All That Is Gold - Practice Day One: EWS Round 3, Ireland
Here we are again in the land of luck. Lucky shamrocks and pots of gold at the end of rainbows. There is Guinness, Irish whiskey, the Blarney Stone. We could go on and on, but we are not here for that. Well, we are, but later. First up is round three of the Enduro World Series in picturesque Wicklow, Ireland. What's in store for the weekend? Seven stages in one day, with 50 kilometers of pedaling and 1750 meters of climbing in a traditional Irish enduro format.
Back this round is Tracy Moseley in her first EWS of the season. Rene Wildhaber is back from injury. Justin Leov is out with illness this round. Sadly, we aren't sure when we will see him back as of yet. Richie Rude is looking to keep the momentum going, and Martin Maes is hot for a win. Florian Nicolai, Damien Oton, and a few others are looking to make some big moves this weekend as well.
Cecile Ravenel leads the series for the women, 100 points ahead of second place, Isabeau Courdurier. Moseley seems a shoe-in for the win, but she won't be affecting the women's overall contention.
Welcome to Ireland
We haven't spotted any leprechauns, but we did find a bit of Irish gold while on a stroll through Wicklow one evening.
After kicking off the series with two rounds in South America we are back in Europe with reminders of the Old World still hidden about amongst our more modern comforts.
Dave done got his mustache and brows did.
Dave dives into a pint to shake off the jet lag.
The only stache you need in Ireland.
After a few days of rain leading up to the event, the sun finally began to shine on Thursday afternoon, and is forecast to be out all weekend.
The information board at registration had only one thing to say today.
Dave the Bullet is easily the most stoked person on the hill. Medic, trail boss, and a shredder all rolled into one, Dave helps bring this event to life.
While things started off quite muddy during the media recce, the trails here dry quite rapidly and we expect conditions on Sunday to be absolutely perfect.
An old church in the background and an even older one in the foreground reminds you that people have been inhabiting this countryside for a few thousand years.
Yoann always has inspirational quotes on his top tube or handlebar during EWS races, and for this round he has Stevie Smith on board.
#longlivechainsaw
Lord Cunny about to get real muddy as he dives into stage two.
Dave getting loose in the midst of all that lush Irish green on recce day.
After a year away from covering EWS events it's good to have my Pinkbike colleague from the Wold Cups, Matt Delorme, back in action and behind the lens here in Ireland.
It may look pretty, but going off course into the flowering gorse bush will leave you in quite a bit of pain.
Official EWS lensman Duncan Philpott tossing the old e-bike around like it was nothing. Jacked up wrist and all.
A fine misting of another kind of Irish gold. We may have had the most fun conditions of the week for the media recce. There were many moments when we were saying, "I feel like Sam Hill!" - even though we looked nothing like him.
Many of the stages are a repeat of what was raced last year with little or no real changes. The exception being stage six, which follows a completely different route off the top of the mountain.
Matt Delorme drops through the dense trees somewhere on stage seven.
The view from the top of stage two looks across the farmland and out to the open ocean. Needless to say, when the wind picks up here it can get very cold.
A boulder field above the clear cut leads to the start of stage two, which not surprisingly is also made up giant boulders.
EWS director, Chris Ball, enjoying gets a few laps in before the hectic schedule of the weekend sets in.
It seems no matter where you look there is something green here on the Emerald Isle.
In days of old. Luckily we aren't processing film from jobbies like this.
T Mo and Katy Winton going over the day's plan before day one of practice got going.
Damien Oton sports the black armband in memory of his friend and Devinci teammate.
Final preparations before battle for the reigning King of Enduro.
Someone is happy to be healthy and back in action this weekend after having to sit out the last round in Argentina.
Yoann Barelli scopes out the awkward rock garden that starts off stage two.
Toto Friday? Barelli charging hard in the top of stage three.
One of the friendliest people in mountain biking, Hannah Barnes, on complimentary coffee duty in the Specialized pits.
Josh Carlson making the gnarly bits look a cake walk.
I believe the correct term is -#doyouevenboostbro? Iago Garay making it look easy.
Florian Nicolai displaying his effortless style.
The Swiss Muscle is back! Rene is wearing a brace on his ankle for support, but back in the game.
Sadly Justin Leov's bike is sitting in the pits unused this weekend. With Justin ill with mononucleosis he is stuck back home in NZ trying to get fit enough to re-start his season.
Greg Callaghan's coach, Chris Kilmurray, is here this weekend to both help Greg and race himself.
Views for days from the top of stage six.
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Oton: classy
Nah, I kid. None of us here would ever call any of you lazy. Thanks for the incredible coverage as always.
EDIT I just Googled that and it 's from a Scottish song. No offense - the ancestors were Scots - Irish......*urp
Who all here seen a leprechaun say "yeah"
And when you find him you realise your mental image of a leprechaun has always been wrong. They're fat, always sipping a pint, and slur their words worse than a druggie on magic mushrooms. But hey, welcome to Ireland
*Yoann Barelli finishes cleaning his bike after round one of practice*
Trumpmore:"Hey man can I see your bike for a shoot I'm doing?"
Barelli:"Yeah sure, be careful I jus-"
*Dave Trumpmore pours bucket of mud on the drivetrain*
Barelli: "Uhhh"
Dave: "Hey Yoann would you mind putting a clover right there?"
Trumpore rides his own bike all day in the mud and then takes a photo of it.
Barelli nowhere to be seen
Kudos to you, please keep doing what you're doing. I admire your work, ethic and professionalism.