Hitting the 45-degree mark and swinging back for an arrow-straight run-out, Cruz not only managed to steal victory from the reigning Official World Whip-Off Champion, Finn Iles, but also put ‘The World Team’ out front right off the bat in the Crankworx‘France vs. The World’ battle, a friendly competition to see if the French will dominate on home turf.
“It was a great day for me...I just tried to think: get sideways and then put the bike back. I put the bike straight and then I cannot say I did better, but I did well,” said Cruz, whose whips at the World Whip-Off Championships in Whistler have consistently turned heads.
Debate appeared to wage in the judges’ corner as the sport’s creator, Sven Martin, and judges Colin Duncan, Greg Watts and Cam Zink debated whether 15-year-old Iles had really been beaten with whips so comparable on style and amplitude.
Iles won the world over last August, after his hometown crowd successfully lobbied to get him into the competition, though he was technically too young to compete at the all-day event.
Another young competitor from the Whistler region, 10-year-old Jackson Goldstone, stole the show, rocking up to the line and pounding out some big air, though he was half the size of the other riders. His efforts earned him an honorable mention as he held the commentators' attention all evening, pedaling his way all the way to the top of jumps he is still too light to coast up.
Jackson Goldstone in action
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Final Results:
MEN:
1-Bernardo CRUZ (BRA)
2-Finn ILES (CAN)
3-Dave McMILLIAN (AUS)
WOMEN:
1-Casey BROWN (CAN)
2-Emilie SIEGENTHALER (SUI)
3-Anneke BEERTEN (NED)
Photos: © Clint Trahan/Crankworx
Source: http://www.crankworx.com
