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MTB
This is what went down at Red Bull Joyride and Crankworx Whistler
Get all the essential info following the end of Red Bull Joyride and Crankworx Whistler 2023. Find out who won what here.
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The Crankworx Festival Series has now wrapped up following the end of action at the last stop in Whistler, Canada. Whistler is nothing without the iconic Red Bull Joyride slopestyle competition. Apart from Joyride, the usual competitions taking place synonymous with Crankworx Festivals – whip-off, slalom, downhill, pump track and speed & style – were on the week-long schedule of events.
The finale of the Crankworx series also means overall titles were awarded to the King and Queen of Crankworx. Scroll down for replay links, winning runs and highlights from the events at Crankworx Whistler that were shown by Red Bull TV.
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Catch the replays from Crankworx Whistler on Red Bull TV
- Red Bull Joyride – Watch the replay
- RockShox Canadian DH Open – Watch the replay
- Ultimate Pump Track Challenge – Watch the replay
- Crankworx Whistler Dual Slalom – Watch the replay
- Outdoor Research Speed and Style – Watch the replay
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What happened at Red Bull Joyride
Swedish freestyle star Emil Johansson pulled off the perfect season by taking his third Red Bull Joyride title at Whistler's famous Bone Yard.
The contest was restricted to just one run of competition due to high winds and poor weather conditions, but Johansson, who was smarting from a heavy crash in practice, scored a big 92.40 points on his run to win comfortably. Runner-up to Johansson was France's Paul Couderc, who was awarded 87 for his run, while Tom Isted of Britain took third place with a score of 83.80.
"I don't even know where to begin. I busted my shoulder this morning and I wasn’t really sure what level I would be able to perform," said Johansson. I decided to play it as safe as possible and really just wanted to make it down the hill."
12 min
Top 3 Slopestyle runs – Red Bull Joyride
Watch the three biggest and baddest Slopestyle runs thrown down at Red Bull Joyride 2023.
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What happened at Crankworx Whistler 2023?
A new downhill course, dubbed the 1199 in honour of the late, legendary Canadian downhill champion Stevie Smith, hosted the RockShox Canadian DH Open. Vali Höll was a class above in the women's event, beating British racer Louise Ferguson by nearly 20 seconds, with Canadian Miranda Miller third. The men's race saw Canada's Jakob Jewett edge out compatriot Mark Wallace by one second to take the win, with New Zealand's Tuhoto-Ariki Pene in third place.
Vali Höll was rewarded for making the trip out to Canada
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
At the Pump Track Challenge event, Kialani Hines and Tuhoto-Ariki Pene took the wins in the women's and men's events. American Garret Mechem and Australian Harriet Burbidge-Smith were the gold medalists in the Speed & Style contests, and Burbidge-Smith made it a double win in Whistler by taking the honours in the women's Dual Slalom event. Another Australian, Jackson Frew, claimed the men's title.
5 min
Dual Slalom final heats – Whistler
Watch the men's and women's final battle for Dual Slalom gold going down at Crankworx Whistler 2023.
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Who won the 2023 King and Queen of Crankworx titles?
The battle for the King and Queen of Crankworx title (fought over the course of all four Crankworx series events) came to its conclusion at Whistler. The 2022 King and Queen of Crankworx champions, Bas van Steenbergen and Caroline Buchanan, were leading the 2023 standings going into Whistler.
Buchanan had a sizeable 203 point lead over British athlete Martha Gill as Whistler started and her second place at the Pump Track Challenge gave the Australian enough points to secure the Queen title for the second year running with two more events still to go for her in the week. Buchanan's final points total was 988, with Gill on 764. Another Brit, Louise Ferguson, placed third with 692 points.
In the King battle, Tuhoto-Ariki Pene managed to claim more points over the week of events in comparrison to Canadian van Steenbergen to take the title. Pene finished on 839 points while van Steenberge finished on 763. Australian Jackson Frew was third on 736 points.
A new King of Crankworx – Tuhoto-Ariki Pene
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
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What makes Red Bull Joyride so special as a slopestyle contest?
13 min
The history of Red Bull Joyride
As Red Bull Joyride reaches its 10th anniversary, here’s a brief history of this iconic Slopestyle MTB event.
Whistler is arguably where the sport of slopestyle was born and took root, so the reverence given to Red Bull Joyride by competitors and spectators alike is no surprise. The event at Whistler Bike Park's legendary Bone Yard is the one that all the slopestylers want on their win sheet. Whereas fans want to be among the electrifying atmosphere of mountain bike's most spectated event.
There's nothing quite like the Bone Yard at Red Bull Joyride
© Scott Serfas/Red Bull Content Pool
The thing that grabs people's attention, whether spectating or competing there for the first time, is the sheer size of The Bone Yard. No amount of videos you've watched or photos you've seen do it justice. You have to see it for yourself. Riding it seems fairly implausible, never mind doing so while throwing crazy combinations of tricks the competitors perform.
A competitor wows the crowds at Red Bull Joyride
© Reuben Krabbe
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What does the Red Bull Joyride course look like?
The course underwent a significant redesign in 2019 that was welcomed by competitors for its seamless flow and stripped-down features.
In 2022, one new feature, The Sphere, was added. The Sphere was the first fan-selected feature introduced to the Red Bull Joyride course. Fans had the chance to vote for their favourite feature created for Brandon Semenuk's edit, Realm, and The Sphere came out on top of the four features constructed for Realm. Elevated above a two-way Hip, the skatepark-inspired bowl acted as a puzzling crux amid the fast-flowing slopestyle course.
2 min
Slopestyle preview – Red Bull Joyride
Slopestyle icon Griffin Paulson takes us through the legendary Whistler course ahead of Red Bull Joyride.
All-new Speed & Style and Dual Slalom courses debuted at Crankworx Whistler in 2023. Both are located in the Bone Yard at the base of Whistler Mountain, and they are sure to provide the riders with a testing challenge. The downhill course for the Canadian Open DH is also new. Dubbed the “1199” in honour of the late, legendary Canadian downhill talent Stevie Smith and his historic 2013 World Cup overall title (culminating with 1199 points), the trail is 2.5km in length and has three massive drops, is plenty steep and multiple line choices.
Backflips come with ease to Robin Goomes
© Bartek Wolinski/@wolisphoto
Download the free Red Bull TV app and replay all the action from Whistler.
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