Jakob Jewett completes Crankworx podium run with Dual Slalom win

First, Jakob Jewett was second in the Rotorua downhill. Then he finished third in Air DH. On Saturday, Pivot Factory Racing’s Canadian completed his podium run by winning the Crankworx Rotorua Dual Slalom.

The win adds to an already sensational week for the young Canadian. It also puts him in third for the King of Crankworx competition when the Crankworx World Tour leaves New Zealand after Sunday.

Jewett finesses rain-soaked Slalom track

Being based Canada’s wet west coast clearly helped Jakob Jewett when the rain started falling on Saturday. The Pivot racer barely slowed down when the lower flat corners went from fast to treacherous. That saw him progress up the ladder of head-to-head racing all day until coming up against Australia’s Jackson Frew (who not only spends summers in Canada but races for Kamloops, B.C.-based We Are One).

It was a wildly tight finish but, after two races, Jewett emerged as the winner. That gives him a complete collection of podium medals from Crankworx Rotorua. It also puts him well up in the King of Crankworx standings. Whether the Pivot Factory Racing athlete will continue to follow the Crankworx World Tour through to his home B.C. trails Whistler or stay lazer-focused on World Cup racing remains to be seen. Either way, it’s a phenomenal start to the year for the Canadian.

Last year’s King of Crankworx, Tuhoto Ariki Pene (MS Intense) finished third. Pemberton B.C.’s Tegan Cruz (NS Bikes UR) finished a solid third in the Dual Slalom.

On the women’s side, Kialani Hines was up against Martha Gill in the final round.

“It was fun racing out there! It was a little scary as the track is so fast and you’re riding it as hard as you can,” Hines said after her silver medal. “The finals was the hardest match up for me today. Martha and I have gone together a bunch of times, and our qualifying time was basically identical, our time was 0.002 difference, so you can’t make mistakes and you can’t hold back and I kind of did that, but it was still fun racing!”

Gill takes the gold with Hines Silver and Jordy Scott rounding out the women’s podium in third.

Results: 2024 Crankworx Rotorua – Dual Slalom

Men

1. Jakob Jewett (CAN)
2. Jackson Frew (AUS)
3. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (NZL)

Women

1. Martha Gill (GBR)
2. Kialani Hines (USA)
3. Jordy Scott (USA)

Pump Track: Tegan Cruz finds fourth

Saturday was a busy day at Crankworx Rotorua. Dual Slalom racing was followed by Pump Track action, with some major Slopestyle controversy thrown in between. For Pemberton, B.C.’s Tegan Cruz, it was a marathon of short, high-speed races. After finishing sixth in the Dual Slalom, Cruz just missed out on a bronze medal in Pump Track, finishing fourth behind Niels Bensink.

Ryan Gilchrist eventually upset Tuhoto Ariki Pene in a rain-delayed men’s final.

“I knew I needed to bring my best, and I did rise to the occasion and I’m very very proud of how I put myself together there” Gilchrist said after his win, adding some kind words about his finals-match up, Pene: “Fierce competitor. Just nothing but the best he brings to the table at every race.”

On the women’s side, Hines improved on her silver in Dual Slalom to bring home gold in Pump Track. She defeated Rotorua local, and one of the week’s stand-out athletes Shania Rawson in the final. Jordy Scott matched her bronze from earlier in the day with another in Pump Track.

Results: 2024 Crankworx Rotorua – Pump Track Challenge

Men

1. Ryan Gilchrist (AUS)
2. Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (NZL)
3. Niels Bensink (NED)

Women

1. Kialani Hines (USA)
2. Shania Rawson (NZL)
3. Jordy Scott (USA)