The first event of the 2022 CrossFit Games in Madison, WI got off to an exciting but shaky start on Wednesday with the opening event “Bike to Work”. This was a time-based challenge with a 50-minute limit that included 75 toes-to-bar, 75 chest-to-bar pull-ups, and a 5-mile bike ride. But with 40 athletes competing side-by-side in each division, chaos and judging issues soon ensued.
With the starting path cycling being narrow, all of these athletes strategically tried to get to the first Trek bike so as not to have to overtake each other, but that would prove to be the least of their problems as the end results after a grueling event in question were asked. Competitors were expected to complete five 1-mile laps, but this created scoring issues and leaderboard movement.
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On the women's side, Danielle Brandon completed the challenge but was penalized for not completing the required laps, bringing her final position to 27th. It was the same with Elena Carratala Sanahuja. This put her in last place. Conversely, the CrossFit judges said that Seungyeon Choi completed an extra lap. As of this writing, Haley Adams and Tia-Clair Toomey are tied for 1st and 2nd for the event.
Chaos was also seen in the men's division as judges Spencer Panchik and Lazar Dukic initially seeded 1st and 2nd place respectively despite not completing the required number of laps. And confusion reigned once again as Spencer's twin brother, Saxon, initially appeared to take the punishment for his sibling. Spencer ended up finishing fifth instead of first and as of this writing Ricky Gerard and Jonne Koski are first and second for Bike to Work. The 2022 CrossFit Games sure got off to a heated start!
