Crankworx Rotorua 2019 | Downhill | EDGEsport

fans of world-class fast the wait is over da tracing is back Crankworx round one is on the world's fastest mountain bikers have made the annual pilgrimage to Skyline Rotorua to make their offerings to the gods of speed last year Kiwi king of Crankworx Sam flanken soft kept it clean and filthy conditions to take the W can he keep the good times rolling in 2019 in the women's field australian tracy hannah is looking for some Rotorua redemption after a crash here in 2018 prevented the Crankworx downhill champ from even taking the start the Crankworx Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals returns to the mountain bike Mecca of the North Island expect routes a rad racetrack and some good times race fans it's time for some downhill action out here our second broadcast day of our first stop on the crank words world tour for 2019 of course that means we're in beautiful Rotorua New Zealand I'm your host kamek all alongside downhill racing specialist Andrew needling and Andrew not as much mud as we had last year so we're gonna see dust where we had mud before and we're gonna see this guy returning see if he can make it two in a row we are sampling consult a reigning championship winner yet we're gonna see him dropping gloss so we can have a lot of anticipation to see if he can back up all these great results from lordship he had two wins here came the Redwoods Donnell and a rodeo rider Daniel he went on to have some great consistent results and another podium to take that overall last season this event just catapulted his whole year it was amazing he wasn't somebody that the entire world was talking about as a potential champion for the king of Crankworx but he won those races here that you were just speaking about and then he followed the entire tour and just continued earning those points he ended up being the king of Crankworx in 2018 yeah unbelievable performance he even came to some events on his own bat so it was great to see that consistency really paid off for him so we all loved becoming a part of the action and this year Crankworx has partnered with pink bike to bring you the fantasy competition so we've all been signing up building our teams and take a look at Andrews team right here yeah so I've gone with via via BEC she's currently leading our queen of Crankworx finn isles his second year in elite i'm looking for him to do some good things and people like Deane Lucas on a new bike Brook McDonald I know he's gonna be a powerhouse this season so big prizes up for grabs for the racers but also for you fans out there so we still have a couple more events we got pumptrack tonight slopestyle tomorrow so if you miss building your team for down hill get on pink bike and build your team up but let's talk about the women's field of course a lot of competition there and we talked about the king crown up for grabs for the men but the queen crown for the women there's a lot of stuff already developing so far this this event but Tracy Hanna she took the overall last year and she's looking fresh already Andrew and she did that without actually competing here in road to ruin but she would go on and innsbruck and bounce back from knocking yourself out with a concussion here to take the win in innsbruck and against someone like Sam Blake and soft she was consistent she got on the podium time and time again to take that tie that's crazy to see her take that overall despite missing the first event basically the opposite of house and blankets offseason started so she had to really fight from behind throw it all on the line there in Lachey you see her flying off that take off there that was a quick track but this one right here this course this is somewhat of a legendary race course has a lot of history on it that it does we came back back in the 2000s to race will champs here it's a very similar layout so some of those riders it's got a lot of history it's kind of like some of the old World Cup tracks that people love going to this is a real real iconic track of the world well there we go a lot of action coming your way right now the Crankworx Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals and we're gonna see the top racers of course they've been coming down the hill practicing all week and it's been so dry and dusty we've seen so many riders just covered in dirt in the pits and we know that means we're gonna have a lot of action for the race today closer to the action than we is Michaela Gatto let's send it down to her for an update so I'm at the bottom of the downhill course as you can see it's super dusty the course is steep it's got some big holes and I was actually talking to make Hannah a little bit earlier about how he manages that and what he does to his bike to get through it now he told me the number one thing you want to look out for and adjust on this for this course on your bike is the front suspension you want to keep the front end nice and high which means more air pressure in the front suspension so that you're not diving into those holes and kind of losing control as you're going down the steep sections thanks Michaela yeah this is the first event of the season for a lot of these riders but if you're living down here in the southern hemisphere Australians New Zealanders they've been racing already one of the guys who actually won a race recently right here in Rotorua Brook MacDonald we strapped a camera to his head to give you a up-close perspective of what this track looks like take a look you know what up guys I'm brick McDonald I'm gonna take you down the GoPro course preview for the 2019 crank race th course [Music] [Music] man not a lot of room for air on that track right there some of that POV perspective where he was threading the needle between the trees a lot of opportunity to either make up a ton of time or if you smashed one of those trees that's game over no that'll be run done it is a great true taste of all run bike handling skills this course so why are we here right now well because at home for me anyways it's full of snow we were in the southern hemisphere right now we're just at the end of summer this is what it looks like from Mars but if you zoom right in you see in the middle of the Pacific Ocean those two beautiful islands the country of New Zealand we're on the North Island the city of Rotorua New Zealand a great place to come as a tourist for all the geothermal activity nice hot springs bubbling mud as they call it looks like the first prototype of a bidet right there but a great place to come if you're a mountain biker or a tourist really friendly people out here and it's great that they've welcomed us here the last five years to enjoy their beautiful country and as a tribute to their culture we have these amazing wooden carvings at the top and bottom of every single racecourse for more on these wahoo rows check this out [Music] for soltera New Zealanders uniquely Maori in origin and it's our indigeneity and our culture once the visitor numbers got to hearing about these wonders of the world of course what was it as intended to come in of course access to these wonders required relationships with the locals and so these relationships and the custom and practice became as important as the destination all the artworks at the Crankworx venues have come from here and then they'll be repurposed specifically for entry they've all seen the Crankworx menu one of those they have a tendency to call it or what he wore off whatever old takes its name from having an entrance where you can walk through the mouth print work there's another version of a modern addition to improving the economy of this wall here in the people in it so Mari indirectly we get to still practice those customs and practices that are important to us for welcoming swimming having everybody feel like they've been they've arrived and at the same time show them their place yeah we feel fortunate to be welcomed here every single year it's great that they welcomed us with open arms but today it's all about competition it's all about the Crankworx Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals and we have the women's professional category coming up right after the break make sure you don't go away plenty of top riders to come who you got your eyes on we've got such a stack field I like the likes of Tony Seager we will see dropping lost Tracy Hannah and then the men I think Lloyd greeny is ever focused this year so if you're a race fan and you just can't wait for the season to start that's why you tune in for Crankworx Rotorua downhill racing in March could you get any better than that the Crankworx Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals starts right now [Music] [Music] [Music] people always ask me what's that good a bad scar line right Aurora well it's a little bit enough [Music] and it's a little bit of that most importantly it's all about that [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] surround the power of bicycles oh it's race time here in Rotorua take a look at the skyline gone to live right there the racers are not on that gondola because they start at the top of the mountain they take a truck to get to the top this track has way more vertical than the standard riding trails you can get to with a lift pass here this is a racetrack that's only raced on once a year that's what makes this day so special well the women's category coming up right now the Crankworx Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals starts right now [Applause] [Applause] [Music] the queen of Frankfurt [Applause] [Music] the time has come crank words wrote a root down hill presented by the professionals professional women action coming your way right now the current time to beat a three twenty six point one two held by Kate Weatherly from New Zealand and here's a look at who we have coming up Andrew yeah we've got the likes of aveer back Casey brown Emily Seigenthaler let's not count out Tracy Hanna she wasn't racing last year in our reigning champ tonight's here but first drop Camila blonde shake from Switzerland so we've got a stack stack filled here in the woman's category it'd be really interesting watching Tracy Hanna racist course she was unstoppable last year in the overall like you said at the top of the show she had a concussion in practice last year and that's why she didn't race that's why you don't see her name on the results list from 2018 so she has a real opportunity to shake things up but she's gonna have to get past Tony Seagrave who won last year this is what she had to say I mean it must have been so tough for her to deal with that she looks forward to Crankworx every single season and then to get here with all the excitement and have a crash and a concussion these days with all we know about concussions it's smart to bow out I think it's great I've had a fish it myself and Tracy honey we know how hard she prepares for the season she often goes to Queenstown for some preparation so it's really disappointing to not be able to start but this is a new year new series the Crankworx walk - it starts now for the downhill and Tracy Hanna being from Australia we know well she rides in the dust it's kind of the rougher and more kind of dangerous it gets the more she excels so for the last two years it's almost like the conditions are a character in this in this equation so much mud last year and then this isn't perfectly manicured in water this has been a bit of a drought season for Rotorua and is challenging as the mud was last year I think the dust is going to present some similar challenges today well that that it is cam I mean really these conditions are tougher what's great about this track we're gonna see Camille drop into her run now the conditions of this track what's great is they don't groom this track they might build a jump or a lip or a landing here and there but it's really lift nice and rough and raw and I think that's the key to building a downhill course these days a lot of courses are going a little bit too man-made yeah nothing manicured about this track this is pure to the heart of down hill back to the roots here we get a look at the split time for Camille Vilanch she's behind that 326 12 from Kate Weatherly cuz she is coming off the fifth in the a downhill race is about to be WSS as well she is it all round rider from Switzerland on that division she taking a third place the European downhill champs last year so focusing a little bit more energy on the down--all on the Crankworx walked were so opting to go around that job that jump is big it's 40 50 odd foot even the men are coming in there at full pace and still having to pull to make that jump so that job is a challenge to make for these women so commute Vilanch behind it the first split that we saw probably not going to threaten this time of Kate Weatherly now you see dropped me back another four seconds that would probably suggest that Kate Weatherly jumped that jump instead of going around on that option on the riders right so Camila holding that Highline that is one of the trickiest lines on track yet and opting for the step up that's a line not all woman will take today so that is really gutsy from her so Camilla but launched through the finish line not going to threaten that time of hate whether people leave but take a look at who we have on course right now vaya verbeek she's got the most points right now for that queen of crank work she's been racking them up she's had two wins already in the last couple days she looks to be on a heater I can't wait to see that split time yeah high on confidence winning the adh just a day or two ago well so what is slalom this is great to see front visor she's on the storm we've picked it up a little bit later than Camilla on the track here we're waiting for some splits to go oh dear Wow Kate has had a great run to put that much time in Tuvia here survived making her way down here to the slaughter section I brought that Rocky Mountain opting for that low line that'll be the races fast line there are a few options which is great here in the lowest slopes of this Rotorua track sivaiah we have hood company maybe playing it safe she wants to rack up as many points as you can for their queen of prank quotes overall title via slides into 4th right now which we still have a handful of racers to go still an opportunity to earn some more points for that queen tally she's sitting right now 40 points ahead of second place in the queen of Crankworx total but take a look it looks like Casey brown on course next well Casey Brown our old-time favorite here for being an all-around rider we see her in Whipple we see it she'll be doing the EWS comes Sunday we see in all sorts of events she didn't mention she hasn't had the best preparation for a race season per se she's done a lot of building so those segments will come out later in the year it's great to see that the woman are getting included in these big film segments cap yeah we're actually she's just so great behind the in front of the camera did a trip with her a couple years ago we dropped in to Corbett school are in Jackson Hole we're going to Asia and South Himalayas in a few weeks she's game for anything and she's also been on the podium here twice in her career one shot third place in 2017 another third 2016 you know she'd love to get back onto that box she's behind by seven point three three at the split so a little bit closer to Kate Weatherly than our last two competitors see if that's good enough for a top three as we stand so far yeah putting together competitive run yeah but Kate wittily is stomped and run here you hit up some big-name ladies here Casey took a second on the Redwoods downhill last year so we know she's never caved $1.00 so bleeding a little bit more time while Kate was fast through that section there she must have hit that jump there's a good chance she hit that jump that will definitely draw back a lot of time compared to these ladies that are not doing that job so Casey Brown out of Canada abroad that trick session in our world case he can jump she ops no for the alternative line there I'm not sure if she feels it's quick or she wasn't feeling the step up slots into fourth position for Casey Brown she's just always all smiles and she doesn't matter what position she comes into well there we go back to the top Emily Seigenthaler dropping in let's see if she can threaten that time currently held by Kate Weatherly the three 26 12 the time to beat nobody even close so far no can Emily get nearby she's sick and he had last year but that was in the mud now would have played into a favor being from Switzerland being from Europe we know what are they ride in the mud what would it say so she's back she's three point four seconds back and we haven't even got to that section with the jump she looked a little bit late there on that fourth camper so this is a little bit different to last you the riders we're coming down the rocks you lost yet they forced down into that white line you can see how dry or dusty this track is getting breaking up a lot every rider so you can stall our second place the last two years so you know she's looking to bump up that last position to be on the top of that podium and it's gonna be tougher she was three point fullback at the first split and it seemingly that Kate was really fast in the lower third of this track the Emily Seigenthaler from Switzerland the ball that pivot cycles seven point eight three so everyone is losing time least three to four seconds in quite a small section camp definitely hints at something tangible in terms of maybe a different line choice from Kate Weatherly and being so far behind the split after that jump she must have hit that jump to M&E no slouch on the jumps either she opts for the stepper what will the time bring us so she loses some more time but she does slide into second place Emily Seigenthaler from Switzerland a 334 and she's in second position so it's got to be playing into the times here let's take a look at this gap jump now she's jumping this one but here's the one that has an option to go around imagine how much time you saved by jumping that thing Andrew Kelly must out it's a longer distance going around as well as they have a step up and it kind of goes up the hill so they SAP a bit of momentum there but Emily clean through the step-up hip that's a big jump in its own right as well so great visuals we have Crankworx look how dry these conditions off campus of course I was saying is breaking up every rider that comes down smoothing dirt throwing those holes you gotta imagine how much different the course is today compared to first day of practice after this track just sitting there for an entire year not being raised on to Ma Lisa Gonzales she's guaranteed herself a middle sitting in second position with two ladies to come Traci Hannah missing a loss yeah but she's our reigning Series champion well this is going to be good if anybody can do it it's going to be Tracy and as we've seen it's really going to come down to if she's going to hit that jump right there because you see all these competitors drop back at the split when they take that option around the jump so Tracy honest she goes up camps 3.79 that tastes them into experience she's so good at these dry conditions clearly having some great preparation in Queenstown coming into the season yet she's motivated after missing this race last year took em what will she do how's she gonna up for the big long and lo the yes she does it she's got a clean camp she's gonna carry great speed up video let's see if she can maintain that lead almost four seconds in the lead here right now she's already ahead before hitting that option that all the other competitors we've seen so far decided to go around and I would imagine she push up in her gap right now let's see Tracy Anna almost Tralee she has maintained didn't even push a little bit more so she's made some time on Kate four seconds I feel she'll make some even more time down the bottom here this is where Tracy excels the fosston looser gets the lady from Australia yeah that is the riders High Line wild it was clean this is fast look how far she's going you need a know the line improving her lead four point eight seconds ahead of second place Tracy Hanna will be the woman to beat with one more racer to drop in here in our professional women's field let's take a look back at her run while she'll breathe a sigh of relief all that offseason training is paying off committed through that jump and this is where she excel she hot holds that high line with ease and grace normally it pushes you wide but she was easily maintaining the riders line there and this is where she was going so far the Tracy Hanna she's done everything she can cab she missed her ACL our Xuan are motivated she's to start a season with a bank she's into that hot feet there's nothing more she can do at this stage this is really shaping up for an exciting finish here I guaranteed at least second place for Tracy Hanna right now going to start her season off on the right foot but she's gonna have to get past our next rider dropping in she won here just a year ago she has an opportunity to go back-to-back right now listen yes so the family affair mechanic if possible he's always at the finish to see how Tracy does and what it also does is he gets it here if there's any changes in the course condition so that family affair is really helpful to make oh here we go last rider dropping in for the professional women's field here Crankworx Rotorua downhill tawny Seagrave well tawny is our reigning champion first last year in this race it was muddy Tony had such a great season last year multiple World Cup wins but I spoke to she's had quite a few crashes leading up to just the start of practice yes she even managed to crash in a parking of all right look at the split and that's maybe what we see she said she's gonna see how she feels but she's pretty battered and bruised you can see on her Instagram some of his stories he's got roasts he's all over she's probably a little bit sore to be quite fit Tracy Tracy Hannah's time right now looking pretty comfortable as Connie Seagrave considerably back at the first split she is going for that big gap jump that's going to help but Tracy Hannah was so quick toward the bottom she didn't really leave a lot of opportunity for seconds to be picked up here for Tony Seagrave now we were chatting I mean a healthy Tracy a happy Tracy is so fuss they see the preparation is clearly gone well Tony's secret hood preparation not going to work she had multiple crashes from what we know just practicing goofing around even so maybe she's taken a little bit of a cautious seat back here she doesn't want to risk anything if she's not feeling a hundred percent now the big question is will Tony c-grade slide in a second or third place here she's not going to be able to threaten that time currently held by Tracy Hanna but without ready to find out where she'll finish so redemption here for Tracy Hanna missing lost she will take the win Carney Sidra sliding into third 8.45 seconds back there you have it our winner Tracy Hanna round one of our crank would stop yet well great to see after how difficult our season started last year let's send it down to Michaela all right good to see you okay so you were the reigning world champ for the Crankworx series last year but you didn't compete here last year because of a concussion is it safe to say you were out for some Redemption today uh yeah I was pretty stressed going into like the first race of this year I'm I completely revamp my training program and you know you're trying something new and my coaches trying something new and I'm I was crapping my pants to be honest uh pretty psyched up pretty happy that I could um I felt super strong in I felt like I could have keep going normally I like the short tracks but fairly good Sam I'm really happy well you did amazing and I'm sorry you're not a big person so how the heck do you hang on in some of those massive holes because I have no idea yeah like I said I mean I know lost yeah wasn't strong enough and I pretty much send the whole winter in the gym and you know because you have to be specific about what you're working out and I feel strong I feel amazing and I'm it strike two I'm super stoked with that well that's amazing congratulations gold medal today my good buddy back to you cam thanks Mikayla great to see I mean you're all rooting for last season it was great to see that she was able to salvage after starting out so rough but like Mikayla said a little bit of redemption you saw that quote from her at the beginning of the show how disappointed she was to not be able to race this and to come back a year later and win it it's great to see ya taste them into that preparation I know how hard she works for my teammate with her so that's great you know this you could hear a little bit of doubt is her preparation was going to pay off but I mean that is amazing look at that time gap three 21.3 to a clear for almost five seconds and hit a second place and tani she goes down in third place 8 seconds back always stories within stories here at Crankworx he saw by of her beak down there in eighth place she'll take away 32 points to add to the 200 she already has to extend her lead in the Queen hunt but that was the Pro women's field of course that means we have the Pro men coming up next Crankworx Run Road downhill presented by the professionals men's class coming up next [Music] [Music] if these lands could speak what would they say they would invite you in to share this extraordinary part of the world because what you'll find down here [Music] what you'll discover [Music] is that you're welcome here [Music] for over 100 years professionals real estate wrote Roth have been helping people buy and sales property in our beautiful city make your real estate and mountain biking dreams a reality with Rotorua's number one team [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] Max's New Zealand's tire of choice [Music] take a look at this city Rotorua New Zealand watching that real estate agent double flip into that Lake behave me feel like we were so lucky to be welcomed here every year and I have a real estate company be the title sponsor of this downhill race they're really getting behind this sport and if this is a type of spot you think you want to visit make sure you plan a trip out here we've been making a habit out of it for the last five years and we'd have it no other way but like we talked about before there's always these little battles here at Crankworx but it all plays into the big war which is the king and queen of Crankworx title hunt what is that well this season it's a three stop series Rotorua New Zealand Innsbruck Austria and Whistler British Columbia every single event has valuable points up for grabs of course first place taking 100 points for the downhill today we get points all the way down to 30th place and the athlete who is able to compete in the most events and gather the most point will be the king Sam Blenkinsop was the king last year Jill Kiner was the Queen and our current leader for the Queen as it stands right now is hanging out with Mikaela Gatto Mikaela thanks cam yeah I'm here with current Queen later via Verbeek how's it going today it's going well actually I'm still in peace finish the downhill which was a big piece and we still got foam track to go but overall great yeah we were talking a couple days ago when you were practicing and you were opting out of going on some of the bigger lines the more risky jumps you broke her collarbone here last year what was your mental strategy going into today yeah it's definitely not the sweetest feeling to go into a downlo race not trying to be the best you can be but it's kind of just what I have to do this week to get through it's the first time I've gone through every event for sign up for all of them gone through all of them I mean there's contract tonight but yeah so I definitely opted out of the one where I've broke up my collarbone last year and still got to do wipe off last night and dental today and come check tonight so it's a really good thing so it's safe to say your strategy this year is less on winning an overall championship and say downhill but focusing more on the overall queen of Crankworx title yeah exactly it definitely if I'm getting the most points on the disciplines by I'm best at and downhill it takes a beat on your body so after a week like that I can't put as much pressure on that event well still got pumptrack tonight and from your track record this week I'd say you're in the running for a top spot fingers crossed the confidence the subtle confidence I love it so we're gonna be sticking around for tonight watching you take on the pumptrack good job for staying in one piece today yeah thank you thanks Mikayla so fun to watch just because there's so much going on so much so that it's hard to keep track of it all sometimes but to help you out via verb eeks eighth place in the downhill race we'll give her 32 extra points to add to the 200 she already had from earlier on the week so she extends that lead right there and second place was Annika Burton before this race so we'll get the crew to crunch the numbers and there they are right now 232 points from via Verbeek extending that lead Kate Weatherly though bumping her name up into third place akane Seagrave going into fourth take a look Tracy Hanna wins the event but since she hasn't been competing and other events grabbing those points she's sitting down there at least putting her name on the leaderboard a still a long way to go for her but there's a long season still to come that is and we soared with Sam Lincoln said last year he basically only did downhill events and was able to win it all right finals for the men coming up next take a look at who we have at the top of this course gearing up testing tire pressure visualizing the course we're gonna see riders like Francisco part Dahl chaos Seagrave you just saw his sister tani Brendan Fehr cleff I know one of your favorite riders who else you looking out here yeah Anna unfortunate Brendan has suffered a little injury to his finger as well as Stanislav so they are a few guys that we might not see but conifer and he's always great to see Brooke McDonough was on a tear last season new team new bike eyes got a little bit more time on that lori green and also spends a lot of time in queenstown in new zealand and then like Bruni they ever focused like bruni our current world champion and last but not least Sam Blenkinsop a reigning champ from the series and here in Rotorua in the mud well really exciting development here for 2019 Crankworx Rotorua is the enduro race is a part of the Enduro World Series so we have Rick McLaughlin up here to tell us a little bit more about that we're excited to have you guys and what was the decision-making process figuring out if this was going to be an e WS saab well we were here in 2017 and we had such a girl we've been here before in the past as well and the trails here in the redwoods it's just so good I mean it's made for enduro bikes and modern bikes and it produces recent it's too good not to come back here really so do you think the riders who are following this EWS circuit have a bit of an advantage when it comes to something like the king and queen of Crankworx overall because you have to be so fit for that form of racing does that apply to all these other disciplines definitely but the same time the enduro is all about compromise you've just got to be so on and every department on one little niggle at the pump track are worn that Lindsay here are their can make all the difference you know one guy we've been talking about lately is Keegan ride we wanted to speak about him he's it's nice to see that the EWS comes we get to see those athletes in a downhill or doing pump trick and Keegan writes one of them we're gonna see him in Daniel we saw him win the slalom he might even win the pumptrack so that's pretty great he's fired up to be here I've spooked his teammate dear me notes on world number two who's actually missing this race with an injured hand and he said he can't believe how fast Keegan is riding this weekend he tried to keep up with him and couldn't do it earlier in the week so so yeah testament to the all run riding skill takes to ride an EWS as well as our Crankworx event so yeah I think thanks for coming it's great to see the Abdul IDO Lea's here nobody here guys it's great I think we're gonna have you stick around we like your knowledge from EWS why don't you stick around we may be cool so you get a lot of ride in here when you're when you're here for the event I'm sure you have a lot of work to do as well but you get out and try all the stages we do the course preview which is yesterday so I have to sort of try and hang onto the back of Chris Paul who in pure you race against in your day no easy feat well I'm not that old but yeah a little bit yeah and we've been riding it quite a bit here and the trails are amazing but so tough but they're not in some parts not the steepest but just so route technical carrying or spadeful items really difficult now the terrain here is amazing and this course is going to offer up so much Amazing Race action take a look and who's currently sitting in the hot seat for the men's category we're gonna drop the top 20 but before we pick up this broadcast George Brannigan dropped in and set a scorcher of a time and if you know anything about this guy you know he has a long history with this track as well Andrew yeah George Bennigan's the foot guy he was on a new team lawsuit function GT bicycles but he barely got a season together because he kept getting injured so that's great to see him healthy and firing down a huge run there alright first rider dropping in right now we've got our cameras locked on portugal's francisco par Dahl he's gonna try to knock George Brannigan out of that hot seat but he's gonna have his work cut out for him it's a 2018 European downhill champion hometown loser in Portugal it's a great place that's interesting I was doing rumors that you weren't allowed to touch those rocks you were meant to go down to the perm we'll have to wait for some confirmation on that but that is the fast line if you're allowed to take it so hopefully no controversy coming from that I love the choice in gear here on a day this dry loose and dusty just got white everything hahaha yeah so poor del is a fan frame and he's wild on the bike rips and watch that's an interesting wide line there I'm not sure we're gonna see many other riders take that but what he's able to do is he can break less coming off that bridge so he's hoping to carry more speed going on that wider outside line there so Branigan currently sitting in that hot seat with a 250 3par doll about seven seconds back right now as he experiences a little bit of trouble losing some traction there but holds on this final stretch support out chasing hard year to the finish up over that hip he's a few different lines into the finish that I think we're gonna maybe see someone like Brook MacDonald might jump out of that berm so George Brannigan still hanging out on that hot seat par del not knocking him out now we got to hear a little bit more from George Brannigan find out how smooth his run is so to do that let's send it down to Michaela okay George you've been injured for the last year is that correct yeah basically all of 2018 I was injured and you have spent the last like half a year rehabbing and getting strong again so yeah well it seems to be working you're sitting in the hot seat now how does that feel feels good I mean I've done a bunch of other races New Zealand just been trying to slowly build back up and learn how to go fast again so feeling pretty good now salute a while to go but yeah happy well congrats on the hot seat so far well hopefully it sticks hopefully thanks Michaela tough 2018 for George Brannigan but sitting right where he wants to be right now in that waha raw hot seat but vas van Steenburgen the Canadian dropping in right now the man who's currently sitting at the top of the leaderboard for king of Crankworx points looking to add some more points to his name right now that he is food in the 88 he has known a little bit more for his eternal skill set on the air down you're kind of thing he's really really good on the man-made tracks is a former winner of adh in Whistler Georgia former winner of a thn rode through a plus third this year so look how fast he is over these jumps super powerhouse on the pedals as well so the smoother it is and the faucet is the morph speed he's able to carry looking forward to seeing the split for bass Ben Steenburgen right now to see if he's close to the time of 253 currently held by George Brannigan but I can watch this guy ride all day yeah he is effortless with his style gosh really efficient on the bike is well not wasting too much energy this is such a great section of bounty you can see our rough it is and that's a nice edge to navigate that wolf canvas section they can look at this of course he's in the middle of a race run but he eyed up that cameraman whipped it out let's see what the time is through the finish line right now bass van Steenburgen what will the story be George Brannigan had a 253 bass fan Steenburgen through with a 313 so that's only going to be good enough for 18th now we've got close to I think 17 racers left and we award points for the top 34 that king standing so we're gonna have to wait and see if he collects some more today but Elliot Jackson a man who has been on the podium here before just a couple years ago 2017 he took a third so Elliot Jackson a fan favorite favorite of us here in the booth you can hear those fans at the top of the track one of the funnest riders on the circuit great holding that tight tight line over the rocks there Elliot Jackson had a us a time ticking away to 0-9 and change [Applause] that long and low jump opting for the speed tuck he feels he's upto enough speed instead of hitting can we spoke about it a bunch once you get over 50 or 40 50 KN hours off and wait for fishing and Foster Justin Tuck instead of wasting energy and standing up and peddling because your body position is obviously wind resistant and it takes takes the knowledge to actually the wisdom to actually know that because you would think all right let me just struggle to go faster but you see the veteran mindset of Elliott jacks and he's touched this podium before he knows what it takes he wants to do it again and look at this time it's going to be close as he nears the finish line here we go third in 2017 he's been sick and in 2050 what can he do this here slots into second place can with four point five six seconds back there's a lot of heavy hitters still to come great run for Elliott jacks and of course a smile on the face of George Brannigan he looks comfortable in that hot seat he doesn't want to have to hop out anytime soon it's great to see Elliott Jackson back racing you know a couple years he had to take some time off for some health issues but anytime he's back on course he's a fan favorite he's a showman and always a contender so let's take a look here he's really baking heavily at the top of this bridge we'll see if they pull the next view if they didn't and that's where he went down that tight rock line Rick we're losing a few dollars to EWS the likes of Sam Hill probably one of the most famous downloads ever to live one of the most skilled guys on the bikes but I think it's testament to the ews riders a lot of people say it's to wear down Lee let's go to die but I actually disagree now I think it's just a way that a rider decides when he's young what ketamine's gonna ride is he gonna XE is he gonna down here easy gonna aw it's amazing we're definitely seeing it now with riders like Adrian day young guys aren't coming through our specific inderal resource tried and tested and that's what they trained for and that's a lot of information to take away with limited practice as well you know it's very specific skill set it is it is very unique and I think from what I'm hearing you're limiting the guys to one run per stage most of the events or all of them most of them yeah I think that's a great great tactic to do because sometimes the foot of the rider is or some hometown advantage could help them but this evens are painful and it's the unique thing TWU is it's more about kind of blind racing and make it up as you go along well enduro is really the heart a real test of mountain biking you've got to be able to not only risk for that limited practice but you've also got to be able to fix your bike stay mentally and physically healthy through it did they pace yourself it's it's a really specific thing yeah that it is well it's cool to see devolve as well because it's not just a one-way valve anymore you see it beating both directions guys like Martin Mays yes dropping in a downhill winning World Cup races even though everybody would look at him and say oh that's an enduro guy yeah it's great to see your discipline really coming into its own and always something that's going to play into the story with Crankworx World Tour where the name of the game for king and queen is diversity take a look at our standings right now Crankworx Road Road downhill presented by the professionals that man right there lead in the charge the 253 George Brannigan if you want to want to R in win this race you're going to have to knock the keyway off of that hot seat but speaking of king and queen let's talk about it this is what it is three stops we start out Rotorua New Zealand of course Innsbruck Austria then Crankworx Whistler $20,000 to the king and to the Queen but that doesn't stop there you know if you get third place five grand so every point matters out here in ten grand for a second place so that's why you see some of these riders that aren't on the podium still there's a huge story going on because points awarded all the way to 30th place here today in this race seeing a lot of riders coming from specific backgrounds like enduro or downhill but coming to these crank work stops and decided to sign up for some of these events that you would not expect them to racers doing speed in style slope style guys doing pump track a lot of points up for grabs here in today's downhill race we just saw Elliott Jackson through the line sliding into second place Sam Robb he will be the next rider to drop and then after that a guy you know a little bit about Kurt Keegan right yeah George Brennan he's gonna just be very relieved sitting there number one healthy I think that's key for George Brannigan to build a season and not come out too hot but that's a storming time he didn't have anything last year he was on a new bike so that's great to see it so receiving word my ear right now Keegan Wright will actually be the next rider we see drop in so it'll be interesting to see if he's able to pick up some of those valuable points he's also competing in pumptrack later on tonight so you're not gonna want to miss that but here we go out of the gate from New Zealand Keegan right well that's Keegan right not to be mistaken for Blanke with no gloves in currently third in our king of Crankworx what an all-round rider the unknown before we started seeing it some of these Crankworx events Wow okay Bart is correct I am blown away if that's 12 seconds up well he is a local boy he is from New Zealand so he must know these conditions 12 seconds much wood I mean yeah I use a local boy so that makes sense but 12 seconds ahead of George Brannigan that doesn't make any sense well first place in slalom clean he carried some confidence from that would have been out this morning practicing EWS as well I supposed to blinking here to do the same so that shows you how fit he is it was actually the satin writer on stage this morning that's why kini was to get that idol away yeah he's definitely keen but I have a feeling that split myself into excellence let's see if they recalibrate that smell it so get too excited but he is carrying great paper the George Brannigan stop the split there you go okay it's been recalibrated we got a little bit excited this six seconds back so there's no ways he lost that much time while staying on the bike a Keegan right first and cam trachea in Rotorua like two years back he really just burst onto the scene here we've seen him at crank words and he's been great in EWS so Keegan right not going to knock George Brannigan out of that hot seat but he will knock Elliot Jackson out of second place George Brannigan dodges another bullet so that's great points if he can hang on to a top ten or something like that or maybe even better a top five take some points for the king of Crankworx now he needs to go get some food you need to get up those feet because he's got a long day of practice tomorrow and it's a one-day race on Sunday correct big day yeah yeah it's 60 K total and you take the shot winter as well did you say 60 K for writing 48 writing I'm gonna be on a plane home thanks good tiring Rick thank you so much for a big to follow the stage results on Sunday let's make sure if you're an enduro World Series fan you follow all the action on Sunday big thanks to Rick for putting on a great series of advancement for joining us here in Rotorua but back to racing right now Andrew Alex Fiona this story here he burst on the scene with a win and the World Cup in a rain so great now that the problem with that is you just start building a lot of expectations a lot of pressures from sponsors from yourself to back that out he put in a swimming run they list I'll take anything away from that race but since then it's been tough for him to back up the results but I saw him in practice and he was one of the thirty guys doing a lot of the gaps when it gets steep when it gets technical this guy excels and I think with experience he's gonna build a race head and he's gonna brother Fitness and he's gonna get better and better I'm looking forward to getting a peek at that split time here so look at these conditions dry and dusty we are waiting for his split badge it's gonna be pretty good take a look you set net to 14 right now within sight of the finish line oh it's carrying huge face look how far sees going polar opposite to the conditions he won in Lord rain-soaked Lords this is dry this is dusty what will the time tell us oh this could be huge through the line oh so close through the line or the 256 only about three seconds back sliding into second place so they're getting closer to George Brannigan but nobody's done it yet - lots of great riders to come but George Brannigan and breathe another sigh of relief ticked off one rider there Alex Fiona Brannigan as you see in our leaderboard he sits on top 250 3.2 for Fiola 250 6.03 and Elliot Jackson rounds it out in third well back up to the top here Jackson FRU in the gate does he have what it takes and not George Brannigan off that hot seat it's a new bike new team last year second of the US Open he's only twenty years old last year 10th here in the mud-soaked race of Rotorua this like we say we're gonna say time and time again it is dry it is dusty it is fast so Jackson through options for that wide line you can break less of the bridge but you are gonna have to cover more distance dropping down to that firm can and is less exit speed Australia obviously no stranger to the dusty conditions we're experiencing here today in Rotorua looking forward to seeing that split time so they're holding that tight line off the bridge but a break up more but you're covering a shorter distance of track so he's four seconds back then Nick George Brannigan left four and a half seconds to be found on this final straightaway George Brannigan he dropped in before our broadcast started but I know just from years past he does something very similar to that on that yeah the opposite whip into that hip normally kicking out to your left would make sense but these guys go in for opposite so slots into third position to 57.2 six he'll be happy with that it's a new team new ride for him getting used to that bike throughout the offseason but it's so different practicing at home versus coming to a race getting that clock on you so that's great to get a clean run for it so one of our favorite riders on the start list unfortunately not dropping in today let's find out why send it down to Michaela Gatto all right Bren dog unfortunately you're on the wrong side of the tape today what happened yeah unfortunately I'm pretty gutted about it I just said I was gonna say a small crash in practice but it's quite big I think maybe a bit too excited trying to get too into it and over the bars in the section after the larches you know one of those ones we carries on and I just saw this tree in front of me and just whacked into it and unfortunately a small fracturing my knuckle but few weeks that will be back well fortunate for us you're standing here with me I can ask you about the track so run us through what the track looks like any important pieces of noteworthy things like avoiding larches staying on your bike it's important avoiding going over the bars is important but yeah the the track it's quite unique one the weather here is a huge huge huge deal some track to cope with rain coat with dust coat with Sun but this one changes so drastically from where we are now in a dust bit to previous years where we've had like a slip and slide downhill so they see it's a dust bit it's really blown out it's really fast the track is ever-changing the whole way from the top it's in an open paddock all grass doesn't really change too much and you dive into the trees and luckily for the riders there's a bit of cloud cover because you're in the Sun the whole time then you go into this dark woods it's really hard to adjust really so now the bit of cloud cover I think for the top boys it's going to be good conditions some rock gardens some heavy holes yeah then we go and with this some purpose and built rock gardens which I don't think so any riders favourite thing but you've got to adjust to it and deal with it and avoid getting punches so yeah we've got rock gardens there you go into the bottom section fast open it back out into the open good good crowd some good jumps and an aside no hander off the finish line jump and away we go yep well thanks so much for chatting to us and I guess we'll get back to racing thanks Micaela unfortunately not seeing Bren dog out there today but he showed us the x-ray it's a small little fracture on the knuckle there so he'll be back at it soon it's still early on in the 2019 season it's early on in this race this is what things look like so far George Brannigan dodging the bullets that time a 250 3.24 the closest rider behind him Alexander fail yeah and then rounding out in third with Jackson fruit elite Jackson nice to see and Becky an absolute bomber we know how much riders like to start the season on a high he speak to George Brannigan kind of the opposite story there George Brannigan he stayed clean we're gonna look at his rate was carrying huge speed here but George Brannigan one of the most exciting riders to watch when he stays on the bike he's always fought but he's quite fan of sporadic because sometimes he just pushes too hard a little bit over his limit but you know what the fans at home love it Ken he always does that I swear it's like a confidence thing right there it's probably not faster to get so flashy on that hip but the fans love it and he knows that they're gonna be cheering for him they did we cheered for their the Kiwi champion out here who's won on this course before and right now he's gonna have a lot of riders to contend with if he's gonna take the win out here today but if anybody can do it it's him closest rider behind him is still over two seconds back but Stanislav sent out looks like he may be the next rider to drop in then he's gonna have to deal with Bernard Kerr now Bernard Kerik missed competing last year he had a broken foot he was up in the booth here with me so it's great to see him on the bike this year nice and healthy this guy is not only a professional top-notch Eraser but a team manager I'm not sure how he does it all but right now dropping in now he's got a unique skill set to be able to manage both those things but Bernhard could he's on a new bike he's on a 29 a pivot this year last year due to that broken foot he didn't have enough time to test the 29er so he's stuck to 27 the whole year so it'll be interesting to see how Bernhard performs on a bike he said time on now in the offseason like you said he was injured lost she hit a stormy season in 2017 till he crashed out of the crank loose event then he had an off season but he came here with an injury so slowly bull he actually a great result at the end of 2018 so let's look for bernhard to carry on with that form that he had at the end of 2018 yeah 2019 Frank woods world to a stop number one this is the Rotorua downhill this guy blows me away the fact that he can not only be a team manager a top-tier racer but this guy's always got a smile on his face so he's having a good time he's not a boring serious guy he's out there ripping it up with everybody and always a podium contender so we're looking forward to seeing with that split time has to say right now they're looking forward to puff up now it's gone by we didn't get a reading from it burn it Kirk podiums at crank Oakes walk to his podiums at World Cups and somehow team managing Wow running a little bit late this here he's gotta cross the finish line in the next second who's not gonna happen but you got to know he's gonna go into second place one point seven behind George Brannigan so they're getting closer George yeah it's gonna start getting tense for George branding and sitting there in that hot seat yes he's relieved to get a clean run but he must be thinking okay cool how high can I actually finish today it's nice to get clean it's nice to go fuss but you know what I'm competitive I want to go all the way to the finish but he's having to wait around for the likes of Lloyd Bruni our current world champion off Daniel Ritter curse slop eating sliding into second place Alex be a little hanging around in third well the fastest racers yet to come can't Sam blankets off make it two years in a row here at the crank roads Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals to find out don't go away [Music] [Music] [Music] people always ask me what's so good about skyline right Aurora well it's a little bit enough and it's a little bit of that most importantly it's all about that [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] new zealand investing in world-class events skyline once is never enough [Music] we're back to racing here speaking a skyline that's exactly where we're hanging out bringing you the action from Crankworx Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals on a legendary racetrack and Andrew there's a lot of really interesting options on the bottom part of the course a really crowd pleasing section and it's kind of tough to make sense out of all the different ways the riders are choosing and I'm gonna ask you to take me to school can you break this down for me so cam let's have a look at Tracy Hannah here I want to stop it there so as you can see she's come from this angle here and what that does is if she makes a mistake she's gonna go out of tape here and what we're gonna show you after this is Keegan rides option which is a bit safer so that's Tracy Hannah she's done the very high line it's super tricky but when done correct it's the shortest distance to get down the seal so that you can see it is super narrow up on that Bank wind up Creek is great but she has a very good chance of blowing out the tape on the riders right so well done by Tracy dick so this is another option I want to stop it here if you may so as you can see this is where Tracy came down and she's aiming that way Keegan's Direction is more like this which is a safer option okay guys so there you can see so Keegan riders opted for a safer option he's doing a turn way earlier than Tracy but he's straightening out the whole section he's trying to carry maximum momentum into the step-up so he does his turn a little bit earlier than Tracy and then he's straight so he launches into the back side so two different ways to ride one section depending on your riding style I love it thanks for the breakdown Andrew needling and the rider who obviously chose the correct line is sitting in the hot seat George Brannigan is no stranger to this final section viral video all over the Internet of him winning a race here a couple years ago and using that inside knowledge applying it to this Crankworx road route downhill presented by the professionals race day here Friday race and action day to a broadcast to kick off this 2019 season George Brannigan on a heater of a run here's how he did it he's sitting in the hot seat with that 253 and here's his line on that section you were just talking about oh so style is coming in to finish there George Brannigan said time and time again that is a storming run he will be relieved but how far can he go will he hang on to that hot seat all the way to the end you know every single time a rider rolls through that finish line Corral and does it knock him out he's got a big smile on his face but a whole lot more racing to go another ten riders and big names in that list guys like Connor fear and Brooke McDonald laurie greenland loic bruni and last year's champion sam Blenkinsop i know all the local fans here hoping that they'll see a Kiwi walk away with top honors today they got a couple opportunities for that to happen George Brannigan can do it Sam blinken saab could do it they're gonna have to get past some of the best in the world guys hailing from England like Laurie Greenland French racers like loic bruni a whole lot action more to come here the Crankworx rotorua downhill presented by the professionals top ten from the men's category at the top of the course getting ready to drop and we get a look at Keegan right right now hanging out with Brett Tippie you'll see him later tonight at the pump track he's looking to earn as many points as possible for that king of Crankworx overall series hunt but back to racing next rider in the gate on course from Germany max Hart and stern does he have what it takes to knock out George Brannigan he may have that he's been campaigning in New Zealand he cuts coming off a second at the New Zealand national champs obviously if he went one bit at one and he wouldn't be able to wear that Jersey since he hails from Germany a winner of an ixs European Cup around seven last year we haven't seen him at a Crankworx event before from what we can tell so max making the long trip down here to New Zealand to do some offseason training and some erases kicking off its season here in Rotorua so you can see that German sleeve on his left side of the body a reigning German national champion sound it out for the crowd here but we're waiting to see that split time George Brannigan was a 229 right there you've got another 20 seconds to make it across that finish line to beat George Brannigan but it's gonna be quite far off he's over 12 seconds back at this point so I'm not going to be Mac's heart and Stern's day here no it's not Wow somehow hanging on to that High Line Kent that's the one we spoke about in raised school that is a tricky line to navigate to max cards and stern not going to be his day into 15 positions 12 seconds back George Brannigan takes off another rider whoa a nine left so he's guaranteed a top tip my solid start this season I have a great feeling it's gonna go at least top five with each rider that drops in and doesn't knock him out it makes us scratch our head with curiosity of how he's able to find so many seconds on this course to gap away from the field but we just get tougher and tougher as we go through the lineup here that's right on course angel Suarez angels only had one day of practice here compared to the other riders of two unfortunately the airline's lost his bike on the way here they scrambled together a spare bike so you got one day of practice and in this morning he's hopped on his race bike the best preparation here really coming to his own this young Spanish national champion pulled off a top 10 at a World Cup last year national champion proceeded from Spain for developing as a World Cup [Applause] [Music] former teammate of Aaron Gwin how much of that knowledge has he been able to hang on to and it's got to be some pretty valuable experience being a teammate from Aaron Gwin in his past will be able to apply that today it's not going to be enough for him six point four as he enters the final section and we know Jorge Brannigan was flawless we've now seen footage of him through this final section angel Suarez definitely not going to find six point four here very clean from angel Suarez holding some nice tight lines we need to be a little bit more aggressive on this track to take down someone like George Brannigan it's a 15 position for him so we just keep realizing how good this run was from George Brannigan let's talk to him again let's send it down to McKay legato thanks cam yeah I don't know if you guys have noticed this little tidbit but down here in the dust George Brannigan and Bernhard pure one in two spots right now are both on 29 errs for the first time so that's something to think about in this course where it's steep there's big holes it's really rough these guys are on 29 hours first race ever testing these bikes out I don't know maybe it's the advantage yes thank you Mikaela we'll exciting rider on course right now Mick Hannah brother of our winner in the women's category Tracy Hannah and always a showman on this course he's been on the podium countless times running so Mick Hannah uncharacteristic and carried the recipe making mistake only a very clean riders calculated so I'm glad Mikaela brought up the wheel sizes I was gonna speak about this as soon as Mick drop so we spoke his first time on a twenty nine he's had some time in the offseason what Mick Hannah has done has opted for 29 inch wheel in the front and get this camp at twenty seven five inch in the back no kidding and he's not gonna be the only one they're gonna be two more riders namely fun Isles and Lloyd Bruni that are opting to test this option under race condition here in Rotorua what makes all the sense in the world look at motorcycles they've been around for a whole lot longer than downhill bikes they got a bigger front wheel than rear wheel it makes sense you get over those obstacles at the front wheel first might as well be occasion we got the maneuverability of the smaller wheel in the back let's see if it works for Mick Oh seven point nine back to be be expected we saw him drift out on one of those new loose sections so you're gonna lose so much time he basically made a mistake at the start of a long flat section that is the biggest nono in downhill you want to carry as much speed as you can obviously into a flat section that was a huge bobble up top seven point nine back at the split unfortunately Mick Hannah is not going to make it three second places in a row he's been in second the last two years not able to get on the podium like his sister did earlier but will look forward to the rest of the season always a fan favorite out there but George Brannigan congratulated by Mike Hanna here dodges another bullet but right now this is going to be a tough one fin Isles the young gun the Ripper and climbing the ladder right now all the hunger in the world inside that helmet yeah like you say climbing the ladder and doing it quickly this is only his second here illipe third here last year he's already knots of a World Cup podium he's yridian not so but Crankworx win oh my goodness running deep there so this is another rider there's not only two options in darnell at the moment not 2080 29er or only 2075 how far photos so foot Isles boy clooney have been testing this extensible box a new prototype bike wow it's so aggressive and that's what you can do you've got the smaller one in the back so you've kind of got the monster track ability of the front wheel like you mentioned cab and then the back one you're able to flick the back around so that's what some of these riders are opting for and a rider like it's not the tallest rider he's not the biggest man on a bike so the problem with a 29 inch wheel specially in the back you end up buzzing your backside so I mean that's dangerous and it's time and energy what's just that balance but he's close only a half second back Finn miles it's that balance between manoeuvrability and efficiency and a rider who's so aggressive like finale's he needs that maneuverability look at this so pushing hood look he's going holding that High Line well that's not candy spend flying to the finish he needs to get this 252 to through the finish line in first place Canada's Finn Isles putting 0.28 on George Brannigan on that bike with the 29 in the front 27 5 in the back if that's an experiment I think we have some pretty good results for you that we do man surfer Niles keeps up George Brannigan from that hot seat look how much pace he was carrying on that Highline can surf in Isles on the prototype and then also mixing it up on the wheel sites look at that hopping to the Highline that was a koresh and calculated aggression biphenyls in the second-year elite I could watch that slow-mo replay all day but we don't have all day because Dean Lucas is dropping in team Lucas from Australia new team new bike he's joined the fact factory Scott racing they're on a new bike there was a prototyping at 29 a year to brendan vehicle was excited with that to the ground yet it wasn't to be but Dean Lucas only one second back is it still a lot of track to go yeah can you see that piece right into that hot seat you're gonna be flat land II think you soften Isles flat land that step down to the road you see B Lucas in it as well basically pushing the boundaries of max speed on this railroad downhill course that's how they've been able to test indeed he's really happy with the bike he's amazed how light it is pedals really well but what's new to him it's basically everything on that bike he's changed suspension he's changed frame he's changing wheels what isn't it YouTube is the tires which is great I mean that's your biggest contact point to the ground so that's gonna make him feel comfortable straight out of bed okay so he's maintained that he's still only a sick in fact that is something you can't make up in these lower slopes holding that tight line there he needs to carry on pushing we saw a fin was no no it's off-road a road down on you guys can you keep pushing to the finish Dean Luke is on a new team on a new bike yet Wow Dean Lucas through the finish line it's a fourth place but fin Isles enjoying every minute of sit in that hot seat how long will he stay there let's hear what he has to say Michaela all right I'm just chasing he's just congratulating his buddy here first race back this season you looked like you were absolutely riding on the edge drifting around corners on the new bike how does it feel pretty good actually I made a few stupid mistakes just carrying too much speed into sections but new bike was sick felt good good we back in the race perfect well I mean regardless of mistakes I'd say you did pretty well yeah I'm really happy with that you know it's always hard coming back after a winter but I feel like I did a good job that time yeah you slayed it Congrats thank you well huge right Thank You Mikhail a huge ride for Finn Isles right there he's got five more riders to watch come down this hill he wants to take the lead and have to assist for all those but he mentioned coming into sections too fast I think that that replay was indicative of that yeah safe to say cam in there as well you see that - he was trying to pre hop into the backside but he carried so much pace he over jumped that Sofer Niles he maybe wants to do a little bit more Faust practice next time but the challenge with tranquil is no qualifying run so you do a lot of practice and then you lay it all in the line in your race run and sometimes that's what happened but he would manage to hang on to it that is a crack in time - Arthur now is the man to beat but the next opponent here to try to threaten that time Connor fearing from Australia no stranger to the dust he's gonna put on a show he's also opted for the 29 and last year is a lot of back and forth by Conor fair and I think that's just a difficult place to be when you're dining which will size to ride but it seems like he's on the 29er he's gonna give it a go for the season - Connor fear is always exciting to watch on the flat pillows like you see him just hanging it loose there we have a very aggressive rider sit in the hot seat right now in corner fear and also known for his aggression on the bike it's even that approach is the way to win here at Rotorua downhill on this track what's impressive though so aggressive for being on flats for hanging it out he has incredibly consistent race results obviously fast but I mean he's got multiple top teams he's on the podium a bunch he doesn't make that many mistakes touchwood his race run conditions that 29 equipped Kona holding inside lines that's what you can do in your flats you've got to go for some of those inside lines because if you come unstuck you just drop the foot wow these carry huge pay see on that Highline well this could be close here down to the wire not going to beat the time of Finn Isles but where will he sit in the leaderboard 2.78 backslide into fifth place so still a run from Kona probably hoping for a little bit more corner fear in slots into fifth position behind fern Isles he's got our current hot seat position so looking smooth maybe not as on the edge of control as Finn house but let's take a look back where do you think you may have lost some speed well I think what's happening with Conor is he is getting a lot of those consistent results in a few years back he would have a few breakout result podiums things at World Cups so he's learned consistency and he's just being a little bit too conservative for his riding spell I think he can push it a little bit harder because he's got the skill set to get away with a little bit kind of like foreknowledge you could see was pushing a little bit harder making some mistakes you didn't see any mistakes with Connor fearless so pretend she just a little bit clean but it is early season he can go back to the drawing board said card a clean run I just got to push it a little bit more let's maybe make a few mistakes put a few more chips on the table you soften I'll exactly that pretty much go all in on that run so exciting to watch and it really paid off for him sitting in that hot seat with only four riders left to go walk me through this leaderboard well there you have it only any second yet leap Finn Isles from Canada George running in bang with a back with a bang puff he got banged up last year sorry guys in a bit excited yet for the riders still to drop here yeah and one of them is the New Zealand national champion he just won that about a week ago right here in Rotorua Brook MacDonald Brook MacDonald some guys wrote this man off but last year new team new motivation a resurgence of his career he came out swinging qualified fastest at the first World Cup Brook MacDonald so exciting to watch the man can challenge the time it might be this man Brook McCauley yes he's in touch is 0.82 back I saw him practice this man is carrying great pace mentioned he had a bit of mistake coming into a section too fast Brook was precise right there and the split was before that section so potentially already earning some speed I've been here exactly that he's carrying good speed with Finn made that mistake Brook McDonald confident coming off a great 2018 season all things considered after a bit of a lackluster few years for 2019 national champion from New Zealand he just won that title it's great to see him back on 40.3 one up he's done it Kim just like you said he was able to carry pace and he has to work that's a new line that is a new line from Brooke McDonald's so he's riding over the white line brilliant line joins from Brooke McDonough will be enough he was up at the split pushing hard to the finish using all the huge McDonald's I had a chat to me said you know what needles I just want to get this season going lost she was great but I've got way more in me such an exciting run let's send it down to Makayla all right I think Brooke still trying to catch his breath here but you just moved into the top spot yeah pretty stoked it's always pretty hard to lay down one run and make it count normally has seating so yeah it's quite a quite a fine line and yeah had a good runs I'm stoked and the boys up in the booth we're talking about that crazy line choice that you took down here at the bottom tell us a little bit about that well that high yeah I just been running that awake and I felt comfortable on it and yeah just was good it was good enough for a current top spot so congratulations on that thanks Mikaela yes thank you Mikaela you know what such a smart line choice when he enters that section he was able to enter outside on that left-hand berm and just rocket ship carry all that speed high and pretty much straight line it you know it's interesting to try to analyze if that was faster than what Finn did because he was up by a little bit more than that before that section wasn't he yeah that's what we spoke about in the race cool two pins on the riding style what are you confident doing we know Brooke he just buries those heels into the ground and goes for the outside lines and tries to carry as much pace as he can instead of saying okay maybe break up go inside drift a little bit shorter distance so he says you know what I know my riding style I can hang it out so I'm just going wide like so really good posture is slower depending on the inside that's where I'm going play toward your strengths feel good look good save time but look at this speaking at I'm Laurie Greenland on course right now in the green by three-quarters of a second so he's teammate he is up holding that tight line wider for those rock so Laurie greening spends a lot of time in New Zealand Oh steak before long section it's gonna cost him some time so he's won a national DX here in New Zealand already so he's done a little bit of prep so it's not the first time under race conditions which will serve into his strengths here so Laurie Greenland same team as Brooke McDonald the youngster I was just saying this guy gets so rowdy he's had runs in Boulder Seoul almost like Daddy it's great so he has lost some time so that's what you see just too aggressive making too many mistakes you can see him I think he's trying to reel it in a little bit here Laurie Greenland he was up at the first foot he's played a bit of time yet can he pull any of it back opting for the same line as Brooklyn and Louis Laurie Greenland team aid to the hot seat occupant right now Brooke McDonald not going to do it he's back by two point one two so Laurie Greenland somehow able to hold on after almost end going off of that drop let's take a look back at how rowdy that run was right there I mean we got to celebrate the fact that Laurie Greenland was able to save that there's a couple near misses their speech just missed his breaking point there unfortunately in the back wheel is kicked off the table bridge great save by Laurie but you can see that mistake he made higher up in that left turn we dropped the foot that was it was a huge Street he's gonna do the hip jump in the long and low and he's just lost too much momentum there but Laurie green and Brooke McDonald they're on new tires this year so it's nice to get some races under your belt on the new rubber looking like it's paying off the switch well you know Laurie Greenland's been practicing with Brooke McDonald all week so he knows how fast he has to go if this teammate gets a good run which he did so he was hanging it all out right there yeah that's a great tactic cam if you don't qualifying there's no way to gauge your pay so you can go do your own run which i think is a great idea say yes sir they do a hot run put a stopwatch on your bike but the problem is you can thank you compared to at some of the other races that's what makes penguins unique and it's a unique skill set to be able to pull off well Brooke McDonald still a few riders left to go who have massive opportunities to knock him out of that hot see one of them is in the gate right now look at this with those rainbow stripes out of France yeah whoa it bronie miss for being world champion two times but I think maybe even more famous for landing in the pond here two years ago my biggest claim to fame yeah I've got the footage of it but in all serious this is your reigning world champion he's one year twice before oh no and it's not gonna be a gain though Oh unfortunate flat so like Bruni now I hope he knows he's on camera that will be so frustrating like Rooney in those rainbows drive over for maybe well he's asking he clearly is just loving riding at the moment video right to the bottom shame that's devastating guys so much frustration coming out there yeah so we're hearing from the broadcast he knows French for I've got a flat tire I'm a little bit frustrated yeah Oh like pretty that is devastating so Brooke McDonald he is guaranteed a top two finish so loit Bruni as we said was looking to win for a third time he told me how focused he was coming and he said you know what last year I wasn't as focused I needed to be and it showed see I really wanted to go for a win well this is what Brooke McDonald did to find himself in that hot see right there a flawless run with so much aggression definitely putting the right amount of chips on the table take a look yes carrying a lot of speed day doing some hop in two packs on this is where each self unique you just decided to go for all the outsides like I say burying those heels hands off the brakes and there you have it our current hot seat Brooke McDonald with only one rider still to go Sam Lincoln saw so all eyes on that man Brooke McDonald right here and up next this is going to be a massive hurdle for Brooke McDonald if he wants to take that win because the next rider to drop is the man who was the king Crankworx last year he won this race last year he had this to say crank works always has the best tracks he says and the crowds always awesome you heard how loud that crowd was when Brooke McDonald came into that photo straightaway with a unique line they just blew up with excitement and you know they're gonna have that same amount of enthusiasm for this next rider the only rider with the chance to knock Brooke McDonald off of that hot seat so we're gonna have a guaranteed Kiwi winner here and I can guarantee you the crowd is going to be incredibly loud and fatales will also have a guaranteed podium so that is a great way to start the season will it be silver will it be bronze Brooke McDonald anxiously waiting there in the hot seat after a great run so Sam Blenkinsop last year's king of Crankworx dropping in right now trying to make it back-to-back wins two years in a row on this course can he do it Sam blankets up always almost looks like he's on a fixie the amount of pedal strokes he gave in in the air it's like hey man are you on a fixie here coming to the first split no he may be down septic you have a 2.79 oh no that's not gonna be enough to withstand Brooke McDonald's charge on the track can you read any of it battler you know what it would be interesting here you take these different lines and think about the fact that Brooke McDonald took a different line than anybody down at the bottom and we are not sure if that means it's faster or just works for him yourself is extremely pop on the pills like we said he's kidding everywhere can he carry Pacey into this flat section and pull back some time on Brooke McDonald anxiously sitting in that hot seat you see him on the screen there on the right Sam Vegas of our reigning winner of the Rotorua downhill he also won the Redwoods tunnel so he had a great start to last year's season four seconds back now Brooke McDonald he can breathe another sigh of relief Nick it's looking good for Brooke McDonough Blake and soft though always loose always exciting to watch peddling in the air as we predicted Sam clean and salt well it's not going to be two years in a row here on this downhill race track in Rotorua for Sam blankets up but it will be two years in a row that a Kiwi has been on the top step of the podium in the crank rich Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals Brooke McDonald taking the win so Brooke McDonald Coleman celebration they're respectful to Sam blinken saw a great couple weeks for that man Brooke McDonald he took the New Zealand national championship he wins today he's here from Michaela ok so you won national champs last weekend and now you've just won again today what are you eating what's going on I don't know I just I guess I had a good offseason lots of training not so much racing but a lot of time on the downhill bike and yeah I just feel like I prepared well for the season and obviously with that win last weekend and continuing into this weekend I just felt like I had good confidence and really felt good on this track and before you were mentioning that there's no seating time or qualifications here do you find that gives you a little extra motivation kind of lights a fire behind you for race run like I don't know it's kind of hard because you want to push and then you kind of don't which is you know if you throw it away then it's done and you don't have another chance but I guess it's sort of similar to world champs you have one round and it's sort of all or nothing so I mean I can compare this to a chance run well I think you don't really well with that kind of pressure today because whatever you're doing it seems to work so congratulations on the win today thanks for Galen stuck Thank You Michaela great to see Brook McDonald I mean we talked about it earlier in the show he had some struggles he was really climbing the ladder getting some great results and then he had injuries team changes but he really is kind of stepping into the form of his career right now yeah the resurgence of Brooke McDonough is on top of his game right now great run from phenols there in second only in his second year elite but George browning in as well let's not forget about him coming off a whole injury stricken year in 2018 starting 28:19 as probably as good as he would have hoped for a huge day a huge two weeks for Brooke McDonald right here we will continue to digest these results we'll be back in a minute don't go away [Music] [Music] if these lands could speak what would they say they would invite you in to share this extraordinary part of the world because what you'll find down here [Music] what you'll discover [Music] is that you're welcome here [Music] for over 100 years professionals real estate wrote Roth have been helping people buy and sales property in our beautiful city make your real estate and mountain biking dreams a reality with Rotorua's number one team [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] whistler mountain bike partner right now sleep later [Music] well what an amazing race here the Crankworx Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals Brooke McDonald taking the win which was the battle but we got to update you on the war that is the king of Crankworx overall title hunt bass van Steenburgen staying in the lead adding a handful of points from this result right now and Michaela standing by with that key of Crankworx current leader thanks kami I'm here with bass and you currently have a hundred and fifty-six points still in the lead for King tell me what your strategy was today going into the downhill I just kind of figured like it's not like it's obviously physical but not to the point where it's gonna diminish me for pumptrack so just trying to do everything that I can get points in obviously race run didn't quite pan out as I hoped but I'm just having fun riding with it keeping it consistent and you will be racing come track tonight correct yes for sure yeah it should be a good time for some reason I feel like this conversation is echoing perhaps a current queen leader and girlfriend via Verbeek yeah yeah she's been killing it she's ahead on the couples standings so do you have a do you have a thing on your fridge with current point standings yeah it's push ups and then current point standings right next to it I think that's what we would call hash tag couples goals yeah yeah sure we're hash tag power couple what do you prefer oh I don't know you share call Mikaela alright well we're really excited to watch both of you and congrats for keeping that king leaderboard yeah thank you it's crazy thanks Michaela it's crazy how many couples are are at crank rich music let's not talk about this can you leave the hash tags out of its cheeks about as rosy as is rotting Oh you embarrass bass Michaela for bass but yeah you got like Austin Warren with Kilani Hinds you'll see both of them as well as bass man Steenburgen and via verbeek your current king and queen of Crankworx overall points leaders tonight in the pumptrack you're not gonna want to miss that under the lights will get that world championship series underway of Cour this being the first stop of the 2019 Crankworx world tour they'll see a cast of characters out there from competitors that you'd see in slopestyle like thomas Lemoine to downhillers like bass van Steinberg and all duking it out together on the hardtails under the lights about as far away as you can get from the pumptrack was what we just saw here the downhill and Andrew needling final thoughts for what we just saw what a way to kick off the International downhill series camp I mean here in Rotorua yeah so we started out with the women Tracey Hannah taking the winds great to see her get a little Redemption from how her season started last year with that injury so she's off to a great start and then how about the men I mean this is the start of the season like you said will we see Brooke McDonald to the next two stops we can cross our fingers yeah let's hope so but I mean I think it's testament to the preparation we spoke about we know how hard Tracy Hanna works and when she's healthy and fit she's formidable and Brooke McDonald I had a sneaky feeling he'd be the man to beat today I know how while he was riding last year and he would have been just been hungry and hungrier for 2019 to stop well the action just keeps on rolling make sure to join us for a pump track later on this was the Crankworx Rotorua downhill presented by the professionals and it was the absolute perfect way to kick off this overall series here the Crankworx World Tour whoo whoo we crown as a downhill overall champion will Tracy Hanna do it two years in a row will Sam Blenkinsop be able to crawl his way back or will it be Brooke McDonald's here as he starts out strong national championship last weekend Frank works title this weekend like I say a whole lot more action coming at you later tonight the pumptrack challenge you're not going to want to miss it thanks for joining us I'm your host kamek all along side Andrew needling and Michaela Gatto we'll see you tonight for pumptrack [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

Channel: EDGEsport

Views: 136,225

Keywords: edgesport, edge sport, action sports, extreme sports, crankworx, crankworx 2019, rotorua, rotorua 2019, downhill, rotorua DL, crankworx DL, new zealand, crankworx world tour, mtb, mountain bike, mountain biking, mtb racing, extreme racing, downhill racing

Id: fRBgbtZhhi8

Length: 106min 43sec (6403 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 08 2019