Crankworx is back and bigger than ever. Thousands of fans crammed into Whistler Village and the Boneyard course to watch the 10th anniversary of Red Bull Joyride on Saturday. After an incredible display by riders, not a single one left disappointed.
Emil Johansson continued his historic run of Crankworx slopestyle wins. The last Joyride winner in Whistler, way back in 2019, the Swede was on form again in 2022. Dizzying combinations, including a half cab bar-spin, and a 360 double tail whip into an opp 360 windshield-wiper, carried Johansson to victory.
“Surreal,” said Johansson of his latest Crankworx gold. “I didn’t think this day would come where the winning streak would last for over three years’ time, and to be back in Whistler again and secure the top spot feels surreal. Honestly, I don’t know where to begin.”
It all began years, and eight Crankworx events ago. Johansson is undefeated in eight Crankworx slopestyle rounds now. It’s a multi-year winning streak that, based on Saturday’s competition, could be far from over. Even a broken hand coming into competition couldn’t slow Johansson down.
Bringer brings the heat
Timothé Bringer was one rider who was able to push Johansson, or at least put him under pressure. The French rider scored a 91 to the Swede’s winning score of 94.6. While it’s not Bringer’s first Crankworx podium, it is his first appearance at the elite Red Bull Joyride competition in Whistler.
“I’m so happy to be here in Whistler with everyone and get a spot on the podium,” Bringer said of his second-place finish. “This course was really original and had some features that we have never rode before in other competitions, so it was nice to see everyone doing different tricks on these features. It was hard to get the right speed in front of some of the jumps, so we needed to do a lot of practice before. In the end everybody was riding well, and we all did a good job I think.”
Lemoine’s otherworldly boost
While Johansson and Bringer scored the best, Tomas Lemoine stole the crowd’s hearts with his unexpected and massive boost over the entire, and huge, on-off finish line platform. After crashing hard on his first attempt in practice, Lemoine nailed the Rampage-worthy move on his first run. Knowing he had more, the French rider went back up, added…
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