Bringing Back the Big Events The world’s largest, most-watched mountain biking event is coming to Cairns this year, bringing with it 1200 athletes, volunteers, media, sponsorships and nearly 35,000 spectators. Gwen Luscombe explores how and why Crankworx chose the tropical city for its fourth stop on the 2022 world tour mithfield Mountain Bike Park with its high-profile rainforest trails through the world’s oldest rainforest will see biking S athletes compete over five days from 5th to 9th October. Cairns has been locked in to host Crankworx through to 2024. The annual competition takes place across a variety of locations globally with Whistler, Canada being the most famous. The multi-day super event centres around the slopestyle and downhill disciplines, drawing the biggest names in the sport with huge sponsors and prizes. Crankworx will be produced by local events company GTR Events, already well-known for their work at the Cairns 2017 UCI World Championships. In a statement, GTR Events’ Matt Hilton said that following the UCI World Championships, the organisation was keen to bring another World Championship to Australia. Crankworx Whistler happened to be on while GTR Chairman Daryl Herbert was on a Canadian holiday. He met with Crankworx World Tour Managing Director Darren Kinnaird to discuss the possibilities of putting Australia on the radar. Organisers weighed up locations, with Victoria’s Warburton - which offers world-class biking trails - also in the running. Ultimately, a combination of the environment effects statements process and a funding opportunity from Tourism Tropical North Queensland, presented Cairns as a frontrunner. 56 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 150
Advising that the team had been working with Cairns stakeholders since 2018 to bring the event to Australia, Kinnaird says “the collaboration among stakeholders including Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Cairns Regional Council, AusCycling, Yirrigandji Traditional Owners, James Cook University and Cairns Mountain Bike Club has been crucial to bringing Crankworx to Cairns.” Crankworx will not only be an elite level event but will also include a festival, trade show and opportunities to engage young riders. Hilton explains “what I like most about a Crankworx event, is its accessibility to all ages and abilities. Kidsworx is such a cracking concept, and CW Next (under 18 category for kids) is such an amazing category to really push up-and-coming athletes through the ranks, and be seen on the world scale. There are not too many events that provide that.” Why Cairns? As Kinnaird explains “Crankworx Cairns will give our athletes an additional fourth competitive stop and will bring the ultimate mountain biking experience to our fans in Australia while showcasing the Wet Tropics Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef to mountain biking fans around the world. Member for Cairns and Queensland Assistant Tourism Minister Michael Healy echoed the statement, saying that
