crankworx mountain biking

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Crankworx to crank up Cairns’ mountain biking game

Get ready to peddle through the tropics – Crankworx, the world’s most watched mountain bike event, is coming to Cairns.

Cairns will be added to the Crankworx 2022 World Tour and will be held at Smithfield Mountain Bike Park for the next two years. The 2022 Crankworx World Tour will bring 1200 athletes, 220 volunteers and an expected 34,000 spectators to Cairns.

Flow Mountain Bike recently explored Cairns and Tropical North Queensland ahead of Crankworx 2022

Smithfield Mountain Bike Park is no stranger to international mountain bike events and has hosted three between 2014 and 2017.

Crankworx World Tour Managing Director Darren Kinnaird said their team had been working with Cairns stakeholders since 2018 to bring the event to Australia.

“The collaboration among stakeholders including Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Cairns Regional Council, AusCycling, Yirrigandji Traditional Owners, James Cook University and Cairns Mountain Bike Club has been crucial to bringing Crankworx to Cairns,” he said.

Crankworx Cairns will give our athletes an additional fourth competitive stop and will bring the ultimate mountain biking experience to our fans in Australia while showcasing the Wet Tropics Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef to mountain biking fans around the world.

“The Crankworx festival will feature elite competition, amateur and our CWNEXT next generation racing, Kidsworx events plus a vibrant expo and festival vibe to bring mountain bike and action sports fans together to experience Aussie hospitality at its finest.”

Tracey Hannah and Glen Jacobs

Crankworx's Remy Morten, Tracey Hannah & Glen Jacob

Whilst the Crankworx World Tour will bring a boost to the region’s tourism industry, it also solidifies Cairns as a destination of world-class events.

But for locals Glen Jacobs, who pioneered mountain biking in the region, and Mick Hannah, the announcement is a literal dream come true. Mick reflects on how he dreamed up the idea several years ago.

“I can’t even express how exciting it is to have Crankworx coming to Cairns! I was asked about what could be done to get more World Cups to Cairns a few years ago and I said it would be a better fit for Cairns to host Crankworx.  Crankworx has such a fun atmosphere with riders from all over the world as well as all levels and ages of riders.”

Cairns is a holiday destination where people come to let their hair down and enjoy new experiences in a tropical paradise. Crankworx is a festival that embodies the mountain biking culture that is so strong in Tropical North Queensland.

“Cairns has hosted international mountain biking events since the early 90s and has always been one of the places to challenge the limits of what can be done on a bicycle. Back then what we now know as freeride was just mountain biking in Cairns and now we have the highest level of freeride coming to Cairns. I’m so thankful for the life that mountain biking has afforded me and to have my favourite mountain biking festival come to the place where that dream became reality is just awesome! I can’t wait!”

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