Trek’s Brandon Semenuk Dominates Crankworx Slopestyle and Best Trick
Brandon Semenuk. Photo: Stef Cand | stefcande.blogspot.com
Canadian slopestyle star Brandon Semenuk took home all the spoils with just one run at the Crankworx Les 2 Alpes Slopestyle presented by iXS and the Teva Best Trick. His prize purse for that one run was 2,000? for Teva Best Trick and 7,000? for the Slopestyle.
Leo Delfour. Photo: Stef Cand | stefcande.blogspot.com
Unknown Frenchman Leo Delfour Barrascq, who was invited to the event as a wildcard, had the second highest score; while Martin Soderstrom took home third. Fourth place went to course designer Yannick Granieri and another French wildcard Tomas Lemoine earned fifth place.
Because extremely strong winds were forecasted to pick up later in the day, organizers at Crankworx Les 2 Alpes made the decision to open the Slopestyle presented by iXS and the Teva Best Trick Showdown competition at 12:30pm so the athletes could get two runs in while the sun was shining and the wind was relatively calm. The majority of the athletes executed two runs, but Brandon was satisfied with his first run and opted out of the second.
At 6pm the stage was set for Les 2 Alpes, and for the worldwide audience watching the webcast powered by Red Bull Media House, to see the athletes’ third runs. However, the same gusting winds that plagued the Teva Best Trick on Thursday night made another appearance. The athletes decided to play on the safe side, forego the third run, and be judged on their two runs from the afternoon.
Podium action. Photo: Simon Nieborak | www.delayedpleasure.com
Despite being cut short, the Slopestyle presented by iXS and the Teva Best Trick saw the world’s best slope riders make the most of their two runs on the highly trickable course Yannick Granieri designed for Les 2 Alpes Bike Park.
“Brandon was his usual calculated self,” says Ryan Meyer, Crankworx Les 2 Alpes’ live host and sport announcer. “His run had combo tricks galore. The guy is so dialed, the run was almost too perfect.”
Semeuk’s run highlights included a 360 onto the first dish with a switch 360 out, a huge flip whip on the first trick jump, and then a massive backflip off the road gap. The backflip had the most risk because the off axis landing has the rider banking immediately to the right after landing to make the 10 inch path to get onto the log. Semenuk’s fellow competitors gave him the most props for it and awarded him the Teva Best Trick for what was likely the most difficult line performed in the entire competition.
France’s unknown rider Leo Delfour Barrascq broke out onto the world freeride scene in a big way by out-tricking many of the world’s best freestyle riders. He thinks he was lucky but his skill was apparent as he performed two super strong runs. Standouts for technicality and balls include a 360 off the skinny log that then flowed into a huge floaty 720 over the first trick jump. His final trick, on the FMX super kicker, was a Superman nothing that had him sailing free of his bike, for what felt like forever, before he grabbed the seat and landed.
All eyes were on the big show. Photo: Stef Cand | stefcande.blogspot.com
“There are definitely shades of Paul Bas in Leo’s story and we are all feeling like this is history repeating itself,” says Meyer, referencing Bas’s breakthrough performance at Crankworx Whistler in 2004. “Leo was a wildcard invite to tonight’s competition and with this win has earned himself a wildcard invite to the Red Bull Joyride event at Crankworx Whistler on August 18, 2012.”
Crankworx Whistler is known for revealing up and coming talent. Tonight’s event and the stand out performance of the French wildcard athletes Leo Delfour Barrascq and Tomas Lemoine in fifth show Les 2 Alpes will continue the Crankworx tradition of elevating riders’ careers and notoriety.
