Crankworx World Tour Canada

Keeping the wins coming! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Paul Couderc on taking second place in the Red Bull Joyride slopestyle contest. On July 29, the 26-year-old from Figeac, France, rose to second place in the event contested as part of the Crankworx Canadian Open in Whistler, Canada. He was joined on the podium by 27-year-old Swedish team rider Max Fredriksson in fourth place and third place overall in the Crankworx FMB Slopestyle World Championships.

The previous weekend, team rider Mark Wallace took second place in the Rockshox Canadian Open DH event. The 28-year-old from Vancouver Island, Canada, rose to the podium in the Elite Men’s division.

The Crankworx World Tour began in Whistler in 2004 and today features multiple mountain bike racing and freestyle events across the globe. The 2023 Crankworx World Tour featured events in Rotorua, Cairns, Innsbruck, and Whistler.

On July 29, Crankworx Whistler showcased the Red Bull Joyride slopestyle competition. As one of the highlights of the event, the contest attracted an energetic crowd of 38,000 people in the Boneyard of Whistler Mountain Bike Park. The freestyle competition also crowned the overall winners in the Crankworx FMB Slopestyle World Championships.

In the final, with only one attempt per rider, Monster Energy’s Couderc came through with a perfect run. Combining rotations both ways, Couderc put down a 360 off the starting drop into a backflip barspin. The Frenchman also finessed an opposite cork 720 straight into a second 720, double backflip over the huge jump, flip whip over the cannon, tailwhip up the podium into flat drop flip, before closing his run with a double backflip on the final step-down feature for 87.00 points and a strong second-place finish.

“It was such a hard day for everyone, so we all try to play safe but send it at the same time because we knew we could end up just having one run. So, I just decide to trust in myself and go full send even if I have just one run. Everything worked, and that’s why!” said Couderc upon claiming second place at Whistler.

Finishing the Red Bull Joyride slopestyle competition in fourth place, Swedish team rider Max Fredriksson earned a score of 80.00 points with his run. On the strength of this result, the 27-year-old from Stockholm, Sweden, completed the Crankworx FMB Slopestyle World Championships in third place overall.

From July 20–23, Crankworx Whistler contested the Rockshox Canadian Open DH race event. The legendary downhill track designed by the Whistler Mountain Bike Park team offered three massive drops, steep sections, and multiple line choices on a total length of 1.5 miles. The track was dedicated to the memory of legendary Canadian DH talent Stevie Smith.

Speaking on Smith’s influence, Monster Energy’s Wallace said: “I credit me being here, even still, largely to him. When I was 16, wanting to race, he kind of showed me the way. I’ve tried to remember the things that he taught me because it obviously worked out well for him. He would be so excited to go send it down this track, I just gave it my best and tried to do something similar.”

When all was said and done, Wallace sent it down the track for a top spot. Wallace finished the Rockshox Canadian Open DH race in second place in the Elite Men division with a total time of 3:30.847, one second behind fellow Canadian Jakob Jewett taking the win.

Next on the mountain bike racing schedule, watch out for the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Championships in Fort William, Scotland, from August 3-5, 2023. Also, tune in for the next race in the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup season at Pal Arinsal, Andorra, from August 24-27.