INSPO Fitness Journal March 2018

WORLD CLASS
COMPETITION
Rotorua will be buzzing with high adrenalin this month, with
athletes from around the world converging for Crankworx
Rotorua 2018 (March 17-25).
Keen to collect points with the Giant
Toa Enduro (presented by CamelBak)
designated as an Enduro World Series
(EWS) Qualifier race.
This means competitors will be eligible
to collect EWS global ranking points, and the
opportunity to qualify for priority registration
for all rounds of the 2019 EWS.
The Crankworx line-up includes the
100 percent Dual Slalom; sure to be a
crowd-pleaser, pitting two competitors
against one another in a side-by-side battle
against the clock. Dual Slalom tends to bring
out mountain bikers from different disciplines,
so expect to see competitors from
downhill all-stars to dirt jumping ninjas.
The track is being built by internationally
recognised local trail builders Empire of
Dirt, with the event building on the success
of Crankworx Whistler’s annual Dual
Slalom race. With both men’s and women’s
categories on offer, this event’s sure to be a
favourite among racers and fans at Crankworx
Rotorua.
The Redwoods Downhill kicks off the
international downhill racing season, in
the famed Whakarewarewa Forest on the
Taniwha Trail.
For a full timetable, visit Crankworx.com.
The Crankworx World Tour is where ordinary
humans perform the extraordinary and launch
into the realm of the unimaginable. From
slopestyle ninjas to downhill champs and enduro
experts, sideways steeze-masters, slalom
slayers and pump track pros - they all ride faster,
climb further, fly higher, and go bigger than
what was once thought to be possible, taking
on the world and the challenges set before
them with seemingly superhuman power and
passion. In 2018, Crankworx brings their feats
of two-wheeled magic to four stops around
the world: Rotorua, New Zealand (March 17-
25); Innsbruck, Austria (June 13-17); Les Gets,
France (June 20-24); and Whistler, Canada
(August 10-19).
Mckay Vezina in Rotorua’s
legendary forest racing the
Giant Toa Enduro. Photo by
Boris Beyer
BREAKING BARRIERS
Hamilton’s Sue Pairaudeau who is
breaking barriers; launching an online
social space where diversity and different
abilities are ‘the norm’.
The MyKind website launched November
30 (to coincide with Disability Pride Week )
and is about uniting and celebrating people
with disabilities.
Having worked in the disability sector, and
living with differently abled family members,
Sue's vision is for a society that values the
person first, regardless of disability.
MyKind is a Kiwi website for people looking
to meet like-minded others.
"It's not just a dating website; it provides
the spectrum of tools for the journey from
chatting, blogging and friendships, to flirting,
skyping and dating," she says. "Not everyone
is comfortable on a website where there is an
expectation to date, so making friends is just
as important to connect with like minds. "
MyKind member fees go back into New
Zealand’s disability sector through a grant/
donation/sponsorship programme, to
support individuals, families of people with
disabilities, and not-for-profits in the disability
sector.
"The aim is to foster an inclusive community
of single adults aged 18-plus, with or
without disabilities or health impairments,"
says Sue.
"It is kinder than mainstream social websites
and a first in New Zealand – a hybrid
site that is neither chat or dating, mainstream
or ‘disabled’."
The site also offers a match-making
service where a human, not a computer,
matches members’ profiles for friendships or
potential dates.
For more information, visit mykind.co.nz
38 INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL MARCH 2018