Brandon Semenuk could be the first to win the Crankworx Triple CrownWith less than a month to go until the inaugural Crankworx Les Gets Slopestyle, one of the world’s best Slopestyle riders, Brandon Semenuk, has yet to confirm whether he will compete.
The Canadian rider won the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle in Memory of Kelly McGarry in March, leaving him the sole athlete with a shot at securing the prestigious Triple Crown of Slopestyle, in the same year he has a shot at a fifth Red Bull Joyride ring.
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Brandon’s supreme concentration and careful planning make him the uber-gifted competitor that he is. These events are stressful and he’s no less thoughtful in considering where he’s at before making the decision to compete.
We see this as the ultimate year for him to leave his mark on the sport he’s conquered, but it’s ultimately up to him. He is already the best athlete the sport has ever seen. From this point forward, it’s entirely up to him how the story unfolds,” says
Darren Kinnaird, Crankworx General Manager.
Brandon Semenuk getting ready to take on the Slopestyle course at Crankworx Les Deux Alpes in France (Photo by Clint Trahan/Crankworx)
Semenuk holds a Slopestyle medal from every location Crankworx has ever visited, pre- and post-World Tour, including the most gold medals – ten – in the history of the discipline. And with construction now well underway, he could be among the first to take on the Crankworx Les Gets Slopestyle course.
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More than 5000 cubic metres of earth was moved to create the new course and it’s got some quirks the athletes haven’t seen before,” says
Kinnaird.
Dropping in off of an eight-metre North Shore-style ramp, the riders will have three massive booters, a log ride and some major drops on which to craft the perfect run. The line is built by Alex Dropsy and crew, some of the best course builders in Europe, and it’s expected to give the predominantly Canadian and French field an arena to perform their best.
Thus far, Nicholi Rogatkin (USA), Brett Rheeder (CAN), Thomas Genon (BEL), Semenuk (CAN), Logan PEAT (CAN), Tomas Zejda (CZE) and the Sams, Pilgrim and Reynolds, of Great Britain have been invited, as the top eight riders from the 2015 FMB World Tour season.
In addition, Tomas Lemoine (FRA), Yannick Granieri (FRA), Mehdi Gani (FRA), Paul Genovese (CAN), Torquato Testa (ITA), Max Fredriksson (SWE), Anthony Messere (CAN) and Szymon Godziek (POL) have received invites as the top eight riders in the 2016 FMB rankings, along with wildcards Diego Caverzasi, (ITA),a newcomer who placed third at Swatch Rocket Air, and BMX legend Ryan Nyquist (USA), FISE Montpellier second place and former champion Cam Zink (USA).
Crankworx will be broadcast live on
Crankworx.com and
Pinkbike.com, and featured on Red Bull TV. The full broadcast schedule is:
• Crankworx
Les Gets Dual Speed & Style 5:30 p.m. CEST on Thursday, June 16 in Les Gets, 8:30 a.m. PST on Thursday, June 16 in Whistler and 3:30 a.m. on Friday, June 17 in Rotorua, New Zealand
• Crankworx
Les Gets Pump Track Challenge presented by Rockshox 8:00 p.m. CEST on Friday, June 17 in Les Gets, 11:00 a.m. PST on Friday, June 17 in Whistler and 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 18 in Rotorua, New Zealand
• Crankworx L
es Gets Slopestyle 4:30 p.m. CEST on Saturday, June 18 in Les Gets, 7:30 a.m. PST on Saturday, June 18 in Whistler and 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 19 in Rotorua, New Zealand
• Crankworx
Les Gets Downhill presented by iXS 2:00 p.m. CEST on Sunday, June 19 in Les Gets, 5:00 a.m. PST on Sunday, June 19 in Whistler and 12:00 a.m. on Monday, June 20 in Rotorua, New Zealand
Crankworx Les Gets Slopestyle course is coming together. Here are the latest pictures:
Crankworx Les Gets Slopestyle course build 2016
Les Gets mountain biking trails
MENTIONS:
@officialcrankworx
Horses for courses, but I'd rather watch Mark Mulville if I want to see tricks.
I'd be pissed off if Rogatikin lands the Twister with a really sketchy/sideways landing on the last jump and wins over Semen's usual clean landing from a 720 bar to tuck.