Crankworx Whistler has kicked off and maybe out of all the events it is the Speed and Style contest that sums up Crankworx best what with its blend of, you’ve guessed it, speed and style.

For those of you that have never seen a Speed and Style contest then think dual slalom but with time bonuses for pulling the best tricks on certain parts of the course. It’s actually turned out to be a pretty good format as the tricksters can battle it out against the racers. To take the win though you can’t really just get away with speed or style, you need the full package, as Martin Soderstrom perfectly demonstrates…

If that wasn’t enough footage for you then you can watch the replay of the live feed from this event here, and if you want to know even more about the event then here’s the official press release…

MARTIN SODERSTROM LEADS BAR TO BAR ACTION AT CRANKWORX WHISTLER DUAL SPEED & STYLE AND GETS GOLD AGAIN

Cam Zink Follows With Silver And Kyle Strait Takes Bronze In Finals Of Stacked Field

WHISTLER, BC August 10, 2013 – The Dual Speed & Style, the first event webcast from Crankworx Whistler, saw Sweden’s Martin Soderstrom take his momentum from a win at the GT Dual Speed & Style at Crankworx Les 2 Alpes last month and put it to good use today to take gold in Whistler as well. He edged out Cam Zink (USA) in the finals while Kyle Strait (USA) beat out Tom Van Steenbergen (CAD) in the small final to take third. The tricks were big and technical and Soderstrom played his cards right with strategy and speed.

“The course is really fast and loose in the berms so staying on the bike was important,” says Soderstrom. “The game plan was always changing; you needed to see who you are going against. If it was a slope rider I knew it would require bigger tricks and if it was a racer I knew it would require a smaller trick and more speed.”

Soderstrom’s Cork 440 on his first run in the final was impressive, but in the end it all came down his speed to take the win away from Zink who was also throwing impressive tricks, including a high consequence front flip on the stepdown. However, Zink wasn’t able to dial in his speed and had a couple of pedal slips.

Dual Speed & Style is proving to be a very popular event with both racers and slopestyle specialists. The athletes race through a dual course head-to-head for time and today earned .68 second time advantages for the most stylish tricks pulled on two mid-course booters. This year the Dual Speed & Style course integrated some of the features to be used in the new slopestyle course for the Red Bull Joyride event on Saturday, August 17. The Dual Speed & Style is in its second year in Whistler, and has become a highlight of Crankworx’s first weekend of action.