In the world of competitive mountain biking, no other discipline even comes close to the spectacle that is slopestyle. The gravity-defying acrobatics involved has become a worldwide phenomenon in the past decade as athletes continually raise the bar (no pun intended) for what can be done with some wheels, metal, and grease. The flagship event in Whistler started 13 years ago, kicking off the Crankworx franchise that now also holds contests in France, and most recently, Rotorua, New Zealand.
Rotorua is a geothermal hotspot on the North Island, known for its sulfurous smell that reminds me of my uncle Roy after Christmas dinner. Following in line with the “Middle Earth” analogies that just won’t die, the landscape around here would remind you of some epic fantasy saga. Something about the volcanic activity and the lush vegetation has created a dirt with the ideal consistency for constructing perfectly shaped trails and jumps.
One of those who had mastered the Rotorua dirt was freeride legend Kelly McGarry, or “McGazza” as he was more commonly known. The kiwi designed and built the course last year, which basically stayed the same for this year. Tragically, Kelly is no longer with us. He passed earlier this year to a heart attack. While the mountain bike world still mourns, Kelly’s legacy lives on strong with the Rotorua course. To kick off the contest, dozens of Kelly’s fellow riders and friends took a run through his course in rapid fire succession to memorialize this legendary contributor to freeride mountain biking.
At the risk of sounding cliché, Kelly’s spirit watched over the day as the world’s best riders unleashed their best, blowing expectations of what was possible on a mountain bike. Take Nicholi Rogatkin’s insane cork 1080 on the last jump, whereby he barely stuck it, enough for him to earn second place. Had he landed cleanly, he might’ve taken the contest. Instead, it was Whistler’s golden boy Brandon Semenuk, already a slopestyle veteran at 25 years old, who triumphed. His run was that of pure redemption and pretty much mirrored his run from last year, with one important difference: he stuck the cork 720 barspin that he crashed on last season. That was enough for him to take the lead and keep it for the remainder of the contest.
Next on the Crankworx calendar is the Les Gets slopestyle in France, June 15-18.
