June 01, 2012 (Whistler, BC) – Crankworx’s invites for the inaugural Les 2 Alpes Slopestyle presented by iXS on July 14 and Red Bull Joyride on August 18 are signed, sealed, and delivered.
The best slopestyle athletes in the world will show everyone what next level riding looks like. With Gold Level FMB points and a 15,000 Euro prize purse on the line for the top slope riders at Les 2 Alpes and $25,000 for first place alone in Whistler at the Red Bull Joyride, the best of the best will be on course.
Crankworx’s slopestyle event has long been considered the most prestigious event of its kind in the world and Red Bull Joyride is a Diamond Stop, one of only two worldwide. The Les 2 Alpes’ Slopestyle, presented by IXS, has a gold level ranking on the FMB World Tour.
“These are season-defining freeride mountain bike competitions and the invitation formats ensure the best athletes compete,” says Darren Kinnaird, Crankworx General Manager. “For Crankworx Les 2 Alpes, the invites are based on the top 24 in the 52 week seeding list as of today, a few select special invites and there will be five Wild Card spots up for grabs through the Mondial du VTT event in Les 2 Alpes June 21 to 24. For Red Bull Joyride, invitations go out to athletes based on their performance at previous Crankworx Slopestyles and their results in the FMB World Tour.”
Invited athletes for Les 2 Alpes Slopestyle presented by iXS –
–
– Cam Zink
– Sam Pilgrim
– Martin Soderstrom
– Tomas Genon
– Yannick Granieri
– Anthony Messere
– Sam Reynolds
– Cam McCaul
– Greg Watts
– Kurt Sorge
– Darren Berrecloth
– Geoff Gulevich
– Amir Kabbani
– Mitch Chubey
– Antoine Bizet
– Teo Gustavson
– Szymon Godziek
– Niki Leitner
– Tyler McCaul
– Tomas Zejda
– Peter Henke
– Brett Rheeder
– Andrew Taylor
– Andreu Lacondeguy
– Kyle Strait
– Paul Basagoitia
– Antoni Villoni
– plus 5 Wildcards
Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler
– Brandon Semenuk
– Cam Zink
– Anthony Messere
– Greg Watts
– Geoff Gulevich
– Cam McCaul
– Mike Montgomery
– Casey Groves
– Martin Soderstrom
– Tyler McCaul
– Kurt Sorge
– Jamie Goldman
– Darren Berrecloth
– Tomas Genon
– Yannick Granieri
– Sam Pilgrim
– Sam Reynolds
Red Bull Joyride Invitation Format – Below is the criteria used to determine the 17 athlete invitations issued already and for the how the rest of the field will be filled out for participation in Red Bull Joyride :
– The past winner of Crankworx Colorado Slopestyle receives a three-year automatic invite to Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler (C. McCaul, winner in 2011)
– Top three athletes of the past three Crankworx Slopestyles receive a three-year automatic invitation to future Red Bull Joyride and Teva Best Trick Showdown events (2012 to 2014: Semenuk, Zink, Messere; 2011 to 2013: Zink, Montgomery, Groves; 2011 to 2012: Watts, Semenuk, Soderstrom;)
– The fourth to tenth ranked athletes from the 2011 Red Bull Joyride (Watts, Gulevich, C. McCaul, T. McCaul, Sorge, Goldman, Berrecloth)
– The winner of Crankworx Les 2 Alpes Slopestyle presented by iXS will receive a three-year automatic invite to Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler Winners (or highest placing previously unqualified athlete) of the following 2012 Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour (FMB) Gold events: FISE Montpellier (Granieri, third place finish), 26Trix (Genon, first place finish), the Claymore Challenge, and the Bearclaw Invitational.
– The top twelve athletes from the FMB 2012 52-week rankings after July 7 (Mathematically, Pilgrim and Reynolds can’t fall outside top 12 by July 7).
– The field will be rounded out with wild card invites.
Red Bull Joyride Qualifying Format:
A total of ten athletes will be automatically qualified for Red Bull Joyride on Saturday, August 18 and won’t have to participate in the two full course qualifying runs on August 16, based on the following criteria:
– Top six ranking athletes from the 2011 Red Bull Joyride (Brandon Semenuk, Cam Zink, Anthony Messere, Greg Watts, Geoff Gulevich, Cam McCaul)
– Top 4 from 2012 Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour’s 52 week ranking on July 7, 2012 (or highest previously unqualified athletes)
– An additional eight athletes will be qualified based on the results of two full-course runs on August 16, limited to the 16 athletes that are not pre-qualified for Red Bull Joyride. Red Bull Joyride judges will observe the two full-course qualifying runs. Riders will be ranked based on the best score achieved of the qualifying runs to select eight athletes to advance and join the ten pre-qualified riders for Red Bull Joyride on Saturday, August 18.
Stay tuned to www.crankworx.com for upcoming news and connect with Crankworx through FB or Twitter. With more announcements and exciting new partnerships to announce in the coming weeks, stay tuned to www.crankworx.com – watch the latest video for Crankworx 2012 here.
The ninth annual Crankworx Whistler is presented by Whistler Blackcomb and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Crankworx Whistler is the biggest annual event held in Whistler and is also the largest freeride mountain bike festival in the world. Crankworx Les 2 Alpes will take place for the first time July 9-15, 2012 and is the first Crankworx event to take place outside of North America. This new event will build on Crankworx’s legendary legacy in the arena of freeride mountain biking.