Interview with Jérôme Clémentz at 3-Corners Enduro

Aug 26, 2014
by Racement  
The European Enduro Series, presented by XS Power Drink, completed its fourth round last weekend in Nauders at the Reschenpass. Three countries, four lifts, six stages up to 18 kilometres long, 1450 metres of uphill and more than 3000 metres of downhill – all spread out on a 50 kilometres circuit. A mix of technically demanding downhill sections and some physically challenging uphill sections, coupled with an amazing 5 hour riding time, required the 250 bikers from all over Europe to give it their all. Jérôme Clémentz (FRA, Cannondale Overmountain Team), the current Enduro World Champion, finally made it back to racing after a forced break to recover from injuries, and he managed to beat out second place by 1:50.93. We were naturally very happy to have the opportunity to welcome the best Enduro mountain biker, and seized the chance to get him in front of a microphone.

CLEMENTZ at Prize giving ceremony European Enduro Series Round 4 in Nauders Austria on August 24 2014. Free image for editorial usage only Photo by Andreas Vigl

Hi Jérôme! Congratulations on your victory! It is really a great honour to have you here in Nauders with us. What do you have to say about this race?

JC: This stop was great. I really enjoyed the trails. There was a good mixture between some very physically demanding terrain, like on the second stage, and other technical stages. Stage 3 was particularly challenging with all the roots and slippery passages and it was very long. I really enjoyed the race, although it was a hard race to start with again. I haven’t been racing in three months now and that is why this was something of a test for me. After this weekend I can say that I am ready to race again!

With this, the first race after a long break, would you say that everything went the way you expected?

JC: Yes! I haven’t raced for three months and as I was on the trail I didn’t know if I was going too fast or too slow. At first I was being cautious but in the end I felt like I was in the flow and was feeling good. I couldn’t tell at all if I was leading or not and was quite surprised when I crossed the finish line and realized that I had the best time.

CLEMENTZ at Prize giving ceremony European Enduro Series Round 4 in Nauders Austria on August 24 2014. Free image for editorial usage only Photo by Andreas Vigl

This is also your first race at the European Enduro Series. You have tha national races, you have the European Series and you have the World Series; so, do you think this concept is working? What can you say about the series in general?

JC: Overall I think the concept is a good one. Maybe it will even grow in the future. I think it is good for those who don’t have the opportunity to travel around the world for the World Series. This year there was a stop in Chile and two others in North America, next year there will be a stop in New Zealand and then North America again; this means a lot of costs for the riders. The European Enduro Series can be a good opportunity to get some coverage and find sponsors. I just think the European Series needs a few years to grow and get more recognition.

CLEMENTZ Jerome races the European Enduro Series Round 4 in Nauders Austria on August 24 2014. Free image for editorial usage only Photo by Felix Sch ller.

It’s the first time you’ve been here. You posted on Facebook that you were “surprised”. Does that mean that you like it here?

JC: Yes, it was my first time. It’s not far from home, only four and a half hours, but I didn’t know this area and I am really surprised by the quality of life here. The hotels are ready to welcome mountain bikers, there are all the facilities; there are a lot of ski lifts here, the gondola that you can take too, you can ride some great marked trails, you get a map and everything. I really like that this area focuses a lot of their tourism on bikers. It’s great here, you can go mountain biking or just sightsee and enjoy the landscape. Maybe I’ll come back in winter to enjoy the Schnitzel and some of the skiing!

Prize giving ceremony of the European Enduro Series Round 4 in Nauders Reschenpass Austria on August 24 2014. Free image for editorial usage only Photo by Felix Sch ller.

What are your plans for the rest of the season?

JC: Next week I’ll be in the States, Colorado for a 5 day enduro race. Then I’ll go to Ischgl, Austria, and take part at the Ischgl Overmountain Challenge, Cannondale is also a partner of the race. I also need to get there to see the lovely landscape! Last year we didn’t have a chance to see the mountains, because it was cloudy the whole time. The race will also be kind of a preparation. I would really like to be completely fit again, because right after that there’s the Trans Provence and then the last stop of the Enduro World Series in Finale Ligure at the end of the year.

So are you finally back on the bike?

JC: YES!

CLEMENTZ Jerome races the European Enduro Series Round 4 in Nauders Austria on August 24 2014. Free image for editorial usage only Photo by Andreas Vigl

Thanks for the interview and we wish you a lot of luck for the rest of the season!

The full report and more information about the 4th stop of the season can be found at:
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/european-enduro-series-4-nauders-reschenpass-2014.html

Photos: © Felix Schüller, Andreas Vigl

Author Info:
Racement avatar

Member since Jun 19, 2013
187 articles

2 Comments
  • 5 0
 Sweet to see Jérôme back on the bike, wanting to see how he'll do in the last ews round
  • 2 0
 He's back......







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