There is one more day of Crankworx Rotorua before the season wraps up but Bas van Steenbergen has already clinched the King of Crankowrx crown. With a podium finish in the Speed and Style event on Saturday, van Steenbergen landed enough points for his second consecutive Crankworx coronation.
The women’s competition also wrapped up Saturday, since there’s no women’s Slopestyle event. Caroline Buchanan emerged victorious after a season-long battle with Jordy Scott and defending champ, Canada’s Vaea Verbeeck.
Bas van Steenbergen defends crown while Lemoine keeps streak alive
The men’s Speed and Style final was timed to near perfection. As Tomas Lemoine and Peter Kaiser dropped in on their second of two runs, pouring rain started to fall, and fall fast. The two raced each other and the weather to the finish line. With his advantage from the first run, Lemoine was able to keep his Speed and Style winning streak alive.
Saturday’s win is Lemoine’s fourth Speed and Style win this year, a perfect run at Crankworx for the French rider.
“I’m stoked but also kind of stressed for tomorrow,” Lemoine in the finish area, with his mind already turning to Sunday’s Slopestyle competition. “It’s going to be my first time ever dropping in to train the course on the same day as the contest. It’s going to be challenging, but this is what we are here for man. It’s the last Speed & Style of the season so I knew I couldn’t miss it. I love it, and wanted to give it a try and we will see what happens tomorrow in Slopestyle.”
Slopestyle delivered a third podium in Rotorua for Bas van Steenbergen. The Canadian won his small final to finish third and, with those points, clinch the King of Crankworx crown. That makes back-to-back titles, with van Steenbergen earning his first coronation in Rotorua in 2021.
“They did an incredible job with getting this course ready,” van Steenbergen said of today’s racing. “I definitely didn’t think we’d be racing today after all this rain, so hats off to all the trail builders. Stoked!”
While van Steenbergen now has the points to clinch the King of Crankworx title, the podium positions are still wide open. Sam Blenkinsop sits second, with 632 points. With his win Saturday, Tomas Lemoine draws even with Jackson Frew at 620 points. Lemoine is the…
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