"Winning is definitely always on my mind . . . I'm aiming for the title and it's something I want to do this year."
Kawerau rider Matt Walker is now a hot favourite for the King of Crankworx overall crown after a hugely successful Crankworx Rotorua festival.
Walker, 26, tops the leaderboard after the Crankworx World Tour stop number one - thanks to a first place finish in the Crankworx Rotorua Air DH yesterday.
The Crankworx Rotorua Air DH Podium from left Jill Kintner, Tomas Slavik, Vaev Verbeeck, Matt Walker, Caroline Buchanan and Bas van Steenbergen. Photo/Supplied
Walker, brother of Olympic BMX rider Sarah Walker, made the tactical decision not to enter the Crankworx Rotorua Downhill on Saturday in order to boost his chances in the Air DH contest.
"I was pretty nervous coming into that event. In some ways I put all my eggs in one basket but I wanted to focus completely on this Air DH format, to come away with the win and points towards the King of Crankworx overall," he said.
"There were a few little wobbles in the race. I was worried about someone else taking advantage and putting in a full clean run and I had rolled the dice a bit by missing an event to focus on another. I was so relieved my decision paid off. I'm stoked.
"Sarah [Walker] was pretty stoked too, she sent me a congratulations message but she's very busy at the moment with some Olympic work."
Matt Walker in full flow during the Crankworx Rotorua Air DH race. Photo/ Fraser Britton
Walker also finished second in the Giant Toa Enduro, the first round of the 2017 Enduro World Series and this year's curtain-raiser to the Crankworx season last Sunday, giving him a significant margin of 80 points over second-placed Adrien Loron (France) overall.
Walker described that Enduro second place as a "career highlight".
"In terms of the overall for King of Crankworx my Air DH result was a bigger deal for points but the second place at the Enduro was probably a highlight of my career," he said.
"Being on the podium of such a high-calibre international event was pretty unreal. Every single big name was there to make a podium - you can't get any better than that."
Walker, who flies to Innsbruck, Austria on Thursday for "rest and recuperation", said he was targeting the overall Crankworx King title with the next festival in Les Gets, France, followed by Innsbruck, Austria and finally its Canadian home base in Whistler, British Columbia.
"This competition is as big as World Cups. It is one of the most important events out there," he said. "Winning is definitely always on my mind - I'm aiming for the title and it's something I want to do this year.
"Here in Rotorua it's been incredible - it's a big one on the tour because it's a great atmosphere and great tracks but next on the list as a favourite would have to be Whistler and I want to be in the mix right at the end there."
The King and Queen of Crankworx Rotorua Jill Kintner and Matt Walker. Photo/Supplied
Walker added he felt "a lot of pressure" to do well and was tentative with his excitement due to past injuries - the most recent being shortly after last year's Crankworx Rotorua festival he was leading, which blighted the rest of his season.
"There's definitely a lot of pressure and a few guys floating around who could win," he said. "All it takes is a couple of podiums and you can create a pretty sizeable lead. I'll just take one race at a time and see how it goes from there.
"My injury is in the back of my mind. After leaving here last year in the lead and then crashing out was a massive bummer - I broke my finger. Did surgery on it. Came back on my bike. Crashed. Broke my collarbone, and my shoulder blade, got back on the bike and it was the last Crankworx stop before I was riding again. I don't want that to happen again."
After Austria, Walker will train in Portugal ahead of the rest of the World Cup tour, starting with the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Lourdes, France, at the end of April, before the next stop on the Crankworx World Tour festival in Les Gets in June.
"I will be tactically playing out my season," Walker admitted. "I've figured out maybe it is better to focus on events that will get me the points rather than just trying to do everything. And rather than have a half attempt at everything I'm going to step back and focus on what I can be strong in."
