The world's largest moutain bike festival
Emil Johansson is on top of the world once again. The young Swedish rider continued his Crankworx Slopestyle winning streak today, taking the win in the event in Innsbruck. Though his victories span the course of more than a year - Red Bull Joyride, August 2019, Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle, March 2020 and now, six months later, the Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle - his dominance is undeniable. But despite having now won every Crankworx Slopestyle contest there is to win, the drive that’s pushed Johansson to the top was still hungry for more. The highs and lows Johansson experienced were consistent with the vibe of the day.
The 14 invited riders spent the day battling not just each other and their own inner demons, but also the elements. Many were forced to wait for the wind to settle before dropping in, and more than a few crossed the finish line and patted their hearts with their hands, the relief of having crossed the finish line obvious. And all-in he went. The 21-year-old’s run over the eight judged hits included a 360 windshield wiper/360 tailwhip to downwhip, an oppo truck driver to downside whip on the whale tail and an oppo 360 tailwhip to topside barspin on the final jump.
“Emil was pretty amazing today again,” said Tomas Lemoine, who finished his day in second place. “I’m stoked to make it to the podium. Let’s focus again for Speed & Style now.” The Frenchman was riding a high today after landing on the podium in last night’s Pump Track contest. As one of the only Slopestyle riders who competes in other disciplines, he’ll look to continue riding that wave of momentum into the Speed & Style later today. Lemoine earned his score of 90 after a super clean first run. As the last two riders to drop at the end of the second runs, he conferred with Emil and opted to do a victory lap, instead of making a push for the top. Rounding out the podium, a second Red Bull rider and favourite of many because of his signature style. “Super happy because I messed up my first run,” said Erik Fedko, who improved on his first run score of 41.66, finishing his day with an 88. Overall, the vibe amongst the Slope riders mirrored that of the festival as a whole. While there are no spectators on site to drive the energy up, riders have said they’re just happy to be back.
1. Emil Johansson, SWE – 94 pts.
2. Tomas Lemoine, FRA - 90 pts.
3. Erik Fedko, GER - 88 pts.
Men:
1. Adrien Loron (FRA)
2. Chaney Guennet (FRA)
3. Tomas Lemoine (FRA)
Women:
1. Mathilde Bernard (FRA)
2. Kathi Kuypers (GER)
3. Paula Zibasa (LAT)
Loron won in a tight battle that’s played out many times before in Crankworx locations all over the world. In fact, Chaney Guennet has taken first on the Innsbruck Pump Track twice before (2017 and 2018) while Loron had won once (2019) before today. On the women’s side, some talented locals fought hard to take on a mix of top international riders. Bernard and Germany’s Kathi Kuypers battled it out for first, with the French rider taking both rounds. Third place went to local rider Paula Zibasa, who also earns her first Crankworx podium on this challenging track.
Thrills, spills and riding bikes with friends - the spirit of Crankworx is back with a vengeance in Innsbruck, and the Austrian festival has crowned its first champions under sunny skies, surrounded by the snowy Austrian Alps. “It’s really good to be back racing. Enjoying the mountains and riding bikes with friends,” said Adrien Loron, who took the W for the pro men in today’s Dual Slalom Innsbruck. On the women’s side, the win was the continuation of a streak of strong performances. Former Downhill World Champion (2012) turned EWS racer Morgane Charre finished her Enduro season on top, with the highest points total among the women after three races. Today’s gold was icing on the cake for her.
Men:
1. Adrien Loron (FRA)
2. Luke Meier-Smith (AUS)
3. Bernard Kerr (GBR)
Women:
1. Morgane Charre (FRA)
2. Mathilde Bernard (FRA)
3. Luana Chereches (ROU)
“First proper international big race,” said the 18-year-old, who’ll be 19 in December. “I’m pretty stoked.” Charging over the final drop and across the finish line, her time pushed her into the hot seat. But with three heavy-hitters set to drop after her, including Tracey Hannah who’s won the event three times, the pressure was on. In the end, Hannah’s time was +0.951 behind the Austrian, placing her in second. Third went to French rider Morgane Charre, who adds to her gold medal from earlier in the week in the Dual Slalom.
Following the Pro Women, a tight field of top men took to the track. Trummer’s speedy run pushed the USA’s Charlie Harrison out of the top spot but, like Höll, his hold on first place was far from guaranteed with Mick Hannah, Ed Masters, Laurie Greenland and Brook Macdonald still to go. But hold his time did, with the final four unable to catch him. “It’s perfect to win here,” said the 26-year-old, who placed 14th in this race in 2018. “Without the home crowd, but still at home. It’s the nicest place to win.” It was a feeling echoed by Höll, who said to race at home, and be back with her peers and supporter crew, is something special. Behind Trummer, Masters clocked a 2:50.73, Harrison would finish his day in third.
Men:
1. David Trummer (AUT) - 2:48.081
2. Ed Masters (NZL) + 1.655
3. Charlie Harrison (USA) +1.870
Women:
1. Valentina Höll (AUT) - 3:12.139
2. Tracey Hannah (AUS) +0.951
3. Morgane Charre (FRA) +6.211
Text and photo: quattro media GmbH
