CRANKWORX AUSTRIA
Innsbruck, Austria - June 21-24, 2017 - Former host of the ’64 and ’76 Winter Olympics, Innsbruck, Austria made a push this year towards summer sports and mountain biking in particular to open up year-round opportunities for sport and tourism. With massive peaks towering above the city on both sides, and a 15 minute commute to the venue from center, Crankworx was set to draw people in and take in the beauty of the Alps.
Jill Kintner competed in both pumptrack and downhill with a pair of second place finishes.
JILL KINTNER….. 2nd - PUMPTRACK
“That was a tight battle, especially for a final under lights like that. It really sucks to be on the loosing end by just .03 of a second, grrr, but everyone seemed pretty stoked to watch good racing, and I know what I need to do. Still stings though. I was glad to see a course with a few more turns and technical variations; that’s the direction pumptracks should go for sure:).”
PUMPTRACK RESULTS:
PRO WOMEN
1. Caroline Buchanan- AUS
2. Jill Kintner- USA
3. G. Fink- SUI
PRO MEN
1. Chaney Guennet- FRA
2. Mitch Ropelato- USA
3. Adrian Loron
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JILL KINTNER….. 2nd - DOWNHILL
“This course was like a tamer version of Val Di sole; natural, loose, rooty, rough, just not as steep. It was a good test of braking ability as you had to be patient in regulating speed and hitting marks to snake between the trees and balance on the off-cambers. I was pretty happy with my run, liked the course more and more as it evolved, and felt good. Doing multiple events in a week isn’t easy when the other girls are able to focus on just the one, but it gives me satisfaction knowing I can race against the best in the World in any discipline. To come 2nd to the current leader of the World Cup and get really good points for the overall is a win in my book.”
Photo: L-R Jill Kintner, Mick Hannah, Danny Hart, Tracy Hanah, Emilie Siegenthaler , Jack Moir
DOWNHILL RESULTS:
PRO WOMEN
1. Tracy Hannah- AUS- 3:11.79
2. Jill Kintner- USA- 3:17.92
3.. Emilie Siegenthaler- SUI - 3:18.32
4. Casey Brown- CAN- 3:21.52
5. Vaea Verbeeck- CAN- 3:30.27
PRO MEN
1. Danny Hart- GBR- 2:50.60
2. Mick Hannah- AUS- 2:50.85
3. Jack Moir- AUS- 2:51.63
4. Jacob Dixon- IRL- 2:51.80
5. Joe Smith - GBR- 2:53.56
6. Kirk McDowell - CAN - 2:53.69
7. Josh Bryceland- GBR- 2:53.89
8. Charlie Harrison- USA- 2:54.23
9. Brendan Fairclough- GBR- 2:54.42
10. Noel Niederberger- SUI - 2:54.73
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CRANKWORX FRANCE
Les Gets, France - June 14-18, 2017 - Located in the French Alps, the small village of Les Gets hosted the second stop on the Crankworx World tour. Sunny skies, beautiful vistas, and exceptional Downhill tracks gave everyone a much better taste for Les Gets’ iconic biking than last year’s mud-fest.
With the Leogang, Austria World Cup action taking place just a week prior to this event, top riders were in attendance in near-by France to give fans an amazing show with the top names that they love to see. High speeds, wide open sections, technical woods, and a very natural feel made for good variety, fun riding, loose turns, and tight times.
For Jill Kintner competing in 3 events; Pumptrack, Downhill, and Air DH she had a busy week and great results on her Norco bicycles. With a victory in the Pumptrack, and top 5’s in both downhills against a stacked field, she sits at the top of the rankings once again for the overall series with 2 stops to go; Innsbruck and Whistler.
JILL KINTNER….. 1st - PUMPTRACK
“I have been working hard on my technique and timing to be more precise, so I am glad it paid off. On such a simple course there wasn’t much to separate anyone other than really committing in the turns and working your body. Caroline is a good competitor and I enjoy the challenge she brings for me to compete at my best to win. On a side note, I hope the tracks will evolve to be a little more technical to showcase everyone’s skills."
PUMPTRACK RESULTS:
PRO WOMEN
1. Jill Kintner - USA
2. Caroline Buchanan- AUS
3. Manon Carpenter- GBR
PRO MEN
1. Adrian Loron - FRA
2. Chaney Guennet- FRA
3. Mitch Ropelato- USA
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JILL KINTNER….. 5th - DOWNHILL
“This was such a fun Downhill course with the raw speed of things out in the open slopes. What a difference this year was compared to last year’s mud fest. I had the pace of the top girls, and was loving being in the mix. Racing is tricky to get perfect, and with the loose blown out conditions, traction wasn’t as ideal as it was earlier in the day. I kinda needed to tweak a few things with my set up but didn’t really know that at the time. All good, I had a blast and will learn what I can from the experience. Also glad to get a few points for the overall out of this one."
DOWNHILL RESULTS:
PRO WOMEN
1. Myriam Nicole- FRA - 3:25.70
2. Tracy Hannah- AUS - 3:27.42
3.. Emilie Siegenthaler- SUI - 3:31.18
4. Manon Carpenter- GBR - 3:31.49
5. Jill Kintner- USA - 3:32.34
PRO MEN
1. Troy Brosnan- AUS 3:02.83
2. Loris Vergier - FRA - 3:03.72
3. Greg Minnaar - RSA - 3:03.78
4. Bernerd Kerr - GBR - 3:03.92
5. George Brannigan - NZL - 3:04.39
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JILL KINTNER….. 4th - AIR DOWNHILL
“It was kinda cool how they spiced things up with fresh cut sections of trail as well as off camber grass mixed in with the bike park sections. I enjoyed the course, felt good in practice ripping the corners, but my run wasn’t quite perfect in an important section. The difference between 2nd and 4th was .04 of a second, so I’m kicking myself, but that’s how it goes. Onward and upward."
Photo : @fraserbrittonphoto
Photo: @brynatkinson
AIR DOWNHILL RESULTS:
PRO WOMEN
1. Morgane Charr- FRA - 2:58.10
2. Casey Brown- CAN - 3:00.16
2.. Emilie Siegenthaler- SUI - 3:00.16
4. Jill Kintner- USA -3:00.20
5. Manon Carpenter- GBR - 3:01.84
PRO MEN
1. Jack Moir- AUS - 2:36.62
2. Greg Minnaar - RSA - 2:38.67
3. Josh Bryceland- GBR - 2:39.81
4. Marcelo Gutierrez - COL - 2:40.04
5. Amaury Pierron - FRA- 2:40.04
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Photo Credit: Bryn Atkinson @brynatkinson / Fraser Britton @fraserbrittonphoto / Dave Trumpore @trumporephoto
Shout out to Brad Kelly , team mechanic for doing an incredible job all week! 3 bikes a day.
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