Though her victory may have been somewhat overshadowed by the drama surrounding Ryan Gilchrist’s crash, let’s not take anything away from Harriet Burbidge-Smith. She was the best woman in the Boneyard on Thursday, outperforming the likes of Caroline Buchanan and Jill Kintner—with five Queen of Crankworx titles between them.
Not that fans were necessarily surprised. Burbidge-Smith has been the Empress of Dual Slalom this year with three gold medals from Rotorua, Cairns and now Whistler. She knocked out Georgia Astle, then Ellie Smith, then eventual bronze medallist Martha Gill en route to a finals date with Louise Ferguson. While the Scottish contender was game, Australia’s Burbidge-Smith prevailed in both of their runs to stand atop the podium.
“Sounds like a dream,” remarked the rider known endearingly as ‘Haz.’ “It’s been a big goal of mine to tick off a Whistler medal, and for it to be gold is pretty special. All my mates are on the podium as well, so that was amazing.”
Burbidge-Smith first attended Crankworx Whistler in 2018, on her way out of BMX, and quickly fell in love with one of the world’s finest riding havens. Until now, it was the only place on tour she hadn’t won anything in.
Gill, meanwhile, denied Kintner what would have been her 63rd Crankworx medal. The Brit opened up roughly one second’s lead over the American legend across both runs to join Burbidge-Smith and Ferguson in the top three. Kintner and Buchanan found themselves in fourth and fifth respectively.
‘Having a good time’
Not everyone thinks change is a good thing, but for riders like Haz, it’s what they enjoy.
“The reason I love dual slalom so much is that every course is different,” she explained. “You have to adapt and figure it out, and you're so on edge, and that is what this course did. Every run, I was on the edge of washing out, but you had to be there to be fast enough.”
Ferguson doesn’t consider slalom to be in her wheelhouse and was admittedly surprised to bring home hardware when Kintner and Buchanan both fell short. Nonetheless, she managed a career-best showing in the discipline and grabbed a second silver medal on the week.
The Fort William native believes that stress management played a key role in her success.
“I just went in with no expectations and gave everything I had and that was enough…so having a bit more of a chill approach is maybe what works for me,” Ferguson said. “I think I put a lot of pressure on myself in downhill, and then to get silver there kind of took the pressure off for the rest of the [festival].”
Burbidge-Smith, Ferguson and Gill are good friends on and off the track, and their relationship is emblematic of the camaraderie found in women’s mountain biking. Iron sharpens iron, and talent sharpens talent.
“I’m really enjoying the company of the other girls. They're incredible, and they inspire me whenever we're racing,” said Ferguson. “Whether we win or lose, we're always having a good time. It makes me just want to be better and, the more I support them, it feels like I get twice as much back. Crankworx wouldn’t be the same without them.”
A queen's journey
Buchanan is a competitor and she’ll always put her best foot forward. That said, she’d already solidified her place as a two-time Queen of Crankworx by the time dual slalom rolled around, meaning the pressure was off.
“[Thursday] was just to have fun, ride with my friends, enjoy all of the activities and movie premieres,” she remarked. “There's so much happening. I caught up with all my sponsors—[Crankworx] is such a big trade and industry party as well. To actually be able to a see little bit more of what the whole festival vibe is about, I enjoyed it.”
The King and Queen of Crankworx titles are some of the most coveted and demanding achievements in all of mountain biking. Athletes must be extremely well-rounded to have a shot, being proficient in everything from the raw speed of downhill to the dextrous technicality of pump track. One such title is a career-defining feat, but to have two in a row, as Buchanan and Bas van Steenbergen do, is truly extraordinary.
“It’s been amazing,” said Buchanan of her past 24 months. “It's that little girl’s dream I started 10 years ago. I've had BMX world titles, supercross world titles, I’ve been to the Olympics, but I think Crankworx is so challenging and you have to be so diverse. The logistics of the whole World Tour with four bikes…yeah, it's a real big honour.”
More than just a talented rider, Buchanan is an honourable sportswoman. She’s especially passionate about giving back to the mountain bike community by sharing her experience and using her platform to impact future generations. Among other things, the Canberra native has launched a children’s book, Colour-Line Buchanan, in which youngsters can design a paint job for her competition bike next season.
Buchanan has no doubt inspired more than a few little girls and boys to pursue their own dreams, but she herself derives encouragement from young talent coming up the pipeline. It remains to be seen which of these burgeoning contenders might one day take up the crown.
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