Rain gives DH racers edge in Dual Slalom showdown
Crankworx starts a busy Thursdy with showers for head-to-head finals
While Thursday’s Crankworx racing started in the sun, rain rolled in and immediately disrupted Thursday’s Crankworx Dual Slalom. With this week’s event falling between two World Cup weekends, the downhillers were on hand to take advantage.
Andreas Kolb (Continental Atherton) and George Brannigan (NS Bikes UR) faced off in the men’s final. Nina Hoffmann (Syndicate) and Vali Höll (RockShox Trek) duked it out in the women’s final.
Hoffmann versus Höll
Nina Hoffmann rolls into Innsbruck with the momentum of a World Cup win at Fort William on her side. The German used that to great advantage, knocking Queen of Crankworx and the day’s fastest qualifier, Vaea Verbeeck, out in the Round of 8. A bit of luck in the semi-finals, when Anna Newkirk slid out in the mud, put Hoffmann up against Vali Höll in the finals.
In the first of two finals runs, Höll snapped her chain near the finish line. This lent Hoffmann a small advantage going into the second round. Höll attacked hard in Run 2 to make up time and crossed the line with a commanding lead. Both riders were celebrating the Austrian’s win when officials ruled Höll had run over a gate and would be DQ’ed.
“I’m stoked. But to be honest, everybody was making mistakes,” said Nina Hoffman takes the win. “So it’s not the way that I want to win. I’m stoked but not too stoked. It would have been good if Vali would have won because she was riding better than me, but anyway.”
“I’m feeling great at the moment,” added Hoffman. “With the win at Fort William I got such a boost of confidence and have taken this into the season. At the moment enjoying Crankworx and can’t wait for the Downhill.”
For Höll, the DQ in the final was a good way to work back into racing after a disappointing home World Cup in Leogang last weekend that saw her crash twice in her finals run.
“I’m actually surprised that I came here and raced after Leogang,” said the 20-year-old. “That one really hurt, and I don’t really feel ready mentally yet. It actually worked out better than expected. I really messed up in the round of 16 because I hit the gate as well, so it was hard to make up those 1.5 seconds. I tried really hard and it worked out, and I made it through to the finals. It was tough conditions. I feel like the DH riders had a lot of advantage because we know how to ride in the mud, and tire choice and stuff. All the BMXers they were on slick tires, and it’s impossible to ride. It was a sick race, and I can’t wait for Sunday because I really want to win.”
Kolb versus Brannigan
On the men’s side of the brackets, Dual Slalom finals saw another downhill match-up. Atherton Racing’s Andreas Kolb was at full speed on home soil. He faces New Zealand’s George Brannigan. The Kiwi eeked out a small advantage – 0.054 seconds – on the line in the first match-up, but officials again intervened to say he’d rolled over a gate on course.
Kold held on and rode smooth to take the win in the second run and win Crankworx Dual Slalom.
The supremacy of the DH riders was echoed in the men’s final matchup, with Austrian local Andreas Kolb lining up at the start gate against New Zealand’s George Brannigan. Brannigan led by a small margin after both crossed the finish line in their first matchup (just 0.054), but officials added the max differential to his time after determining that he had rolled over a gate. Kolb would hold his lead, crossing the line first on his second run.
“I’m feeling really good,” said Kolb. “When I made it into the top 8 because Jackson Goldstone wasn’t here I thought, ‘Ok, maybe I can go another round.’ And then top 4 I thought ‘Oh, this is good.’ And now I won it. It’s pretty sick. I didn’t expect it for sure.”
As in the women’s race, Kolb conceded the downhill racers had an advantage in the slippery conditions.
“I think it played into the game of the downhill bikers because we’re more used to it,” said the 26-year-old. “Our bikes are a bit better set up for it. The tires have a bit more grip. And,” he added, laughing, “I just love the rain.”
Canadian Dual Slalom results
Vaea Verbeeck led the Canadian results, finishing fifth in the women’s bracket. Georgia Astle (Devinci) followed in 12th and Kyleigh Stewart in 19th.
Bas van Steenbergen settled for ninth in the men’s bracket, one ahead of Syndicate’s Jackson Goldstone. Tegan Cruz added a 46th. Niels Bensink, who grew up in the Netherlands but now calls Canada home, placed seventh.
