- Camille Balanche Takes 2nd Place in Elite Women Division of RockShox Kārearea Downhill and 3rd Place in Elite Women Air Downhill
- American Kaidan Ingersoll Claims 2nd Place in Elite Men’s Slopestyle
- Paul Couderc Claims 4th Place Elite Men’s Slopestyle
ROTORUA, New Zealand, March 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The hometown hero wins! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Lachie Stevens-McNab on taking first place in the RockShox Kārearea Downhill event at the Crankworx Rotorua competition in New Zealand this weekend. In the second stop of the 2025 Crankworx Downhill Series, the 21-year-old from Rotorua, New Zealand, took the win in the Elite Men division amid an elite field.
Monster Energy’s Lachie Stevens-McNab Takes First Place in RockShox Kārearea Downhill Mountain Bike Race at Crankworx Rotorua
The Elite Women division Downhill Mountain Bike race saw 35-year-old Camille Balanche from Le Locle, Switzerland, rise to second place. Earlier in the contest, Balanche also took third place in the Air Downhill event. In the weekend’s Slopestyle event, 19-year-old Kaidan Ingersoll from North Yarmouth, Maine, took second place in the Elite Men competition. He was joined on the podium by Paul Couderc in fourth place.
From March 7-9, the eleventh edition of Crankworx Rotorua had the world’s best riders return to the trails of Skyline Rotorua. The star-studded event included the second round of the Crankworx Downhill Series as well as round one of the 2025 Slopestyle World Championship. The brand-new racetrack at the storied venue delivered steep climbs, rapid drops, and unexpected turns that challenged riders.
In Friday’s RockShox Kārearea Downhill race at Crankworx Rotoruax, Monster Energy’s Lachie Stevens-McNab dropped in as a favorite after previously winning the Redemption Downhill in Christchurch, New Zealand, earlier this season.
Working the Crankworx Rotorua course with speed and precision, the 21-year-old local rider achieved a finish time of 2:50.949, besting the next competitor by 0.603 seconds to win the Elite Men division contest.
The Elite Women division finished with Camille Balanche in second place. Putting her unique racing skills on fill display, Balanche completed the course with a finish time of 3:23.910.
Earlier in the contest, Balanche also took third place in the Air Downhill discipline in the Elite Women division with a finish time of 2:07.425.
In Saturday’s Slopestyle event on the technical Maxxis Slopestyle course, Kaidan Ingersoll from North Yarmouth, Maine, took second place. In the first round of the 2025 Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship, Ingersoll rose through the head-to-head elimination battles to secure a spot in the final eight.
On his highest-scoring final run, the American rider stoked the crowd with a technical run featuring 360 bar spin off the drop-in, 720 the dirt jump, backflip double tailwhip the jump feature, barspin off the wallride, frontside tailwhip, invert 360 the spine, backflip tailwhip off the deck, and 360 triple downside whip on the final feature for a score of 90.87 points and second place.
Ingersoll was joined on the podium by 28-year-old Paul Couderc from Auch, France. In his highest-scoring run, Couderc landed backflip down the drop in, 720 the hip, opposite cork 720 the jump feature, wallride to barspin, backflip barspin off the canon, 360 tailwhip, 360 the spine, backflip tailwhip, and double backflip one-footer the final feature for 82.06 points and fourth place.
For more on Lachie Stevens-McNab, Camille Balanche, Kaidan Ingersoll, Paul Couderc, and our team of mountain bike athletes, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Also, follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok for exclusive updates from our mountain bike pros.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.
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