CRANKWORX NEW ZEALAND
ROTORUA, NZ - MARCH 17-25, 2018 - The first stop of the Crankworx World Tour began in New Zealand last week with 9 action packed days of gravity mountain biking. Adding more events and new courses to the line up this year, Rotorua continues to push the limits as one of the world’s premiere biking locations.
Jill Kintner competed in 5 events this time, claiming 3 wins and all top 5 finishes (Redwoods DH, slalom, Air DH, Pumptrack, and skyline Downhill). The points system for the prestigious King and Queen championship had changed from 2017 with double points for enduro, whip points, added slalom, etc, so getting solid points in every event was a huge success.
JILL KINTNER…..
“Crankworx is a totally different challenge to just going to a single event; fitness is a big part, but you have to be ready for practice, quail, and a final on a different bike each day. 5 events were a lot to manage, but we had a good plan and pit crew helping out to get it done. It’s easy to get lured into random events at Crankworx because vibe is so fun, but two downhill races sandwiched by 3 sprint races in a row was enough. With the points divided up differently this year, it was good to take a big chunk here at the first round and come out with a bit of room for the other stops later on. Thanks to Bryn, Brad my mechanic, and Janet for helping."
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JILL KINTNER….. 1st - SLALOM
“Everyone was really excited to see slalom added to the line up. They had a pretty good spot for it under the trees near the redwood park, but it could have used a bit more grade to be a true slalom. With the blue groove bmx style pumptrack up top, luckily the flat gates at the bottom added some skills to equalize everything. No matter what the course, slalom racing head to head is always exciting to watch. ”
SLALOM RESULTS:
PRO WOMEN
1. Jill Kintner - USA
2. Kailani Hines - USA
3. Tahnee Seagrave - GBR
PRO MEN
1. Thomas Slavic -CZE
2. Kyle Strait - USA
3. Luca Cometti- USA
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JILL KINTNER….. 1st - AIR DOWNHILL
“A-Line down Mr.Black trail was super basic, so it came down to knowing the exact places to touch the brakes, or not, where to tuck, where to sprint hard, and just finding the edges of the trail to maximize the speed. I had nearly a perfect run, and was determined to put in a good effort. This race was exhausting, especially after all the big sprints at slalom the day before, so yeah, I was happy to have won by a good margin.”
AIR DOWNHILL RESULTS
PRO WOMEN
1. Jill KINTNER- USA - 2:19.76
2. Vaea VERBEECK - CAN- 2:21.64
3. Emilie SIEGENTHALER - SUI - 2:23.76
4. Shania Rawson - NZL - 2:24.87
5. Kate Weatherly - NZL - 2:26.82
PRO MEN
1. Mick Hannah - AUS - 2:08.92
2. Matt Walker - NZL - 2:09.62
3. Tomas Slavik - CZE - 2:09.75
4. Sam Blenkinsop - NZL- 2:10.19
5. Louis Hamilton - NZL - 2:11.16
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JILL KINTNER….. 1st - PUMPTRACK
“The new course was a welcomed change, and tricky to get perfect. We were chainless again, so it was super important to get really solid timing out of the start and on all the pumps. A lot of people over rode the track, so intensity was good, but precision entering the corners and down the final stretch was key. Fun to see some fresh faces out there as well. "
PUMPTRACK RESULTS
PRO WOMEN
1. Jill KINTNER - USA
2. Kailani Hines - USA
3. Jonna Johnsen - DEN
PRO MEN
1. Tomas Lemoine - FRA
2. Chaney Guennet - FRA
3. Michael BIAS - NZL
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JILL KINTNER….. 3rd - REDWOODS DOWNHILL
“This was a super fun course, a bit strange to do all of practice and a race in the same day without a quali, but fun none the less. I felt decent in practice, and then as I got in the start got some news about a fellow competitor that threw off my focus a bit. I made a big mistake up top, going off the track in a fast section, just wasting time, and just didn’t let it roll like I needed after that. Bit disappointing, but it’s natural to have a few nerves at the first race of the year, and to end up 3rd still was pretty good."
Redwood DOWNHILL RESULTS
PRO WOMEN
1. Vaea VERBEECK - CAN
2. Casey Brown- CAN
3. Jill KINTNER- USA
4. Shania Rawson - NZL
5. Alexandra Wilhlgensinger - SUI
PRO MEN
1. Sam Blenkinsop- NZL
2. Brook MacDonald
3. Mick Hannah - AUS
4. Keegan Wright - NZL
5. Matt Walker - NZL
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JILL KINTNER….. 5th - SKYLINE DOWNHILL
“This track in the wet is so difficult to ride, and the skies just opened up leading up to the final. Needless to say, I was out there on flat pedals trying to see if I could make it down but ultimately it wasn’t really a race, but a test to stay on. I had a few crashes, so it was whatever, but I did manage a few points for the long game:) .”
DOWNHILL RESULTS
PRO WOMEN
1. Tahnee Seagrave - GBR
2. Emilie Siegenthaler - SUI
3. Miranda Miller - CAN
4. Vinney - NZL
5. Jill KINTNER- USA
PRO MEN
1. Sam Blenkinsop- NZL
2. Mick Hannah - AUS
3. Finn Iles - CAN
4. Dean Lucas - AUS
5. Brook MacDonald- NZL
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NEXT UP: Sombrio Catalog , Pro GRT Port Angeles, Sea Otter….