Crankworx Innsbruck Countdown is On: What to Watch

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA, June 12, 2023 – From June 21^st to 25^th, the world’s best will converge in Innsbruck, Austria – the only European stop on the Crankworx World Tour. Crankworx Innsbruck will see international pros and top DH teams confirmed to tackle the tracks at Crankworx Innsbruck. You can catch it all live on Red Bull TV.

Festival passes are available for purchase here providing you with the rare chance to get amongst the action and witness this absolutely stacked field of pro women and men. Here is what to expect from the second to last stop of the 2023 Crankworx World Tour.

As we look ahead to the third stop of the 2023 Crankworx World Tour, your reigning King and Queen of Crankworx sit atop the leaderboard:

Preliminary rider lists for each event are listed below and check out the full schedule of events here: https://www.crankworx.com/innsbruck/schedule/

Official European Whip-Off Championships presented by POC

When: Wednesday, June 21^st, 6:45 pm (CEST)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

What we saw at Crankworx Innsbruck 2022:

• The atmosphere was electric as the crowd enjoyed the scenic backdrop of the Austrian Alps while witnessing the world’s best riders getting impressively sideways.
• Jackson Goldstone and Robin Goomes emerged as the champions.
• Jackson’s whip stood out for its height, sideways angle, and flawless execution, securing his victory.
• Robin’s final whip was the “biggest she had ever done”, earning her the top spot among the women.

2023 What to watch for:

• Robin Goomes has confirmed her return to arguably the most picturesque Whip-Off course on the planet. Will she be able to defend her title against heavy hitters like Vinny Armstrong, Veronique Sandler, Jess Blewitt, Georgia Astle, and Harriet Burbidge-Smith?
• On the men’s side, we will see a stacked field looking to send it sideways for fame, glory and Instagram bangers: Kaos Seagrave, Kade Edwards, Tomas Lemoine, Finn Iles, Bernard Kerr, Garret Mechem and Allan Cooke just to name a few.

Crankworx Innsbruck Dual Slalom

When: Thursday, June 22^nd, 6:30 pm (CEST)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

What we saw at Crankworx Innsbruck 2022:

• The event took an unexpected turn as rain poured down during the finals, transforming the track conditions and causing riders to make mistakes.
• Nina Hoffman emerged as the winner despite acknowledging that everyone faced challenges due to the slick surface.
• Anna Newkirk and Vali Höll were among the riders who encountered difficulties, including snapped chains and penalties.
• In the men’s final, Austrian rider Andreas Kolb claimed victory over George Brannigan. Both winners acknowledged the advantage that downhill riders had in the rainy conditions.

2023 What to watch for:

• Redemption will be on a lot of riders’ minds after last year’s wet conditions on the track.
• Pro Women to Watch: Caroline Buchanan, Valentina Holl, Harriet Burbidge-Smith, Martha Gill, Tahnee Seagrave
• Pro Men to Watch: Jackson Frew, Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, Tomas Slavik, Bas van Steenbergen, Bernard Kerr, George Brannigan

Crankworx Innsbruck Speed & Style

When: Friday, June 23^rd, 6:00 pm (CEST)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

What we saw at Crankworx Innsbruck 2022:

• Robin Goomes made history in 2021 with the first backflip in a women’s competition, and she continued to push boundaries 2022, performing backflip nacs and backflip one-foot cans. Her impressive bag of tricks led her to win her first gold medal in Speed & Style.
• Tomas Lemoine, after securing his 6th gold medal in the event, described the competition as one of the best he had seen, highlighting the numerous double backflips and ground-breaking inversions.
• Mike Ross impressed with his flawless execution of double backflips and cashrolls, earning him the bronze medal.

2023 What to watch for:

• We have seen Robin Goomes, Harriet Burbidge-Smith and Caroline Buchanan take the top step of the Speed & Style podium over the last few Crankworx World Tour stops. These three will surely be battling it out for the gold. Youngster, Alma Wiggberg is confirmed to compete. She snagged a silver medal in Speed & Style at Crankworx Whistler 2022 after throwing down an impressive 360, a women’s first in a Crankworx competition.  
• Tomas Lemoine has had a solid track record of back-to-back Speed & Style wins, but he will face stiff competition against Mike Ross and Garret Mechem who won the Men’s Speed & Style events at Crankworx Rotorua and Crankworx Cairns respectively. Kade Edwards, Kaos Seagrave, and Edgar Briole will also be in fighting contention.

Thule Slopestyle Innsbruck

When: Saturday, June 24^th, 12:30 pm (CEST)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

What we saw at Crankworx Innsbruck 2022:

• Swedish slopestyle rider Emil Johansson achieved a remarkable score of 98, rumored to be the highest in slopestyle history, at the Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle competition.
• Erik Fedko, another Red Bull rider, delivered his best performance to date, earning the silver medal with a score of 95.25.
• Timothé Bringer, the 2019 Red Bull Rookie of the Year, secured the bronze medal.

2023 What to watch for:

• The Triple Crown of Slopestyle will make its first trip to Europe, with Emil Johansson looking to secure it for the third season in a row. Dubbed the Triple-Triple… we’d be witnessing something that will likely never happen again in the history of the sport. Emil’s dominance has been like nothing ever seen in mountain biking.
• Not only will Johansson be celebrating winning the triple crown, he will also become the “winningest” slopestyle athlete in Crankworx history, a record he is currently tied for with Brandon Semenuk.
• Dawid Godziek has to be making Johansson nervous. After what we have seen in Rotorua and Cairns this year, he’s got a legit chance at knocking the “Big Swede 2.0” off the top box.  
• Erik Fedko and Lucas Huppert are hoping to return from injury. Both are podium threats. Will be interesting to see how they fare with less-than-ideal preparation time after missing Cairns. Should either not be able to take the start, first and second alternates, David Lieb and Jakub Vencl, are ready to drop in. 
• Former champ, and FMB ironman, Nicholi Rogatkin will miss this event due to a broken arm he suffered in Cairns.

Crankworx Innsbruck Pump Track Challenge presented by Raiffeisen Club

When: Saturday, June 24^th, 6:30 pm (CEST)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

What we saw at Crankworx Innsbruck 2022:

• Niels Bensink and Bas van Steenbergen who grew up and trained together in the Netherlands, battled it out for gold in the men’s category. Bensink came out victorious.
• The women’s race was closely contested, with Caroline Buchanan and Kialani Hines reaching the gold medal matchup. Hines won the race by a narrow margin of 0.161 seconds.

2023 What to watch for:

• This year will see a brand-new pump track here in Innsbruck. With the pump track having a reputation as one of the most “corner-heavy” tracks on the circuit in years past, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top on this new track.
• Designed and built by Innsbruck’s Erdbau Matzke Crew, we will see a shorter but even faster track as the riders tackle just 4 berms with three doubles in between, and a jump on the last straightaway into the finish.
• Niels Bensink is confirmed to attend and will be fighting to defend that top spot against the Australian newcomer to the Crankworx scene: Jayce Cunning. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene and Bas van Steenbergen will also be likely contenders to round out the men’s bronze and gold medal match-ups. France’s Cheney Guennet, who has won here before, looks to play the spoiler.
• Odds are looking favourable that we may see another gold-medal match-up between Kialani Hines and the reigning Queen of Crankworx Caroline Buchanan.

RockShox Downhill Innsbruck presented by deuter

When: Sunday, June 25^th, 3:30 pm (CEST)

Preliminary Rider List: HERE

What we saw at Crankworx Innsbruck 2022:

• Valentina Höll and Charlie Hatton emerged as the elite winners of the 2022 deuter Downhill Innsbruck Presented by Raffeisen Club.
• Hatton, a UK rider, celebrated his first Crankworx Gold Medal, crediting his victory to his fast and straightforward approach on the track.
• Höll, an Austrian rider, overcame mental challenges and beat the heat to secure her third gold medal for this event.
• Mick Hannah claimed the bronze medal in the men’s category, while Tracey Hannah took the silver in the women’s category.

2023 What to watch for:

• New for this year, we will see a new start section, adding 350 metres to the track. Spectators can enjoy extended camera coverage along this 1.9km track, which can be best described as loose and rooty, and features a new 6-metre-long gap jump.
• The women’s field is stacked with some of the best downhillers in the world. Will Valentina Höll secure her fourth consecutive Crankworx Innsbruck downhill gold medal? Margins are sure to be razor thin with the likes of Gracey Hemstreet, Vanesa Petrovska,  Anna Newkirk, Nina Hoffman, Phoebe Gale, Tahnee Seagrave and Louise Ferguson.
• Last year we saw Finn Iles just seconds off Charlie Hatton, costing him the top step of the podium. The Swatch athlete will be out for redemption, but he will have some fast competition with Loris Vergier, Bernard Kerr, Sam Hill and Sam Blenkinsop currently confirmed to race as well.

In addition to the pro events on broadcast, Crankworx Innsbruck is also stoked to bring back the infamous Scrub Off, Braap Off, and new for this year: Women’s Slope Jam on the Thule Slopestyle course. Tickets are available for purchase here to be able to experience such an incredible lineup of events at the only European stop on the Crankworx World Tour. For those of you who can’t make it, we will be posting all the action on @Crankworx Instagram, @Crankworx YouTube and you can catch all the action live on Red Bull TV.

See full schedule of all things Crankworx Innsbruck: https://www.crankworx.com/innsbruck/schedule/

Photos for media use: Here

About the Crankworx World Tour
Crankworx is the ultimate experience in mountain biking. Born in Whistler, B.C. in 2004, Crankworx has evolved into a multi-stop international festival series. The Crankworx World Tour brings together the best mountain bike athletes to compete in elite-level competitions in a variety of disciplines. Crankworx World Tour festivals also host races for amateurs, CWNEXT categories for next gen athletes, Kidsworx contests for young riders, participatory events and celebrations of mountain bike culture, all while showcasing amazing destinations. For additional information, visit crankworx.com.