Crankwork Les Gets 2018 roundup

A full rundown of what went on at the 2018 event

featured in News & reviews Author Giles Towler, Morzine Reporter Updated 27 June 2018

From June 20th to 24th some of the premier talent in the world of mountain biking came to Les Gets for the third round of the Crankworx World Tour, the travelling mountain bike festival that continues to go from strength to strength as its global popularity increases.

The Crankworx tour kicked off in Rotorua between March 17th and 25th before moving to Innsbruck between June 13th and 17th. Between June 20th and 24th the event arrived in Les Gets for the third year in a row. Historically, Les Gets has been one of the most important venues in European mountain biking, holding French National Downhill Championship races from 1992 to 1996 when the town was finally awarded the honour of hosting its first UCI World Cup event.

In 1997 the neighbouring town of Morzine opened France’s first permanent downhill track that was specifically open to all riders. The area was well and truly on the map for mountain biking, and Les Gets finally hosted the UCI World Championships in 2004, which was run by local rider Fabien Barel. It was only natural that Les Gets would become a venue for Crankworx.

The weather had cleared up considerably, meaning conditions were perfect throughout the event. This was not the case two years ago when there was plenty of rain which had caused some disruption, and lots of mud. Last year conditions were hot and sunny, and showed how enjoyable it could be sitting in the sun watching the best riders in the world do what they do best. It was therefore a relief to see that, for the second year in a row, the weather played ball. The only real issue occurred on the last day, when the slopestyle event was rescheduled to earlier in the day due to concerns over high winds that were forecast for later in the day.

The pump track challenge took place on the 21st, following practice sessions on the 20th. The elimination event eventually ended with a top four in the men’s category of 1. Keegan Wright, 2. Tomas Lemoine, 3. Luca Cometti and 4. Adrien Loron. In the women’s category the results were 1. Mathilde Bernard, 2. Jill Kintner, 3. Kialani Hines and 4. Vaea Verbeeck.

Also on the 21st the European Whip Off Championships took place in the early evening. This is always a popular event with spectators as they can sit in the sun and enjoy the show as riders attempt their most stylish whips off one of the large jumps. In the end USA’s Ryan Howard took the win in the men’s event with Kade Edwards and Dave McMillan finishing the top three. In the women’s event the results were 1. Vinny Armstrong, 2. Casey Brown, and 3. Lia Weill.

Friday 22nd saw training throughout the day for the weekend’s main events, as well as concerts in the evening and the Light On MTB mountain bike movie show. On Saturday 23rd the main Crankworx downhill race took place. This event attracts some big names in World Cup racing, and offers a chance to watch some of your favourite racers and cheer them on. In the men’s race the top five were 1. Troy Brosnan, 2. Arnaury Pierron, 3. Loris Vergier, 4. Thomas Estaque, and 5. Sam Blenkinsop. The women’s top five was 1. Rachel Atherton, 2. Myriam Nicole, 3. Tracey Hannah, 4. Emilie Siegenthaler, and 5. Casey Brown.

The downhill race was followed by the dual slalom, which ended with a men’s top three of Bernard Kerr, Edward Masters and Kyle Strait. In the women’s event Rachel Atherton took her second win of the day, followed by Jill Kintner in second and Tahnee Seagrave, who grew up riding Les Gets before finding World Cup Success, in third.

On Sunday there were still more events to come, and despite the wind that had caused the schedule to be moved around, conditions remained good. In the men’s slopestyle, which is the real showpiece event of the festival for many spectators, Nicholi Rogatkin took the victory, followed by Brett Rheeder and Erik fedko. Later in the day there was a second DH race on the black Dans Le Gaz run on Mt Chery. The men’s top three for this race was Baptiste Pierron, Sam Blenkinsop and Kirk McDowall. The women’s race finished with a top three of Jill Kintner, Marine Cabirou and Casey Brown.

The final event of the weekend was the dual speed and style, which was won by Kyle Strait, with Tyler McCaul in second, and Sam Reynolds in third. It was another great success for Crankworx, and a brilliant way to show off Les Gets to the mountain biking world. Hopefully the event will return again next year.