CRANKWORX MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL CANCELLED IN WHISTLER
August event cannot be held due to restrictions on event size for Summer 2020
WHISTLER, BC, Tuesday, May 26, 2020 — Crankworx mountain bike festival, the annual celebration of gravity-mountain biking held in Whistler Village and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, will not be held August 2020.
Whistler Blackcomb and Crankworx Events Inc. can now confirm the Whistler stop of the Crankworx World Tour cannot be staged in its hometown in British Columbia, due to provincial restrictions barring events of its size during Phase 3 of the BC Restart Plan.
“I would like to acknowledge the Crankworx team, and our entire Whistler Blackcomb summer staff, who have worked hard for years to grow this festival to the major event is has become. While it is disappointing to put this great community event on hold, we fully appreciate the need for discretion and are very supportive of all provincial decisions made to keep our community safe,” says Geoff Buchheister, Whistler Blackcomb COO.
Whistler’s festival stop marks the largest of three legs in the Crankworx competition circuit. The marquee event of Crankworx Whistler is Red Bull Joyride, which attracts up to 35,000 fans to watch the best slopestyle mountain bikers from around the world from the base of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. 2020 was set to be the 10th anniversary of Red Bull Joyride but the milestone will now be celebrated in 2021, provided Whistler is once again safe to host events of this size and nature.
“Our thoughts are with the athletes who train so hard for Crankworx Whistler, and our global community of mountain bikers whose enthusiasm and excitement is what drives us,” says Darren Kinnaird, General Manager. “We’re very lucky to have the support of the industry, especially our partners and sponsors. This enables us to focus on what’s next, and on getting back to doing what we do, bringing the world together for the ultimate experience in mountain biking, when the time is right.”
August was to mark the 17th Crankworx Whistler. The festival lasts 10 days and features professional gravity mountain biking, programming for children and youth, female-specific riding clinics, an exhibition of the latest bikes and products, and cultural programming designed to showcase the incredible photography and filmmaking intrinsic to the mountain bike scene.
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
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts’ subsidiaries operate 37 world-class mountain resorts and urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham in Australia; Stowe, Mount Snow, Okemo in Vermont; Hunter Mountain in New York; Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; Wilmot in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.