Gary Fisher News
Greg Watts Wins CrankWorx Best Tricks
Subaru-Gary Fisher Mountain Bike Team rider Greg Watts took the top prize in the second session of this years VW Trick Showdown event at the Kokanee Crankworx festival in Whistler, British Columbia. Launching his custom Fisher slopestyle bike into one of the most incredible step-down flipwhips ever seen in competition, Watts walked away with $3,000 for winning session two and $300 in the cash grab.
"Everything in Whistler rules, Watts said. "This festival is made up of the best things in life and everyone here threw down today."
The VW Trick Showdown was a winner-take-all, rider-judged event based on two 45 minute sessions on two features within the Boneyard Slopestyle course. The top rider from each session took home $3,000 for best trick. To add to the prize purse, the announcers had $2,000 worth of fifty dollar bills to divide between the riders who laid it all on the line during the event.
Just a few weeks earlier at the Colorado edition of the Crankworx festival, Watts won the first session of the Slopestyle Best Trick contest, executing a Backflip Double Bar Spin to take home top honors. In between winning best trick competitions, Watts has been showcasing his skills for the industry's best video and still photographers. Look for images of Watts' amazing moves in upcoming magazines and videos.
What follows is Greg's recap of the Whistler Crankworx event.
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I am here in Whistler B.C. where the best contest of the year just concluded. Year after year the riding level and crowds at Kokanee Crankworx continue to amaze me. The course was the sickest thing ever built with a perfect balance of technical lines, big hucks, and dirt jumps.
I drove up from California with Andrew Taylor, so after the 18 hour drive through the night, we finally arrived to see the epic course. after taking a couple hour nap, we couldn't help ourselves to some of the best riding in the world on the mountain. We got there a little early, so we had a chance to study the course before riding it.
On the first day of practice, I immediately felt at home with the course. you didn't even need to pedal once down the whole course it flowed so good. My favorite part was the last feature which was an on off box that was bowled out with a lip on the end.
After the first day of practice it went into the VW trick showdown comp. It was a 45 minute jam session on 2 different features on the course, and whoever did the best trick won. The first feature was a dirt jump, and I wasn't too into it because I had something big planned for the last drop and I was really nervous about it. When the session changed to the last drop, I took a couple set up runs before dropping in for the most nerve racking thing I've done in a long time.
After dropping in, I wasn't nervous because I knew I was gonna do it. I went off the small lip, did a flip whip, and landed perfect!! I immediately got tackled by all the riders, and the session stopped because everyone knew they couldn't beat it. After picking up the big $3,000 check, It was time to start concentrating on the finals.
I have had bad luck at Crankworx in the past, so I wanted do good. Qualifying went well with all the riders stepping it up for a spot in the finals at the biggest event of the year. They only took 8 riders to the super finals this year, but it worked out because I qualified 6th.
My first run went OK considering I was saving stuff for my last run. Just before I dropped into my last run, they replayed my flip whip off the drop from best trick. The crowd of 25,000+ people roared, and I immediately got scared. I was so nervous going down the course that I slipped a pedal, and couldn't finish my run. as I was walking off the course they announced something, and the crowd roared again. I knew what they wanted. With a quick raise of my hand, I dropped into the last feature, and landed a flip whip even cleaner than my first one in best trick. Even with a mistake, I still ended up 7th because of my first run, and I was stoked because this was the highest level of riding that mountain biking has ever seen!! I am still up in Whistler just riding the mountain before going to Vancouver Island for the Bearclaw Invitational.
Wish me luck next week! See ya - Greg
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