NEWS: CRANKWORX ACTION HEATS UP
WITH SMOKING FOX AIR DH WIN
Bas Van Steenbergen steams through 30 riders in the hot seat, while Jill Kintner risks it all on a trail bike
(Jill Kintner pins it down A-Line in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park on Wednesday afternoon, delivering a blistering 4:22.74 minute time and a fourth win in the Fox Air DH.)
"HOT SEAT" DEFINED!
Bas Van Steenbergen redefined the meaning of the word in the “hot seat” at Crankworx, Whistler, sweating out 30 full runs in first spot, from the top downhill racers in the world, to win the Fox Air DH 2016.
Temperatures are soaring in the mountains, leaving the courses hot, dry, dusty and rutty for the 10-day festival as Whistler plays host to 1200 riders and 130,000 spectators.
“That was nerve-wracking; it wasn’t the greatest. I would rather have dropped in a little bit earlier next time,” said Van Steenbergen, who lives and trains in Kelowna, B.C.
Like many of the racers who grew up in the Crankworx scene, he has put in his time, making the pilgrimage to Whistler to race for the last six years. This was his top Crankworx result.
“I got a fourth in Les Gets in Speed & Style and then a fourth here in Speed & Style, but this is definitely the highlight,” he said, sweat pouring down his brow under the blazing sun in the finish corral.
Van Steenbergen and his older brother, Tom, gave the crowds quite the show just four days before during the first live broadcast event of the festival. Tom nailed the first double backflip in Dual Speed & Style history to achieve received the first perfect 100 ever awarded in the judged sport, which sees the riders races the clock and another competitor, while delivering freestyle tricks along the course.
The Fox Air DH is one of three downhill races at Crankworx and American Jill Kintner made her star shine a little brighter after bringing in her fourth win in the event, and moving her ever-closer to securing the 2016 Queen of the Crankworx title. The title is bestowed on the athlete who accrues the most points for out-competing the field in all disciplines on all levels, and Kintner has enjoyed a strong lead all week.
“This was my main objective for the year. I didn’t do World Cup and I’ve kind of been on the Crankworx program. For me, it just seems like it makes more sense to be spending your resources in three stops instead of a World Tour. You get so much more media coverage. You get four days of racing in a row. I don’t know, you just get more back as an athlete and it’s just a good program—fun atmosphere,” said Kintner.
Owing to the fast practice times, Kintner opted to race on a trail bike, rather than a downhill bike, and said the decision made for a sketchier ride, but may have bought her a valuable few seconds.
“I felt fast, but it’s definitely hard to control your speed and you overshoot a lot of things. So I had to really scrub the jumps, and I had to time everything perfectly,” she said.
RESULTS
Pro Men
1. Bas VAN STEENBERGEN (CAN) – Kelowna 4:04.02
2. Harry HEATH (GBR) 4:05.01
3. Mick HANNAH (AUS) 4:05.74
Pro Women
1. Jill Kintner (USA) – Bellingham, USA 4:22.74
2. Tracey Hannah (AUS) – 4:26.62
3. Vaea Verbeeck (CAN) – North Vancouver 4:27.76
Information and photo by Crankworx
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