Fresh-faced 17-year-old Jenna Hastings made her big breakthrough at Crankworx Rotorua, winning the Pro Women’s Downhill race in extraordinary circumstances. For Rotorua locals and those close to the MTB race scene, the top result came as no surprise—it’d only been a matter of time before Jenna cracked the international scene, but it was still a dream come true.
Jenna grew up in Rotorua and rode bikes from an early age. She started racing BMX before transitioning to the forest trails. It all came very naturally, especially as her family are heavily involved in the bike scene.
Jenna is more than your average teenager; she’s well-spoken, cool, calm, and collected. It was obvious after chatting with her that she’s going places.
Tell us about your winning run.
Everything kind of went to plan. I slipped a pedal at the top and hit my ankle on the ground really hard, which hurt a little. Then there was a step-up in the trees that I’d been stressing about all day. I’d done it a few times
