Dear fans and supporters of Slopestyle.
As you will have heard, we, as the full field of male Slopestyle riders at Crankworx Rotorua, have made a joint, but very tough, decision to not take part in official competition tomorrow. But we will be at the event in full support of the girls as they make history, with the first ever female Diamond Slopestyle event. We will also be riding the McGazza train and out there for our fans.
Today has been a tough day and there have been plenty of questions about why we aren’t riding and why this decision was made now. We all came to Rotorua with the full intention to start our season, commit fully to this amazing event and ride to our full potential. So why aren’t we riding?
The short answer; we want to secure a stable and sustainable future for Slopestyle - including the current and future generation of riders. This decision was made to ensure a minimum industry standard is achieved moving forward with rider welfare, safety, compensation, but also communication and decision-making established. Not just singularly for the Crankworx Rotorua event, but for the whole Crankworx and FMB World Tour.
Unfortunately, after years of negotiations, countless meetings, and many letters today we have finally decided to take a stand for the benefits of all Slopestyle riders and the sport. This timeline is not what we hoped for. At this stage we won’t be discussing the specifics of the conditions we requested from Crankworx as an organisation, as we don't believe this is the right place or time to do so.
But we want it known that this is not a ‘shakedown’ for compensation - it’s bigger than that.
Specifically we have raised the following issues as critical:
Safe competition conditions
As riders we always want to put on the best possible show and competition. As we're putting our bodies on the line we believe our requests and feedback on competition timings and practice sessions have been ignored, and once again we weren’t being heard. This is not isolated to a single year or event, and there have been ongoing issues over many years.
Basic rider welfare and participation costs
In the past we’ve come together as a group of riders to personally fund flights for upcoming riders / alternates. We believe in putting on a show with a full field and having a healthy Slopestyle rider collective - we love pushing each other and being pushed by the new blood. But how does new blood make it onto the circuit if they can’t even afford to show what they can throw down?
This year there has been a major reduction in travel support for riders, and especially the alternates. Due to the event locations many riders simply aren’t able to accept their rightful invitation to compete. Rider welfare is basic at best, and when there’s a buffet for the Crankworx members but absolutely no catering at all for the riders, something is drastically wrong.
These are events that we ride in, risk our bodies and careers on, and are a key drawcard for and we believe we should have a seat at the table.
Now is the time for change - time after time we’ve either been ignored, denied or simply not taken seriously which has left us with no other option but to make a point the only way we can. We have felt disrespected and unheard when all we’ve requested is simple support for all riders.
We love this event, we love Rotorua and the fans. We hope that we can find a resolution with Crankworx and FMB to continue the growth of Slopestyle, to showcase incredible riding, and to continue creating amazing memories for fans of mountain biking across the world.-Slopestyle Rider Statement