Greg Watts Wins Crankworx Slopestyle

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WHISTLER, BC, August 15, 2009- Subaru-Gary Fisher freerider, Greg Watts, won the biggest slopestyle event of the year at Kokanee Crankworx. The Monster Energy Slopestyle had over 20,000 fans on hand to witness Greg Watts stomp huge tricks all over the Boneyard Slopestyle course designed by John Cowan.

First place in the Monster Energy Slopestyle and $15,000 went to Greg Watts with a score of 96.00; second place and $7,500 went to Whistler’s own Trek-rider Brandon Semenuk with a score of 95.25, while third place and $3,000 went to Martin Soderstrom with a score of 90.75.

“Whistler is the greatest place ever,” says Watts. “I came into slopestyle thinking I could win it but I didn't really believe it would happen.” Semenuk added “I’ve been learning flips and am stoked to get one in today. It’s cool to be competing in Whistler, I can hear the crowd going crazy on the course.”

Greg Watts’s winning run consisted of a mind-numbing list of tricks, starting with a 360 tail-whip off the drop in; Superman seat grab over the first jump; back flip on, to 360 off the Giro box; tail whip off the Kona wall; truck driver off the SRAM feature; bar spin off the Race Face drop; flip whip over the VW dirt jump; finishing with a step up, to back flip off the Kokanee Kicker into the finish corral.

“I’m stoked on the course this year,” says Colin Duncan, Head Slopestyle Judge. “It keeps everyone on one line but with options. What we are seeing today is the most advanced freestyle riding in mountain biking and the riders are out there supporting each other to push the sport.”