Rotorua secures final round of Crankworx World Tour 2022

Crankworx Rotorua returns in November. Photo / NZME

New Zealand will once again see the world's top mountain bike athletes descend on its shores as Rotorua prepares to host the final stop of the Crankworx World Tour in November.

The Crankworx World Tour 2022 festival series will begin in Innsbruck, Austria before returning to Whistler, Canada for the first time since the global Covid-19 pandemic began.

A new location will be added to the calendar before returning to Rotorua for the final stop of the tour November 5 to 13 to celebrate the season's champions, including the crowning of the King and Queen of Crankworx.

"It's a huge opportunity for Rotorua, and New Zealand, to host the final stop of the Crankworx World Tour again in 2022," Crankworx Rotorua event director Ariki Tibble said.

Image 1 of 13: Slopestyle.

"We are amped to once again be able to conclude the story of a whole year's worth of competition, hosted across three continents, with the best riders on the planet, all while showcasing the mecca of mountain biking, Rotorua.

"Our whole community is primed to get another shot at delivering a finals event at the scale we were used to in the pre-Covid world."

The Rotorua event in November 2021 was significantly affected by the Delta outbreak of Covid in New Zealand. The event managed to take place as a live television show broadcast and webcast globally, however, entry for the public was cancelled to mitigate risks of community transmission of the Delta variant, with all ticket holders refunded in full.

Rotorua is now in its eighth year of hosting the Crankworx World Tour with hosting rights through to 2027.

Beginning in 2015 with a three-year hosting rights agreement, that contract was quickly extended after positive reviews from media, athletes and the Crankworx World Tour management team.

"If Whistler has historically been considered the heart of the Crankworx World Tour, then Rotorua, with its rich heritage of Māori culture, has certainly become the soul," Crankworx World Tour managing director Darren Kinnaird said.

"As we return to a full Crankworx World Tour in 2022 we can think of no better place to cap off a huge year than at Crankworx Rotorua."

Crankworx World Tour 2022:

Crankworx Innsbruck, Austria, June 15 to 19
Crankworx Whistler, Canada, August 5 to 14,
Crankworx (TBA) October 5 to 9
Crankworx Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand, November 5 to 13.