90,000 fans witness Finnish speed whiz Pihlainen race past 100 competitors, plus the first-ever women’s division in the fourth edition of Red Bull Crashed Ice in historic Old Quebec.
With raucous cheers, hearts pounding and the heavy cut of metal to ice, Red Bull Crashed Ice 2009 sped into Quebec City as 64 male – and for the first time ever – 16 female daredevils careened to the bottom of a thrilling and chilling urban ice track. Cheering the action was a massive crowd of 90,000 fans that witnessed a track that gave as much as it took over the course of 550m of raw, rutty ice. In the end, one male and one female proved their heavy mettle and were crowned Red Bull Crashed Ice Champions for 2009: repeat champion Arttu Pihlainen of Jyvaskyla, Finland and Kerri-Anne Wallace of Calgary, Alberta.
“My adrenalin was pumping,” said Pihlainen. “You can’t imagine. It feels unbelievable to win two years in a row. I was hoping to win again, but you never know what can happen during a race. I was lucky because I didn’t make one mistake today. The race, for me, was perfect and I’m definitely coming back next year.”
And if it was up to the doc, Wallace wouldn’t have participated in tonight’s finals. She tweaked her knee in one of the qualifying rounds and was advised by physio not to skate in the event. Her answer: "No way am I missing this! Get the tape..."
“It feels phenomenal to be the first woman to win Red Bull Crashed Ice,’ said Wallace. “It’s an honour, truly an honour. I didn’t know what to expect but I knew it was going to be a full adrenalin rush and that’s the reason why I signed up. I didn’t expect to win, but I don’t hate it one bit! I’m absolutely coming back next year.”
A combination of hockey, boardercross, and downhill skiing, Red Bull Crashed Ice sets a thrilling stage for intrepid male and female amateur and pro hockey players from across the country. No flat surfaces here – instead daring racers hurtle down a 550m ice track coiling around Quebec City’s urban environment, featuring a ridiculous sequence of razor-sharp turns, ice steps and gap jumps. Over the course of the weekend, 120,000 fans watched Red Bull Crashed Ice athletes battle to the bottom in arguably the fastest sport on skates.
Never one to let a party go quietly into the cold, cold night, 10,000 fans packed Grand Allée in -33C weather (wind chill in effect) for the official Red Bull Crashed Ice street party, featuring sets by some of Canada’s favourite party rockers: Small Town DJs, Team Canada and MSTRKRFT.
Following Pihlainen was second place, Lari Joutsenlahti from Espoo, Finland, third place Kyle Croxall from Mississauga, Ontario and fourth place Michael Krainer from Klagenfurt, Austria. This year’s first ever Women’s Division heralded the fastest women on skates. Following Wallace’s lead was Jennifer Hartley from Edmonton, Alberta in second place, Marquise Brisebois in third and fourth place Caroline Bérubé, both from Montreal, Quebec. The final four in each division took home $5,000, $3,000, $1,500 and $500 respectively.
For Crashed Ice veterans and Canadian favourites like two time champion Kevin Olson of Lethbridge, Alberta and hometown hero Christian Papillon of Quebec City, Quebec, the fourth edition of Red Bull Crashed Ice proved to be bittersweet as glory came just out of their grasps. Papillon, who trained for 2009 by constructing his own ice track, has rocketed out of the start line at Red Bull Crashed Ice for four years in a row, but this year was edged out of the championship finals round finishing fifth overall. Olson has yet to make it a three-peat to the podium with a heartbreaking finish early on in the night, falling victim to the final stretch of the track.
THE COURSE
Red Bull Crashed Ice IV was set amidst Old Quebec’s stunning landscape with a one-of-a-kind, 550m (with a 56m vertical) urban ice track winding through the city with massive vertical drops, jumps, berms and gaps.
The race began under the imposing gaze of the Château Frontenac and finished by the icy currents of the Saint Lawrence River. Racers sliced down the ice at over 50 km/hr before hitting the “Big Turn” in front of the Post Office, which sits across from the Parc Montmorency and one of the oldest schools in North America, Petit Séminaire de Québec.
The skaters continued to battle for first place, shooting down Côte de la Montagne and directly under Porte Prescott, one of the remaining arches of the original fortifications that surround Vieux-Québec. Then, in the middle of the steepest part of Côte de la Montagne, the track made a sharp left at the infamous Escalier Cass-Cou, otherwise known as “Breakneck Stairway”. It wasn’t over until the “Royal Drain” said it was over as skaters were consumed by the downhill banked corner ultimately draining them down to Place Royale, home of the oldest church in North America.
With glory and the Saint Lawrence again in sight, the skaters sprinted down the stairs of rue de la Place and hit the finish on Place de Paris. Only the skilled skaters made their way back to the top for another go until Pihlainen and Wallace were crowned champs of the Crashed Ice course.
Québec’s strongest hands spent over three weeks constructing this discipline-twisting course, spreading 70 boxes (4ft x 4ft x 4ft, 1700 pounds each) of crashed ice across the streets of Old Québec. To ensure a smooth ice surface, a cooling system featuring seven chiller machines helped produce the right temperature throughout the build of the course. Polymer boards kept competitors on the track and fans from harm’s way. But with an amped Saturday night crowd, they also served as rhythm boards for the thousands of fans. More than 2,000 large wood screws and 900 adjustable steel legs also provided foundational support.
THE FASTEST MEN AND WOMEN ON SKATES AT THE STARTING LINE
Canada’s fastest and most brazen skaters descended upon Quebec City hailing from cities coast-to-coast after successfully demonstrating their speed at one of 11 qualifier events held in November and December. They were joined by a select few invited international athletes. More than 100 men and 20 women competed in a final qualifying round on Friday, January 23rd. Consecutive heats of four skaters raced head-to-head in a double elimination bracket narrowing the field down from the top 64 qualifiers to a final four in the men’s division, and from the top 16 qualifiers to a final four in the women’s division.
With the last four men and women at the starting line, it was the fastest to the bottom who earned the Red Bull Crashed Ice crowns for 2009.
ABOUT RED BULL CRASHED ICE
Since Quebec produces some of the world's best hockey players, its capital city is a fitting return location for Red Bull Crashed Ice. Already, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have witnessed the action-packed new sport of ice-cross downhill in cities with rich hockey roots, including its debut in Stockholm, Sweden (2000), Klagenfurt, Austria (2001), Duluth, Minnesota, USA (2003, 2004), Moscow, Russia (2004), Prague, Czech Republic (2005), Helsinki, Finland (2007), Davos, Switzerland (2008) along with its exciting third annual Canadian showing last year in Québec City.
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