675 riders set to take on the Whistler Enduro World Series.

With 675 riders queued up to race this weekend, Crankworx Whistler will be hosting the biggest Enduro World Series (EWS) race in history.

And that’s just one weekend. In total, 10 days of competition will feature 13 races, contests and jam sessions, and see over 1000 pro and amateur athletes from different mountain bike disciplines take part. On top of that, 626 young riders are registered to take part in Kidsworx races and events (with more waitlisted).

Overall, the 16th year of Crankworx Whistler is shaping up to be the biggest yet, bringing together the best of the best in Enduro, Dual Slalom, Pump Track, Speed & Style, Downhill, and Slopestyle.

EWS - Who to Watch For

The record-setting EWS number comes from the total riders in three categories of enduro race taking to the trails in Whistler. These include the CamelBak Canadian Open Enduro presented by Specialized (pro category and 100) and the Bell Canadian Open Enduro 80 (formerly known as the Challenger).

Among the competitors, Jill Kintner, the reigning Queen of Crankworx, set to take on her second EWS race. Kintner came close to dominating in her debut, finishing just behind current series leader Isabeau Courdurier at the season’s second stop in Tasmania. Unfortunately Cecile Ravanel, who’s finished first in Whistler the past three years (2016, 2017 and 2018) is still recovering from injury.

On the men’s side, Martin Maes won’t be eligible to repeat as he serves his suspension, and the status of 2017’s winner is still unknown. Jesse Melamed broke his leg in Val Di Fassa at the fourth EWS round, so the home crowd is still waiting to find out if he’ll be racing this weekend.

Likely to be pushing hard for the win in Whistler: Sam Hill, who’s twice come in second here (2017 and 2018), Eddie Masters, coming off his first-even EWS win in France, and Richie Rude, who’s reigned supreme here before (2015 and 2016) and came out of the gate running at this season’s EWS in Italy, taking first.