BRIAN LOPES KILLS IT AGAIN AT GIANT SLALOM, PRESENTED BY GIANT BICYCLES
Jill Kintner Also Adds More Gold To Her Pot
WHISTLER, BC, August 14, 2009 Everyone was gunning for him but that may be the secret to Brian Lopess success. After taking second in last Saturdays Dual Slalom, Lopes had something to prove and came in fast and strong to claim his position at the top with Jared Rando of Australia taking second place and Johannes Fischbach of Germany coming in third fastest overall.
The kids are getting faster, but for me it is harder to lose than it is to pedal harder and train harder, says Lopes after his win.
American Jill Kintner easily held her own against the Pro Womens field with an aggressive and smooth approach to the winding course. She placed first, Emmeline Ragot of France took second; and Leigh Donovan of USA took third.
I wasnt making any mistakes and I just kept it fast and smooth, says Kintner. Events at Kokanee Crankworx set the standard and it is one of my favourite places to come and ride as well as compete. Kintner, who took bronze in BMX racing at the sports debut at the Beijing 2008 Summer Games, also claimed first in last Saturdays Dual Slalom event; establishing her as the woman to beat today.
Shaun Palmer, multi X-Game gold medalist and DH World Cup Champion had a strong showing and was a crowd favourite, but didnt podium.
The Giant Slalom course was rebuilt this season by John Cowan and took the racers on a winding tour through the Boneyards slopestyle features. Giant Slalom courses are longer than standard slalom courses and feature tighter corners, airs and berms.
The GIANT Slalom, presented by GIANT aired as a live webcast at go211.com and crankworx.com. Tomorrows crown jewel of Kokanee Crankworxs roster of events, the Monster Energy Slopestyle, will also be webcast with all the action getting started at 2:50pm Pacific Standard Time with the finals getting underway at 5:30pm. Due to a weather delay on Thursday night, the VW Best Trick will also go down through the qualifiers and finals for the Slopestyle. In this peer-judged contest, the rider who pulls the sickest trick of the competition will go home with $6,000. With a total prize purse of $38,000 on the line tomorrows event is going to be all time.
For more detailed results and event information please visit www.Crankworx.com and make sure to add @Crankworx via Twitter for all the latest news.
Kokanee Crankworx is presented by Whistler Blackcomb and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Whistler has the worlds most diverse offering of mountain bike terrain for all ability levels, attracting all disciplines of mountain biking. With 150 miles of single-track trails throughout the valley, 5,000 vertical feet of lift-accessed downhill runs in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, jump parks, skill centres and 20-plus miles of paved Valley Trail, theres truly something for every rider.
Consistently ranked as North America's top ski and snowboard resort, Whistler Blackcomb elevates summer adventure to new heights. On-Mountain activities include high alpine hiking and sightseeing via the spectacular new PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, epic biking in North Americas number one ranked lift-accessed mountain bike park, and summer skiing and riding on Blackcombs Horstman Glacier. In the valley, the family-friendly Adventure Zone, sparkling mountain lakes and Whistlers vibrant pedestrian village are all surrounded by breathtaking scenery. Located a scenic two-hour drive north of Vancouver up the stunning Sea to Sky Highway, this four season resort is truly incredible. Check it out at www.whistlerblackcomb.com.