Crankworx (cont'd)

Elsewhere, the rain prevented the VW Trick Showdown from going down in the boneyard, so the organizers decided to postpone it and integrate it into the slopestyle. That night I went for sushi with a bunch of really close friends I never get to see and had an awesome, chill evening hanging out and conversing over really good food. That night I stepped up the barricade, sleeping in a corner of the dining room under the dining table surrounded by chairs, bikes and everything else I could muster to protect my sleep.
Friday was another training day for me, and I focused on really getting up to speed, dialing everything in and hitting everything the way I would in my race run. It had rained overnight and there were a few spurts in the morning, but the weather forecast called for improvements. The challenging course really offered me a chance to play with my mental game, and watching how the world cup guys approached sections helped me nail it down. I kept the runs again down to three training and one play, and watched a bit of the Giant Slalom. I am super stoked to have small bikes again next year so I can race small bike events, which I have missed. I did a bunch of runs in the dual slalom course and felt super fast, but on a big bike you just can’t be competitive against others on quick, efficient bikes designed for those tracks.
Saturday held the Monster Energy Slopestyle and a dedicated rest day for me, so I got my gear prepped for the race and watched the big show, which blew mine and everyone else’s minds, as per usual. I had been talking to a bunch of the slopestyle guys throughout the week and it was cool to see how their runs evolved throughout training and culminated in their competition runs. I had a bit of envy of all my friends competing all day, but the slopestyle course was really designed for tricks on small bikes and the DH track had plenty of senders, so I just sat back and enjoyed the show. I was also really happy that none of my friends got injured in it this year, which is on my mind when I watch them and has had some bad moments in the event in the past, so that made me happy. After the event I had a drink with some friends and then called it an early night to clock some good rest before race day. Since my juniors headed home on Saturday, that night I stayed with a friend’s parents in the village, and when I got to their place they were making a late dinner, so I ended up having an amazing meal with good wine and more good conversation.