A womens' only event where riders are judged on speed and style on a technical trail and jump trail.
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Words and photos by Patrick Branch
Yesterday the WomenzWorx event took place at Crankworx in Whistler. The first section was on the upper mountain towards the end of In Deep (a trail that is normally loamy and full of rocks and roots). It poured rain for the better part of the previous day so it became a mess of slippery roots and puddles. The second section was on the upper part of Dirt Merchant, a trail filled with jumps. Riders were judged by Duncan Riffle & Brad Benedict on the first part and Kyle Ebbet and Dave Smutok on the second.
Savannah Rogers
Jessica Vogt
Jamie Hill
Kerri-ann Thibeau
Lorraine Blancher
Kathryn Hayes
Stephanie Nychka
In the pro class, local rider Claire Buchar took first with 31.40 points, Lorraine Blancher came second with 28.10 and Kathy Pruitt scored third with 27.93. Just off the podium was Leigh Donovan in fourth with 24.53 and Anne Laplante in fifth with 24.40.
Pro Podium
Jamie Hill from Pemberton finished first in the amateur class with 21.10 points, Lisa Mason took second with 14.70 and Rachelle Frazer placed third with 14.44, while Johanna Weintrager placed fourth with 13.16 and Savannah Rogers took fifth with 11.93.
Amateur Podium
I heard Duncan say, "Wow...really??" after a rider or two pinned it past and down the muddy mess. A few riders inevitably slipped and went down. Stephanie Nychka took a straighter, but steeper line below. She swapped left and saved it to continue through the finish.
The Gala
This Gala is the women's slopestyle which the five top riders from WomenzWorx last year were pre-qualified for. Rain from the previous day again made the dirt wet and soft, so it was hard to get the necessary speed for features like the Kokanee wallride. During practice most of the riders got injured, so when it came to the competition, it was down to two riders, Claire Buchar and Stephanie Nychka.
Claire Buchar dropping in
Stephanie Nychka
Claire Buchar
Despite the speed issues, Stephanie Nychka decided to step it up and go for the Kokanee wallride, which is a huge wallride that looms over the slalom course with a hip landing. Unfortunately she couldn't quite build up the speed and slid down the wall halfway across, but to the delight of all she got up smiling and was able to ride down the hill.
In the end, the ladies decided to split the $1000 check, making for a great end to a great day at Crankworx.
Stay tuned for more daily coverage of Crankworx from Whistler right here on Ridemonkey.com!