Crankworx: Track set for riders to pump without pedals

BIG EVENT: Local track builders Chris Martin (left) and Adam King have been hard at work in the lead-up to Crankworx Rotorua. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

While there is a lot to look forward to at Crankworx Rotorua, one event will stand out as unique.

The Rotorua Pump Track Challenge presented by RockShox occurs on the second day of Crankworx Rotorua on Thursday, March 26, at the Skyline Gravity Park.

Unlike the five other competitive events being held during the mountain bike festival, the pump track challenge is the only event where riders will not do any pedalling.

Instead they use the berms and flowing track to generate speed, pumping the bike through the course.

Rotorua track builders Empire of Dirt have already completed the new pump track at Skyline Gravity Park.

The format of the event will require each rider to go head-to-head with another rider, the winner being the one who crosses the finish first. Riders will complete the course in about 11 seconds.

The pump track course, similar to the Dual Speed and Style course, has two mirrored tracks that are exactly the same, designed for head-to-head battles.

Crankworx Rotorua event manager Ariki Tibble said local track builders Chris Martin and Adam King had done a brilliant job with the new course.

"The riders start back-to-back on the bridge that Empire of Dirt have constructed and they will ride in opposite directions down around the track," he said.

"So they roll off the bridge and they are straight into pumping."

The track comes back around on itself with the riders finishing in the same place.

Tibble said the event was by invitation only, with 60 men and 15 women racing for titles.

Among the top contenders was local rider Matt Walker, Tibble said.

The men's and women's winners will pocket $1500.

Read more here.

The Rotorua Daily Post will be profiling each of the six competitive events at Crankworx Rotorua each Saturday in the lead-up to the event. -The Crankworx festival should attract the world's top mountain bike riders. It's on from March 25-29. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.