Lopes - Air DH
This is the race that calls out all the big guns of the DH world.
Cedric Gracia is hungry and wants his Number 1 plate back, but Brian Lopes has returned to Downhill with a vengeance. This was going to be a fight for sure, but first up were the Women.
Fionn Griffiths was the overall favourite for this win, but Canadian Cove bike team rider Danika Schroeter knows this trail intimately and is on a charge this year.
These two were separated by just over a second at the finish, with Fionn just edging Danika out, however their times were smashed by an un-sponsored Whistler local; Jenn Ashton.
Jenn's name is not widely known in Mountain biking. For her it's a training ground for her real passion.
Jenn is most known for sending huge cliffs and killing sick lines in the world of competitive Freeskiing. Jenn is an athlete and competitor through and through. She has the mental toughness to huck things that would make most of the top Freeriders in the world turn weak in the knees, but she just proved that she has the speed to oust the best when she wants to.
Jenn Ashton
After her performance there was now a buzz in the crowd, could the same happen in the Men's pro category? Could some local snipe a win from the worlds fastest?
As the Pros started taking to the dirt, times started to fall. People were running fast, really fast.
BC local Cove Bikes teammate to Danika, and newly crowned Canadian Downhill Champion Andrew Mitchell came down with a blistering time of 4:22.05.
This was going to be hard to beat. With just five racers left the time had still not been taken down and people were starting to murmur about a possible big upset.
Danika Schroeter
However, the remaining five included the biggest names in DH.
Australia's Bryn Atkinson cranked out a 4:21.48, pushing Andrew into the silver medal spot by over half a second.
This left just two to go, Cedric and Brian running in that order.
Cedric pedaled past me with brutal intensity and I heard the time called out over the PA system.
4:21.43, He had taken the lead by a mere five one hundredths of a second. A margin so small you would not have been able to see it with your eyes had they been together at the line.
With Brian Lopes on course it seemed almost impossible to imagine a faster time.
With just over a month before his 35th birthday, Brian Lopes proved once again why he is a three time champion with nearly twenty MTB titles.
He absolutely crushed the field, posting a 4:19.05, nearly two and a half seconds ahead of second place.
Bryn Atkinson
When he crossed the line, I didn't even hear the time called out… the massive roar that went up from the crowd was enough to let me know the outcome.
Feeling a little drained from the excitement, I wandered down through the Boneyard to see if I still felt like shooting anything. There were tons of people out, lots of things getting hit, but only a couple of things I saw were noteworthy.
First, was Nelson BC local Amos Franke poaching the course so well that nobody even noticed he didn't have a number plate. I asked him if he was looking forward to the qualifier and he quietly said "shhh... I'm not in it…. I am not supposed to be here, but when else will I get to hit stuff this good"
Amos Franke
Second, was Benton Hennig.
Having only five days ago picked up a ride on team NSMB.com, by winning their third Airprentice Comp, he was flipping the giant step up at the top of the course.
He came over to me and said he was done for the day, so I decided to head down with him.
Near the bottom of the course we bumped into Whistler Bike Park Patroller Shawn, who mentioned to Benton that the massive final stunt was currently open, though it would not be in tomorrow's qualifier.
Benton shyly inquired if he could hit it. Shawn mentioned some of Freeridings elite huckers had looked at it and opted not to be the first to guinea pig the stunt.
Benton climbed up the ladder, walked to the edge and returned.
He inquired again to Shawn if it was ok to hit, and was given a green light.
Without any ceremony or show, Benton Hennig took the Jumbotron Drop's virginity.
And he did so with style.
Henning opening the final stunt
Amos Franke making it look so easy
Cedric Gracia
Fionn Griffiths
|
|
|
|
