Ryan Gilchrist and Martha Gill entered 2024 with the same mission in mind: become the King and Queen of Crankworx respectively. Four tour stops, dozens of races and untold hours of training later, the palace gates have swung open to welcome mountain biking's new monarchs.
Gilchrist landed in Whistler as the odds-on favourite to clinch his first overall title, although the 114-point edge he held on Tuhoto-Ariki Pene was far too slim to warrant relaxation.
Things were even tighter on the ladies' side, with a mere eight points between Gill and oncoming force Jordy Scott.
Yet when Gilchrist and Gill awoke on Saturday morning, they might have done so with smiles on their faces. Both had usurped the throne after Friday's Speed and Style event and were awaiting official coronations. The Ultimate Pump Track Challenge was, for them, a pressure-free affair.
Gilchrist dominated anyway as the only person to clock under 12 seconds on any of his runs. Tommy Zula held on for silver as Niels Bensink claimed bronze, but the Aussie now has three gold medals and one runner-up across all of this year's pump track events.
Miscalculations in the small final relegated Gill to fourth, but Scott wrapped up her festival on a high note by dethroning incumbent Whistler pump track champ Kialani Hines for her season's third triumph in the discipline. Ending up with bronze and her first Crankworx medal was Dani Johnson.
A song of blood and sweat
Alma Wiggberg and Dawid Godziek may have just won Red Bull Joyride, but at least a portion of centre stage belongs to the new King and Queen.
"This is a year of achievement for me," said Gilchrist, the only man to surpass 1000 points in the standings (1144). "Tuhoto got me [at the tour's opening stop] in Rotorua, but I knew I was close. Execution after execution, round after round, showing up, putting in the work and finishing in Whistler is very special."
Remarked Gill: "I put a lot of work into this: blood, sweat and tears. It's been great battling with Shania [Rawson] and Jordy, and I'm super proud of this achievement. [The Queen title] was my goal."
Yet one athlete's glory is another's defeat, and Pene found himself drawing the short straw this time around.
The recently-deposed King had a forgettable week by his own elevated standards. He failed to medal in Whistler, though he got within 1.5 seconds of Canadian Open DH hardware. Pene was looking quick on the pump track, but veering into Zula's lane and almost doing the same to Bensink kept him off the podium.
Nonetheless, Pene rarely shows open disappointment and voiced lots of appreciation for his chief rival.
"Ryan's a bloody beast," quipped the Kiwi. "He rips it hard. He's smooth. He looks good on the bike. He really pushes everyone's limits, I reckon. Big ups to my bro for taking the dub."
About his own 870-point third-place campaign, Pene said: "I was looking forward to the [Canadian Open DH] and I was happy that I put a good [fourth-place] result in there. Everything else just came along and I enjoyed it, really. I'm happy."
One would be remiss to forget about Jackson Frew, who leapfrogged Pene to finish second in the season overall. Frew's body absorbed some punishment in Whistler, and he felt like he'd been "hit by a truck" after earning dual slalom gold. The Australian downhill demon also clinched Air DH silver to go with Speed and Style bronze for 951 total points.
"It's time for bed," said Frew with a deep exhale. "It's been an incredible season and this week has been absolutely insane. We swung for everything. A couple things at the start of the season I'd like to have changed...but we'll be fired up next year.
"Tuhoto is one of the most gifted bike riders I've witnessed, ever, and Ryan is the same but he's also one of the most hardworking people I've ever met in my life. Fair play to both of them. We've got quite a good camaraderie in this series and everyone's kind of friends, so it's cool to see them succeed."
Game of thrones
Newcomers to the mountain bike world may be unaware of Gill's enduro background. The Brit spent seven years tackling lengthy stages across continents until her motivation and mental health began to waver. Facing a fork in her life's road, Gill elected to try Crankworx.
It might have been the best professional decision she's ever made.
"To be honest, fun has always been the focus for me…just making sure I'm at home on my bike," Gill explained. "When I'm doing that, I'm racing good, so when the fun started to die out in enduro, I stopped doing that and started doing more Crankworx. Worked out pretty well for me."
What does "pretty well" look like? A 2023 Breakthrough Rider of the Year award—the same year she wound up second in the Queen race behind legendary Caroline Buchanan—followed by 1152 points and undisputed greatness in 2024.
Meanwhile, Scott's six-medal Crankworx streak ended unceremoniously in Whistler. She struggled out of the gate, failing to crack the top nine in each of her first three competitions, but managed a Speed and Style silver before her pump track win.
Similar to Gill, a healthy mindset was key to Scott's resurgence and her 1042 points.
"I learned that taking it less seriously and reminding myself to have fun really made a difference," said the Las Vegas resident. "It's definitely one of those reality checks: [pro riding] is such a crazy thing that I'm doing right now, and getting knocked out in a round of 16 is not the end of the world. Super happy to take a win and finish off the season."
Holding down spot no. 3 with 837 points is Rawson, who was highlighted with this year's Breakthrough Rider accolade.
"It takes a lot of races, a lot of hard work emotionally and physically [to perform]," she said. I'm stoked to stay consistent, and even to get this Breakthrough award is something special for sure.
"Without [Martha and Jordy], I couldn't have done it. There's such great help. We train together, and they're such amazing riders all the way around."
Click here for pump track results and here for full King and Queen of Crankworx standings.
