Crankworx Colorado Final Days

Day three of the Colorado Crankworks begins with more runs down the 28 miles of mountain trails. Today we are given the pleasure of riding some of the 2009 Commencal offerings. I am sampling the Supreme, and the Meta 5.5, while my friend Matt Weatherbee demos the Furious CG. Matt has also been assisting me on this trip, helping with photography and writing.

After some runs on the demo bikes we hit the V.I.P. rooms for a bite to eat and then browsed the other companies booths.

The events for the day are the cross county and the much anticipated slopestyle competition. We only witnessed a small section of the cross country race, but noticed a lot of scraped and bleeding racers at the finish line and expo area. The trails are extremely dry, so I would think most of the crashes were caused by washed out front wheels, in fast turns. The slopestyle competition was delayed by a much needed rain, which perfected the course. It’s almost hard to fathom how talented the slopestyle riders are, until you see them in action. There is no denying the big air tricks they pull off are amazing and complex, but it’s also the tweaks and personal style on the smallest features that separate these athletes from the masses. Branon Semenuk’s first place run is a perfect example of this talent. The masterminds behind the slopestyle course are John Cowan and Aaron Chase, who worked with Gravity Logics to complete the layout. Friday and Saturday nights were finished off unwinding at the Red Bull Afterburner parties, with the likes of Wade Simmons and some of the top competitors.

The last day of Crankworx Colorado is completed with more lift assisted riding and the dual slalom competition. Both time trial and final stages of the event place two riders side by side on parallel courses. The track is a tightly spaced series of fast jumps, berms and rhythm sections running down the center of the slopestyle course. The competitors get two runs in the time trials to determine their placement in the finals. In the finals the first rider down the track goes to the next round, until there is one.

Crankworx Colorado was a fantastic prelude to the Kakanee Crankworx in BC. All the best riders will be there to compete, we will be there to keep you posted. All the results can be found on crankworx.com.

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