Jill Kintner - Queen Of Crankworx
Issue 54 / Wed 27th Jun, 2018
For 2018 Crankworx is bigger and better than ever. Perhaps the best all-round test of a mountain biker it is attracting more and more athletes to test themselves against this diverse challenge. Jill Kintner knows a thing or two about winning the overall, so we caught up with the Queen herself to see how it's done.
The general trend is for athletes to become more specialist as a sport matures. When mountain biking was just riding bikes off road, riders raced bikes against each other without regard for categories and specialist equipment. There was a time you could race XC downhill and dual slalom in the same weekend, on the same bike, against the same competitors. As things progressed, styles of racing diverged into subcategories of what was already a niche sport in the early days. This was driven by performance demands on the athletes, product development and, in part, by fashion.
Today, when riders transition back and forth between disciplines, it's big news, such as Sam Hill to Enduro or Cecile Ravanel to Downhill. Go back a bit further, and most riders cut their teeth riding everything and anything with two wheels. For the casual observer, if you're riding a bike off road down a big hill, it's going to look like the same sport.
It is pretty unlikely in modern mountain biking that you can win in multiple disciplines as things have become too specialised. The fitness and technique demands of our various gravity disciplines have got to a point where they require very different things. Add in the time and calendar demands of a World Cup circuit, and you'd be hard press not to be double booked.
What if there was still a place where riders could compete across disciplines to create the ultimate rider and bike handler? Well, it would seem that place was Crankworx, and those who are crowned Queen and King are no doubt some of the finest riders on the planet.
With origins deep in Whistler history, Crankworx grew out of an exploding mountain bike scene and debuted in 2004. Since then it has grown and added events through Europe, the USA and New Zealand. The Original event in 2004 included Slopestyle, Air Downhill, Biker X, Garbanzo DH, and the BC Downhill. For 2018 we see four stops on the tour including Rotorua, Les Gets, Innsbruck and Whistler each with a slightly different line up of events. Building on the original format riders now battle it out over additional categories including the Pumptrack challenge, Dual Slalom, Speed and Style, Enduro and Whip Off. Each event earns points, and at the end of the season, the King and Queen are crowned.
There are few riders so well versed in the sport that they can dominate Crankworx, but Jill Kintner is certainly one of them. We caught up with her after the first round to get her take on the world of Crankworx.
Congrats on the results from Rotorua. Are you happy with how it all went? There was some stiff competition yeah?
Yeah, I think it turned out pretty well, and it was good to see the ladies field full of top talent from all over the world. The first race of the year is a good shakedown of nerves, so it was good to come out swinging and get a bunch of podiums and wins. Five events were a lot in 7 days that’s for sure.
You are known these days for your Crankworx exploits, but that is far from the whole story. Tell us about your racing career up to this point. You've won a few races in your time…
Yeah, just a couple ;-). I started in BMX as a pro at age 14, then shifted over to 4x mountain biking when I was 21, struggled a bit at first with slalom, then made it my best event, then I became more rounded in mountain biking in general. I went back to BMX in 2007 for the Olympics, medalled, then went back to 4x mountain biking in 09, and in 2010 I switched to Downhill and have done pretty well in each discipline over the years. Crankworx has combined all my specialities and made a series out of it, so yeah, it’s pretty much a perfect series for me.
You're pretty used to being Crankworx royalty now. Why is Crankworx important to you?
Crankworx is the most fun and rewarding series. They reach a ton of people; I can showcase all my skills in different events, race the highest level of competition, and still have a good time. It’s hectic but a good challenge of skill and luck :-). It’s different to world cup racing where you have one chance at one run, and the vibe is super serious in closed off pits. I liked that too but didn’t want to travel that much and have to risk everything to barely get seen on the broadcast. At Crankworx each day is a new opportunity, and the people that run the series are adaptable to make the series better and better each year.
What does it take to become a Queen/King of Crankworx?
A lot of hard work, thoughtfulness, and luck:)
Does your BMX background help with the Crankworx events?
Yeah, BMX is the foundation for timing and skills and has served me well, but to be a complete mountain biker, there is a lot more to it.
How hard is it to move between disciplines so quickly each day?
This last event in NZ was the best so far. They streamlined the schedule a bit to have all the practice, qualifying, and race of each event in one day so you can ride that bike and then move on. They used to have practice and qualifying one day, a practice for something else, then practice and finals the next day with another practice in between. Often I would skip practices to be able to focus on one thing at a time. Honestly, the courses aren’t super tricky on the small bikes for me, so it’s mostly the DH that takes the most energy. Switching from DH to a hardtail is the hardest, it just feels weird with the different head angles and wheels, haha, but the feeling comes back quick.
Do you use a different bike for every discipline? How does your set up vary and are there any common themes for you bike setups?
Yes. I travel with four bikes, all for specific events. I get them dialled in all winter, and have ridden Norco bicycles and had the same sponsors for a long time, so it’s a big advantage to have that consistency.
With all the different events to race in, what tactics are involved? Do you enter every event that counts?
No, I try to set myself up to try to win three events if I can and podium the rest. Events that waste a lot of energy, like enduro, are out because it’s a long week with back-to-back days and a lot of sprints. So I where I can be most effective. I don’t do whip because it takes a lot of mental energy and you are out late hiking up the hill a bunch, and my whips are lame, so yeah, I’m out for those as well. Judged events don’t do it for me either; I like having a start and a finish.
How much effect does the prize money have on attracting the best riders? Is Crankworx gaining popularity with the pros?
Yeah, it’s perfect if you can get top 3’s or win the overall, which is my plan. The organisers reassess each year and try to make it better and fairer for everyone. Crankworx is a good payout and well-run event, so a lot of top riders attend.
Which is your favourite event?
Slalom always 🙂
Which Crankworx round do you enjoy the most and why?
Whistler, because it’s on another level with the atmosphere. They have had more time to work out the logistics of everything, the village is fun, and they control the venue and courses a lot better. There are a few kinks at the other rounds, but they seem to get better with time. It bothers me to go somewhere and race the same course, and Whistler mixes it up with new courses to give us something to look forward to. Pumptracks should always be rebuilt for events like Crankworx in my opinion to challenge pro level riding. They have been a bit lame in the past.
With four rounds now is it starting to feel like the World Cup circuit with similar pressures? Has it become less accessible to riders?
There is more build up for sure. The hardest part is the cost of travelling with so much equipment. If they did more events it would be quite difficult, but four events are OK to manage, kinda, especially with Whistler being driving distance for me.
What are your plans for the rest of the year? Will we see you at an Enduro World Series round? Surely that must be tempting for a rider of your skills?
I have a good balance of race, media, and community outreach at the moment. Crankworx is my first priority, but I did sign up for the Spain and Italy rounds of EWS to see how I like it. I’ve done a few fun endures, which I enjoyed, but the Enduro World Series seems like punishment. I don't know where I will stack up, but I am curious as to how I would do. My training is a lot more power and skill based, so EWS is going to challenge me a lot to endure it.
Thanks so much for taking the time to catch up with us Jill!
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By Ewen Turner
Ewen Turner is a self-confessed bike geek from Kendal in the Lake District of England. He runs a coaching and guiding business up there and has a plethora of knowledge about bikes with an analytical approach to testing. His passion for bicycles is infectious, and he’s a ripper on the trails who prefers to fit his working life around his time on the bike.
