Crankworx Whistler 2025 Launches with the Return of the Canadian Open.

The 20th edition of Crankworx Whistler roared into action today as the legendary OG CDN OPN DH returned to the festival schedule after a multi-year hiatus.

Held on one of BC’s most celebrated Downhill tracks, the race brought together a stacked field of local legends and international heavy-hitters, delivering a thrilling start to the festival. 

After Friday’s seeding runs, Squamish’s Dane Jewett came out on top, followed closely by fellow BC local Tegan Cruz. Aussie Luke Meier-Smith slotting into third, set the stage for an intense final. 

In the women’s field, US Downhill National Champion Kailey Skelton dominated seeding, clocking a run over 1.8 seconds faster than Norwegian Mille Johnset, fresh off her Crankworx Summer Series SilverStar Downhill win. BC’s Emmy Lan, no stranger to this course, qualified third. 

Under blue skies, the finals brought nail-bitingly close racing. Luke Meier-Smith edged Jackson Frew by just 0.279 seconds to secure Crankworx gold. Frew, who won the RockShox Downhill Cairns earlier this year, banked valuable King of Crankworx points moving closer to leader and current reigning King Ryan Gilchrist. Dane Jewett disrupted what would have been an all Aussie men’s podium taking third and pushing past Kye A’hern, who had podiumed at the last Crankworx race on this OG CDN OPN trail. Hoping for more after his P1 seeding result, Jewett ended up grabbing bronze. 

On the women’s side, disaster struck for Skelton in her final run as a crash ended her podium hopes. Mille Johnset seized her second consecutive Crankworx win, extending her lead in the Crankworx Downhill Standings with a commanding 3.897-second margin over silver medallist Emmy Lan. Kiwi Indy Deavoll, already boasting two Crankworx Downhill silvers this season, rounded out the podium in third. 

OG CDN OPN – Elite Women’s Top 3: 

OG CDN OPN – Elite Men's Top 3: 

1. Luke Meier-Smith (AUS) - 2:45.004 
2. Jackson Frew (AUS) - 2:45.283 
3. Dane Jewett (CAN) - 2:46.769 

Full results online: https://www.crankworx.com/results/ 

Local youngster Jake Polito lit up the men’s race with a fifth-place finish, announcing himself as a rising star in BC downhill. In the women’s field, US rider Zanna Logar narrowly missed the podium in her first-ever Crankworx race, while current Queen of Crankworx leader Jordy Scott finished fifth to extend her advantage over Sabina Košárková, who placed eighth. 

Beyond the pro racing, Kidsworx Enduro kicked off the festival, giving the next generation their moment to shine. Tomorrow’s schedule promises more action with the Canadian Open Enduro finals, Kidsworx B-Line, and the aMTB Flow DH for adaptive athletes. 

This is just the beginning of the 20th anniversary celebration of Crankworx Whistler – the annual homecoming for the global mountain bike community. Over the next eight days, fans can look forward to fresh additions like the Bosch eMTB Challenge and Outdoor Research Trick Showdown, alongside iconic fixtures such as the RockShox Canadian Open DH, Specialized Dual Slalom, Whip-Off World Championships presented by POC, and the legendary Red Bull Joyride. 

The full schedule is available online, along with details of the parties and festivities set to make this the biggest Crankworx Whistler yet.