The longest ice cross downhill track ever built will put the skills of the world's best athletes to the test in Valkenburg during the second stop of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship on Saturday, February 4, as Canada's Kyle Croxall aims to extend his lead at the top.
Holland may be a flat country but it will soon be known around the world for having one of the most frightening hills in the history of ice cross downhill. The longest Red Bull Crashed Ice track ever built will be a formidable challenge for more than 120 athletes from 24 nations who will be chasing glory. After last year's incredible success, another huge crowd is expected in the southern Dutch town of Valkenburg to cheer on a new Dutch team trained by Holland's legendary speed skating coach Ab Krook.
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Kyle Croxall will be the man to beat after the Canadian ace won an exciting victory in the 2012 season opener on Saint Paul, USA, on January 14, while defending champion Arttu Pihlainen finished a close second. The Flying Finn will be looking to get back on top in the four-stop championship in front of the frenzied crowd in Valkenburg, where he won the first of his three victories last year.
Glenn Bakx, of the Netherlands, who led a powerful revival of the Dutch team in Saint Paul with a career-best 16th place, Bart van Roosmalen, who got a strong 20th place, and Remo Speijers hope to take advantage of their home track to rise even further in the world's most exciting sport on skates.
The track will be a record 575 metres long with a breathtaking vertical drop of 60 metres; it is nearly 200 exhausting meters longer than the Saint Paul track and starts off with a frightening 50-degree drop at the start that will propel the racers to speeds of up to 70kph.
Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012 calendar:
Saint Paul (USA) – January 12-14
Valkenburg (NED) – February 2-4
Are (SWE) – February 16-18
Quebec City (CAN) – March 15-17
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