The second instalment of the annual Crank Chaos, saw 150 riders flock to the Afriski Mountain Resort, located high above sea level in the magical Kingdom of Lesotho.
The four day long event consisted of multiple disciplines spread out over the weekend, catering to all kinds of riding and bikes. One of the main attractions of the event is the use of the ski lift, allowing riders to ascend the main climb without a single pedal stroke. With the altitude meter peeking at 3222m above sea level, this is an absolutely vital factor as even the most basic task puts you (especially living by the coast) out of breath. It also allows for multiple runs in a short span of time, putting the stoke at an all-time high. From the top of the ski lift, riders have the option of three enduro stages and four downhill lines, each with their own flavour, and varying technical challenges.
Next level scenery and a rather eventful drive in to Lesotho. Thanks for the lift Mikey!
Thursday evening saw the night time dual slalom race take place under floodlights. Standard rules applied with two riders racing to the bottom, with the slower of the two getting knocked out. The icy night-time temperatures, off-camber turns and sometimes extremely dimly lit corners made for some interesting riding, but everybody miraculously kept things rubber side down. Theo Erlangsen dropped the hammer from the start and kept the winning runs coming all the way to the end to take the top spot. Second place was claimed by Roman Kumpers, followed by Matt Minter in third.
Left: Jasper Barrett winning juniors. Right: Beanie Thies 1st and Nikki Alvin 2nd.
Theo Erlangsen 1st, Roman Kumpers 2nd and Matt Minter looking up in awe of his mountain biking heroes in 3rd.
Friday’s racing consisted of two disciplines. First off was the XCO eliminator, with lycra-clad riders racing around a very steep and short 400m long gravel track. The track weaved it’s way around the dam and between buildings with the top two of each heat progressing. Wessel Botha took the honours with Armand du Toit and Albert Moffat in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The women’s XCO saw Marli van Eeden take top spot with Henike Wielputz and Yolandi Steyn in 2nd and 3rd.
The much anticipated Enduro kicked off at 2 pm and 40 odd riders made their way to the top of the slope to race in arguably one of the best Enduro events of the year. Three super fun and very well built trails faced the riders, with the last stage finishing down by the river for a pop-up party with ice cold beers, Red Bulls, and some boerie rolls. The day belonged to Theo Erlangsen as he put in three flawless runs in a total time of 12:23, making it two for two. The fastest female down the hill was Beanie Thies with a total time of 15:09. The men’s podium was rounded off by Martin Zietsman and Robert Frost, with Louise Kotze and Sonja Engelbrecht taking 2nd and 3rd in the women’s race.
Travis Hesom on the mic all weekend doing a stellar job as MC. Enduro briefing underway.
Theo Erlangsen | 1st Enduro
Luke Meyer sending it down SS3. Thanks for hooking me up with some wheels for the weekend!
Niko Velasco
Riders lining up at the start of SS3.
Beanie Thies | 1st Enduro female
Justin Novella showering Theo Erlangsen with some beer and getting thing started for the evening.
Jasper Barrett 1st, Kyle Brand 2nd and Ike Klaasen (absent) 3rd.
Beani Thies 1st, Louise Kotze 2nd and Sonja Engelbrecht 3rd.
Theo Erlangsen 1st, Martin Zietsman 2nd and Robert Frost 3rd.
The final event of the weekend saw a slightly adapted version of the usual Downhill format. Four riders would start simultaneously on 4 different DH lines, and the first across the line would take it. No timing or seeding runs as per the usual case. As to be expected with 4 different tracks though, there were differences that affected the duration and outcome per line. This did spark the debate of accuracy, but with the nature of the Crank Chaos event a more relaxed and less serious one, everyone got on with it. Riders drew names from a hat that determined the lines on which they raced, and the top two from each heat progressed to the next. In the end, Frank Meyer claimed top spot with Martin Zietsman and Barry Futter in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The women’s podium consisted of Beani Thies followed by Nikki Alvin and Louise Kotze. The juniors podium consisted Jasper Barrett in 1st, Ike Klaassen in 2nd and Kyle Brand in 3rd.
Ski lift for the win!
Drawing names from a hat to see which rider races which line.
Simone Futter
One more lift to the top as ominous thunder clouds gather in the background.
Left: Jasper Barrett 1st, Ike Klaassen 2nd and Kyle Brand 3rd. Right: Beani Thies 1st, Nikki Alvin 2nd and Louise Kotze 3rd.
Frank Meyer 1st, Martin Zietsman 2nd and Barry Futter 3rd.
Peter Peyper
Party time as Crank Chaos 2017 draws to a close.
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Full race gallery can be found here. Be sure to get your photo!
A massive thank you must go out to all the sponsors involved with the 2017 Crank Chaos. A whopping R80 000 worth of prizes and goodies from FOX, International Trade, Skull Candy, Motorex, Evoc, Pure Nutrition, Oakley, Csixx, and Ogio were up for grabs. Without sponsors like these, this event would not have been possible.
We hope to see you again next year. Let’s get the numbers up and make this event bigger and better!
