World’s best riders head to New Zealand for Crankworx Stop 1

The gravity-obsessed will brave steaming geysers, primordial rainforests and fierce opponents for the chance to dominate some of the world’s best mountain bike terrain – and claim an early lead in the quest for the Triple Crown of Slopestyle, mountain biking’s most elusive prize.

Crankworx broadcasts on Red Bull TV take you inside The Quest for the Triple Crown of Slopestyle with the premier point-of-view of the action and the riders. At every stop of the World Tour, more multiple cameras on the course, as well as an array of microphones along the entire trajectory, that put the bike-minded in the heart of the action. MTB legend Cam McCaul, host Pat Parnell and the rest of the top-class broadcasting team provide a framework that educates and entertains core fans and new viewers alike, while in-depth features break down the context of the sport to draw viewers even closer to the personalities – from the training to the tricks and from the courses to the champions. Watch live and On Demand on Red Bull TV on April 2.

The season opener of the most prestigious event in freestyle mountain biking – the quest for the Triple Crown of Slopestyle– kicks off at the launch of the Crankworx World Tour in wild and wonderful Rotorua [roh-tuh-roo-uh], New Zealand on April 2, 2017 broadcast to all devices on Red Bull TV.

Who will wow the judges in Rotorua? Will it be the wildcard Canadian legend Brandon Semenuk. How about the big trick innovator from the USA Nicholi Rogatkin, or breakout sensation Anton Thelander. Or maybe it’ll be another young charger with the skills to tackle the Southern Hemisphere’s most demanding course, like Matt Jones (UK), Torquato Testa (ITA), Max Fredriksson (SWE), Tomas Lemoine (FRA) or the commander of big air boost, Anthony Messere (CAN).

New Zealand’s North Island is home to a rich heritage in New Zealand’s cradle of Māori culture and history, and it also boasts some of the planet’s most extraordinary mountain bike terrain ­– fast, fun and full of surprises, including stunning lake views, dense fern forests and even volcanic geysers steaming with geo-thermal activity. Last year, 435 pro athletes turned out for Crankworx Rotorua, and 15,439 spectators were on hand to witness the magic. No matter where you are on April 2, you can catch Rotorua 2017 live on all your devices exclusively on Red Bull TV.

Crankworx slopestyle is the pinnacle of creativity – a judged event packed with features to inspire jaw-dropping tricks from the elite in gravity-defying madness. At stake in Rotorua: The winner will claim the early points lead in the Crankworx Slopestyle World Tour, and the first of the three wins needed to secure the most elusive title in gravity mountain biking, the Triple Crown of Slopestyle.

Sanctioned by the Freeride Mountain Bike Association, the Crankworx slopestyle events draw the absolute greats of the sport, and all four events achieve the organization’s top designation as Diamond stops, with a total of more than 250,000 spectators in attendance.With its newly announced fourth World Tour stop, this year a rider will need to achieve a hat-trick of first place finishes out of a possible four events, one more chance than in each of its first seasons. After New Zealand, the festival moves on to Les Gets, France, before debuting its new stop in the legendary sports mecca of Innsbruck, Austria, and finishing with the unmissable finale, Red Bull Joyride, in its Canadian home base of Whistler, British Columbia.

Watch the Crankworx Slopestyle World Tour – LIVE on Red Bull TV

Crankworx Rotorua: April 2, 1:30am UTC (VOD: April 2, 3:30 am UTC)
Crankworx Les Gets: June 18, 3:30pm UTC
Crankworx Innsbruck: June 25, 3:30pm UTC
Crankworx Whistler: August 20, 6:30pm UTC

Red Bull TV is distributed digitally at www.redbull.tv and as an app across mobile phones, tablets, consoles, OTT devices and Smart TVs.