Crankworx mountain bike festival draws crowds to Cairns for Australian first

World famous mountain bike festival Crankworx has landed in Australia for the first time, drawing some of the best local talent to Cairns for the adrenaline-filled event. Check out what they’re up to here.

ONE of Queensland’s standout young riders, 17-year-old Sacha Mills, will thrill spectators during the mountain bike festival Crankworx, but she also has her eye on the job at hand.

The world famous event which has landed in Australia for the first time is drawing fans, young hopefuls and world champions to Smithfield for five days of adrenaline-pumping action.

Mills said she was looking forward to catching up with friends from across the country at the Smithfield festival grounds.

“It’s a fun week for everybody to just get-together, do a bunch of different events and hang out and have fun,” Mills said.

Australia's first Crankworx mountain bike festival has begun, with a 5 day event being held at the Smithfield Mountain Bike Park. Erin Vicary took her bike loving son James Vicary, 12, to Crankworx as his birthday present. Picture: Brendan Radke

“I love the freedom of it, flying down a hill riding your bike.”

While the Brisbane girl said “it’s more about the fun of it than the competition”, Mills was quietly hopeful of her chances in the downhill, pump track and dual slalom competitions.

“I’m one of the top picks in Australia at the moment so should be okay … but it doesn’t matter how many times you do it I’m always nervous,” she said.

Fan James Vicary, of Sydney, started mountain biking in lockdown, and begged his parents for a trip to Crankworx for his upcoming 13th birthday.

Australia's first Crankworx mountain bike festival has begun, with a 5 day event being held at the Smithfield Mountain Bike Park. Cody Owen from Canberra competed in the Under 15s men's pump track challenge. Picture: Brendan Radke

“I’ve wanted to go for a while so I’m really glad it came to Australia, it’s awesome,” Vicary said.

Crankworx world tour hosts events for riders across five different styles of racing, this year travelling to Austria, Canada and New Zealand as well as Cairns for the festival’s first time down under.

Cody Owen, 14, travelled to the Far North from Canberra to compete in the Under 15s division.

On Wednesday it was the Pump Track course, where the bikes do not have chains and instead riders must use momentum to propel themselves around the track as fast as possible.

Owen was looking forward to Friday when he would have the chance to try his luck on his favourite event, downhill racing.

When asked what he liked best about it, Owen had just one word in response: “adrenaline”.

Originally published as Crankworx mountain bike festival draws crowds to Cairns for Australian first