Crankworx Whistler....The Holy Grail of Bike Festivals makes its way back to its home venue of Whistler Blackcomb, BC. Monster Army ventured to the beautiful paradise to take part and aggressively take over the premier event. Competing in events such as Canadian Open, Fox Air DH, Garbonzo DH, Canadian Open Enduro and the famous Whip-off World Championships, our athletes came out swinging and fared well against some of the best riders in the world. In some of the driest conditions Whistler has seen in recent years, tracks were deteriorating at faster rates than normal and visibility became increasingly difficult to ignore in some of the tighter sections of the tracks. You could see dust clouds billowing up through the tree line as riders continued to cut through the trees on a dusty and beaten up mountain.

The week started off with the Canadian Open Enduro, the second-to-last round of the Enduro World Series. Cole Picchiottino came out the gate firing, but would ultimately run into challenges as the stages progressed. He was able to finish with a 81st and survived the most grueling race of the week. Most riders opt out with mechanicals or exhaustion. Cole showed his true grit and determination and was able to finish the race strong.

Garbonzo DH is the longest timed race held at Crankworx, starting at the top of the Garbonzo Express lift and times ranging from 12-14 minutes from top to bottom. The views can easily take your mind away from racing and take in the sea-to-sky corridor with a perfect view over the town of Whistler. With that said, it’s easy for riders to fade out of race mode and relax and take in the sights. Our very own Nik Nestoroff stayed focused as he prevailed as the victor in the Junior Division. A very demanding win for Nik and a great start to Crankworx.

AirDH took place next in the schedule. This track is typically a lot more mellow than the Garbo or Canadian Open tracks, but is the second longest time run in the event. Faster times would land in the low 4-minute range, but it was no easy task as riders have to endure large braking bumps and holes in the middle of turns that bog them down in sections. However, once again, Nik Nestoroff came out the victor and won the Junior Division, making it 2 for 2 on the week for the reigning US National Champ.

Whip-off World Champs was the next event to take place during the week. Riders were getting as sideways as an open down on a windy day and still able to bring it back straight with ease. Warren Kniss was no stranger to getting sideways as he threw himself into the void and was hanging with the heavy hitters for the first 2 elimination rounds of the contest.

Canadian Open is the last timed event to take place during Crankworx. Juniors went off first and you know what they say: three is a magic number. With that said, Nik Nestoroff definitely was feeling that Crankworx Magic. He would go on to take another win in the Junior Division, making it a three-peat of Crankworx wins on the week. An impressive feat for the National Champ and good momentum to carry into the final round of the World Cup.

Elites took to the hill as the crowds began to thicken at the finish line area. Riders repeatedly flew down and set new fast times. Then Bruce Klein takes the stage and blows everyone’s minds as the unexpected hot seat holder after his run and slays the day by putting up a time that was 3 seconds faster than the previous leader. Bruce would hold onto the hot seat for a while until Sam Blenkinsop, a top-20 protected World Cup racer and respected veteran of the sport, narrowly edged out his time by .65 seconds, bumping him down into 2nd. Monster Energy's own Troy Brosnan flew down and blew away the field and took the top spot and would ultimately bump Bruce down into the 3rd spot.

Shane Leslie came down in a strong 15th spot and Charlie Harrison rounded out the top 10 with solid finishes in the Elite Category. Cole Picchiotino also landed a top 30 result and Jarod Hanson landed in 45th.  Overall a strong showing on Whistler's World Cup Level Track.

After all was said and done, Monster Army came, saw and conquered Crankworx Whistler. With Nik grabbing multiple wins and Bruce grabbing a huge podium finish, as well as strong efforts and appearances from our other riders, Monster Army left Crankworx happy and looking forward for more.