CRANKWORX COMES TO CAIRNS
The biggest, baddest mountain bike event on the calendar is about to grace Australia with its presence.
It’s officially official! Crankworx is coming to Cairns, Queensland on the 5th – 9th October, 2022. That’s right, this year the event will be utilising the famous mountain bike destination of Smithfield.
While rumours have been circulating for months, local events company GTR Events (well known for their work at the Cairns 2017 UCI World Championships) have made the official announcement today.
This means the Crankworx world tour for 2022 is now complete with the below schedule:
- June 15-19: Crankworx Innsbruck
- August 5-14: Crankworx Whistler
- October 5-9: Crankworx Cairns
- November 5-13: Crankworx Rotorua
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade, Crankworx is an annual competition which takes place across various locations – Whistler, Canada being the most famous. The multi-day extravaganza centres around the slopestyle and downhill disciplines, drawing the biggest names in the sport with huge sponsors and prizes.
The most recent edition took place across the ditch in New Zealand, where spectators were spoiled with events from Dual Slalom to Pump Track, Air DH to Super D.
But if you don’t fancy gaping from the sidelines, keep an eye out for registrations opening in the near future. We expect an impressive number of Aussie riders to take on the world’s best in what can aptly be described as the Super Bowl of mountain biking.
Aussie downhill legends Tracey and Mick Hannah are of course ecstatic to see the festivities descend upon their much loved home town.
“I can’t even express how exciting it is to have Crankworx coming to Cairns!” said Cairns born and bred Mick Hannah, who’s been a mainstay on the Crankworx scene since the festival’s earliest days.
“Crankworx is a festival that embodies the MTB culture that is so strong in Far North Queensland. Cairns has hosted international MTB events since the early 90’s and has always been one of the places to challenge the limits of what can be done on a bicycle. Back then what we now know as freeride was just mountain biking in Cairns and now we have the highest level of freeride coming to Cairns. I’m so thankful for the life that MTB has afforded me and to have my favourite MTB festival come to the place where that dream became reality is just awesome! I can’t wait!”
Matt Hilton, CEO of Crankworx Cairns added his excitement saying “where else can you watch the biggest names in the sport throw down, surrounded by the best backdrop in the world – the historic rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef? It’s a chance not only to showcase the trails that have brought world’s best athletes from all over the world to Cairns, but also the destination, the culture and heritage and our good old fashioned Aussie hospitality.”
“Having travelled to Rotorua and seen the festival in action there, and the effect it’s had on the local community, it’s easy to see what an opportunity this is for both Cairns and Crankworx,” says Hilton. “It’s the perfect fit – world class mountain biking in a world class destination. Along with our partners at Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Tropical North Queensland and Cairns Regional Council, we can’t wait to put on a good show.”
So how can we get involved?
Athletes: watch for event details in the coming months, with registration set to go live in July.
Coverage: racing action at Crankworx Cairns, as well as at all other stops on the 2022 Crankworx World Tour, will be available live and on demand on Red Bull TV.
Fans: fire up the group text (“Crankworx. Cairns. October. In?”), put in your time off request, book your hotel, and heck, take some inspo from Cam McCaul and figure out where the heck you stored your snorkel gear. Tickets for spectators will be released later in the year.
Follow the official CrankworxCairns on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crankworxcairns/
Stay up to date with all things Crankworx Cairns: www.crankworx.com/cairns
