Crankworx Cairns Wraps with a Slopestyle Showdown and Specialized Dual Slalom Battles 

Crankworx Cairns wrapped in spectacular style today, with two crowd-favorite events bringing the week to a close: Crankworx Cairns Slopestyle and the Specialized Dual Slalom. After a week of sunshine, fast tracks, and high stoke, the tropical vibes carried through to the final day at Smithfield MTB Park, with just a few gusts of wind and a brief shower unable to dampen the energy of fans and riders alike. 

Crankworx Cairns Slopestyle – Round 2 of the FMBA Slopestyle World Championship 

This year’s Slopestyle course in Cairns underwent a major revamp, ditching most of its wooden features in favour of a more natural, flowy build – a change that gave athletes space to link technical tricks and push progression. Riders had two runs each, with the best score counting. 

And what a showdown it turned out to be. A field stacked with legends, podium contenders, and rising stars brought one of the most competitive events the FMBA Slopestyle World Championship (SWC) has seen in recent memory. 

Alma Wiggberg Back on Top 

Defending champion Alma Wiggberg returned to the Crankworx stage in dominant form after coming back from a shoulder injury. Her first run set the bar sky-high with a massive 90.50, a score that went unmatched all day. Alma’s run blended style and amplitude, showcasing: 

• Suicide No Hander 
• Backflip Bar Spin 
• Toboggan 
• 360 
• Backflip One Foot Can 
• Suicide No Hander 
• 360 Bar Spin 

“For me especially the mental part has been difficult to feel confident and trusting since I had the same injury for four years, it’s been hard to find the confidence that it will be good. But I’ve been working a lot on it and just being here riding gives me a lot of confidence”, Alma Wiggberg said after returning from a break due to injury. 

Patricia Druwen, who won her first-ever SWC competition at Crankworx Rotorua earlier this year, struggled on her first run with a crash mid-course, but recovered to score 84.25 on her second – earning her the silver. Natasha Miller, the 18-year-old Canadian, had an incredibly composed first run, earning 76.5 with a series of dialled combo tricks. Hoping to bump up her score, she went all in on her second but overshot the final backflip, ending her day in third. 

Notably absent from the final showdown was Harriet Burbidge-Smith, who had just returned from a neck injury, decided to withdraw from competition after a crash in practice.

Men’s Competition: Tim Bringer Steals the Show 

French rider Tim Bringer threw down what might go down what may have been of his greatest runs so far. Leading with a Double Backflip Tuck No Hander over the course’s only wooden feature, Tim’s high-amplitude run racked up a 92.37, securing him the win. 

Tim’s full Trick List: 

• Double Backflip Tuck No Hander 
• Backflip Double Tailwhip to Bar Spin 
• Backflip Tuck No Hander 
• 360 Tailwhip to Double Bar Spin 
• 360 Double Tailwhip to Bar Spin 
• Double Backflip 
• Cashroll X-Up 

“It’s super nice to see Tim building up his riding through the years, getting his confidence in riding and the tricks. I will still try to steal the Triple Crown from him in Whistler, but let’s see. He’s totally ready to win everything this year, I think”, last year’s victor David Godziek about Tim Bringer. 

David Godziek, reigning Slopestyle World Champion, Triple Crown winner and last year’s Cairns Slopestyle champ, was close on his heels. Sitting second after Run 1, he pushed hard in run 2 trying to unseat Tim but couldn’t land his final trick, finishing with 90.5 and a well-earned silver. 

One of the breakout moments of the day came from Chance Moore, the young Canadian who just entered the SWC circuit last year. His fluid and technical first run scored 88.37, locking in his first-ever SWC podium in third place. 

Erik Fedko, also coming back from injury, had his sights on the podium, but ultimately placed outside the top three. Paul Couderc delivered two consistent runs to narrowly miss the podium, finishing fourth by just one point, while Nicholi Rogatkin – nursing an injury and having limited practice all week – still pulled out two strong runs, earning fifth. 

Emil Johansson, one of the sport’s most decorated athletes, had a heavy crash during his first run and was taken to hospital for evaluation. His condition is stable, he is receiving the medical care he needs and is showered in waves of support from fans on site and around the world.

Specialized Dual Slalom – Head-to-Head Action 

The final showdown of Crankworx Cairns came with a dose of high-intensity, side-by-side action as riders lined up for the Specialized Dual Slalom. The newly revamped course proved to be a major test – its tighter corners and slick surfaces caused multiple riders to go down or get DQ’d, adding to the intensity and drama. The crowd on site was treated to incredibly close racing, bold passes, and some nail-biting finals. 

The men’s field saw a breakthrough moment for Tegan Cruz, who – growing up close to the birthplace of Crankworx in Whistler, BC, has been part of the Crankworx family since his early Kidsworx days. Tegan faced off against his close friend and recent RockShox Downhill victor Jackson Frew in the gold medal match-up, taking both runs and earning his first-ever Elite Crankworx gold medal. 

“It’s been amazing racing Crankworx since I was a little kid, and yeah, to move from U17, Junior, and now to the Elite ranks, it feels so great to achieve my first gold medal here on the Crankworx World Tour”, Tegan Cruz commented after his run. “I always try to generally be confident, and some words of wisdom going in, maybe run through the track quickly in your head before you drop in, and yeah, just trying to give myself the best pep talk I can,” he says about his secret to success in these tight battles.

Reigning King of Crankworx Ryan Gilchrist came into a berm with too much heat, resulting in a heavy crash that required on-site medical attention. After Gilchrist’s crash in the semis, Bailey Meares seized the opportunity to step onto his first Crankworx Dual Slalom podium with a bronze medal – a big moment for the Australian rider. 

The women’s side brought just as much excitement. A costly DQ for Caroline Buchanan in the semi-finals gave Jordy Scott the maximum advantage, sending her through to face Sabina Košárková in the finals. Košárková – already on a tear this week with wins in the Crankworx Full Tilt and Pump Track Challenge – proved untouchable again, claiming her third gold medal of the week. “I’m pretty stoked about my week, and yeah, I have no words to say”, Košárková said after her final run. “I really didn’t expect to win three of them. And when I won two times yesterday, I was like, okay, third time’s the charm, so I really had to do it.”

Jordy added silver to her collection, rounding out a solid week with three medals total two bronze, one silver. In the small final, Caroline Buchanan battled it out with fellow Aussie Cassie Voysey, securing the win and taking home the bronze. 

With another epic edition of Crankworx Cairns in the books – and the first-ever Crankworx Full Tilt, record-setting RockShox Downhill runs, and next-level progression in Slopestyle – the tropical stop on the Crankworx World Tour continues to live up to its “Party in Paradise” reputation. Make sure to follow @crankworx for all the racing recap, behind-the-scenes action, and more Crankworx Cairns content to be released before we ramp up for the big 20th edition of Crankworx Whistler.