EVENT: CRANKWORX WORLD TOUR
ROTORUA 2015 SLOPESTYLE
BRETT RHEEDER PROVES THE FIRST MAN
ON DECK FOR THE TRIPLE CROWN OF SLOPESTYLE
Brandon Semenuk scrubs out for a disappointing finish in 1st Crankworx Slopestyle
(Brett Rheeder takes the first round of the Triple Crown of Slopestyle with a perfectly executed first run)
BRETT RHEEDER ONE POINT AHEAD FOR TRIPLE CROWN SLOPESTYLE!
Brett Rheeder will be the first man capable of winning the new Triple Crown of Slopestyle and earning the $50,000 prize pot on the line for winning all three Crankworx events. Clocking an unmatchable first run on a course with nine trickable features—which levelled many a rider, including the dominant force in Slopestyle, Brandon Semenuk—Rheeder turned his second run into a victory lap, bringing friend and fellow Canadian Logan Peat along for the ride.
“I feel amazing. I don’t think anyone expected to land the runs, due to the conditions of today’s course. But just getting down to the bottom and having a victory lap – I’ve never had a victory lap before, so it’s pretty special right now,” said Rheeder.
OPENING FOR FMB DIAMOND SERIES
The event was the opening round of the FMB Diamond Series and the first competition in the new Crankworx Triple Crown of Slopestyle, a season-long challenge to see if any rider can win all three Slopestyle events on the Crankworx World Tour.
Heavy rain closed the course for the first half of the day, pushing competition back by two-and-a-half hours. While the course was kept dry under tarps, it was nevertheless a slick competitor of its own, at one point levelling Carson Storch, Brandon Semenuk, Antoine Bizet and Paul Genovese, who bailed out on runs one after another, after another and another.
PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR RHEEDER
Rheeder will now have to win the Les 2 Alpes Slopestyle and Red Bull Joyride in Whistler.
“I think it’s going to be so insanely hard to keep winning these events, but I’ll just do my best, and if it ends up happening at the end of the year, that’s amazing,” said Rheeder.
Rheeder had big compliments for Kelly McGarry, saying he was impressed with how trickable it he and building partner Tom Hey had made the run.
“I really feel the course did come together well, it looks great and it rides great and the competition was really awesome,” said McGarry. “So we’re stoked to come back for next year.”
CORK-720 IS THE NEW BLACK!
Nicholi Rogatkin executed a perfect second run packed with tricks to finish in second with a backflip double tail-whip.
“I was in disbelief, you know. I pulled the exact run that I wanted and to see the fans appreciate that, and the judges be stoked on that, there’s really no better feeling,” he said.
By far and away, the trick of the moment for the competition was a cork-720, generating huge reaction from the crowd and prompting announcer Brad Jay to declare “the cork-720 is the new black.”
“The trick I was most happy with was the flip-360 on the last jumps and the opo whip on the step-up,” said Genon.
The Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle brought in 6000 fans for the the final event of the five-day inaugural Crankworx Rotorua.
THE RESULTS …
Pro Men’s Results
1. Brett RHEEDER
2. Nicholi ROGATKIN
3. Thomas GENON
All information and photos by Crankworx