When the race was last run in 2014 it was a close contender for race of the year, and with that magic blend of mind-blowing views and even better trails that made it so popular being unchanged for the 2016 edition, we knew we were in for an incredible event right from the get go. While the race stats certainly look imposing with over 4000 meters of total descending over six stages, it is the almost perfect quality of the trails that makes all the difference. Yes, it will be long and rough, but talking to the riders this evening it is clear that they are loving the use of terrain here on a massive mountain that surely is going to be a true test of both body and bike.
The long stages and the steep terrain will be hard going, and whoever wins here will need to be a complete all-round racer and mountain biker, as any weakness will be savagely exploited on these high alpine slopes. At a time when the World Cup circuit is becoming ever more TV-focused there is an argument that some of the heart and soul of true mountain biking terrain is being lost, and it is ever-rarer to to see loam or fresh-cut tracks being raced at the top level. Here in La Thuile they are serving them up for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Enduro may still be seen as a fad in some quarters, but it is plain to see that as the original marketing hype has died down we are left with a sport that is maybe the closest race format to the rough and raw type of riding that originally lead many of us to fall in love with mountain biking. Here in Thuile they have dished up a wonderful reminder of what made enduro so successful in the first place, and why its future is looking oh-so-bright.
Agree re pb trying their best to make it stay on the agenda.
@jclnv haha lol! I remember an article from the ews talking about his crowds and the pictures looked like a regional race in Australia... Uh wait "it's all about the trails and riders blah blah blah" . Maybe part of the outside is the anti climax at the end...."yes he's finished! Now give is a few minutes while we work out a winner... Hold your breath"...pffffffff balloon goes flat.
A practice day is the only way to narrow the advantage that local knowledge would otherwise bring.
I raced the Eastern States Cup Killigton VT enduro totally "blind" (had never ridden any of the race tracks before). Missed a turn on stage two, and had to pull the brakes many times during other stages to confirm that I was still on track. Also flatted twice on the high speed rocky stage 5. With a little local knowledge, I'd have run a bit more air in the tires. Naturally I didn't have the best race results possible, but it was still the most enjoyable race experience I've ever had...
It's cool to speculate sht, but at the end of the day, if you bring up some higher non-existing values, you have to sit quiet and watch how big boys do it.
Enduro World Series: La Thuile
MEN / UOMINI - Stage Results
Pos No. Name Team/Country Time Behind Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
1st 1 Richard RUDE Yeti Fox Shox (USA) 26:54.40 8:52.85 (1st) 7:22.03 (1st) 10:39.52 (1st)
2nd 31 Samuel HILL Chain Reaction Cycles PayPal (AUS) 27:48.04 +0:53.64 9:07.96 (2nd) 7:27.44 (2nd) 11:12.64 (2nd)
3rd 20 Damien OTON Devinci Enduro Racing (FRA) 28:02.90 +1:08.50 9:17.01 (8th) 7:32.93 (4th) 11:12.96 (3rd)
4th 7 Nicolas LAU Cube Action Sports (FRA) 28:06.70 +1:12.30 9:14.83 (5th) 7:33.74 (6th) 11:18.13 (6th)
5th 4 Florian NICOLAI Rocky Mountain Urge BP (FRA) 28:07.69 +1:13.29 9:15.94 (7th) 7:29.64 (3rd) 11:22.11 (9th)
6th 32 Jesse MELAMED Rocky Mountain Urge BP (CAN) 28:19.01 +1:24.61 9:18.92 (10th) 7:34.08 (7th) 11:26.01 (15th)
7th 11 Francois BAILLY-MAITRE BMC Factory Trailcrew (FRA) 28:19.67 +1:25.27 9:21.58 (13th) 7:33.63 (5th) 11:24.46 (11th)
8th 15 Jared GRAVES Specialized Racing (AUS) 28:20.37 +1:25.97 9:32.31 (30th) 7:34.35 (8th) 11:13.71 (4th)
9th 23 Alexandre CURE Rocky Mountain Urge BP (FRA) 28:20.88 +1:26.48 9:14.43 (4th) 7:38.64 (13th) 11:27.81 (16th)
10th 28 Curtis KEENE Specialized Racing (USA) 28:25.08 +1:30.68 9:29.23 (23rd) 7:39.37 (15th) 11:16.48 (5th)
11th 22 Antonio FERREIRO (ESP) 28:27.72 +1:33.32 9:18.67 (9th) 7:37.36 (11th) 11:31.69 (18th)
12th 8 Joe BARNES Canyon Factory Enduro Team (GBR) 28:27.75 +1:33.35 9:21.32 (11th) 7:41.94 (19th) 11:24.49 (12th)
13th 30 Robin WALLNER Ibis Cycles Enduro Race (SWE) 28:28.30 +1:33.90 9:15.69 (6th) 7:43.04 (22nd) 11:29.57 (17th)
14th 12 Joshua CARLSON Giant Factory Off-Road Team (AUS) 28:28.78 +1:34.38 9:30.04 (24th) 7:35.59 (9th) 11:23.15 (10th)
15th 27 Samuel BLENKINSOP (NZL) 28:32.30 +1:37.90 9:27.75 (19th) 7:39.34 (14th) 11:25.21 (14th)
16th 41 Mckay VEZINA Giant Factory Off-Road Team (CAN) 28:37.89 +1:43.49 9:21.83 (14th) 7:41.44 (18th) 11:34.62 (24th)
17th 81 Troy BROSNAN Specialized (AUS) 28:39.68 +1:45.28 9:29.02 (21st) 7:37.43 (12th) 11:33.23 (20th)
18th 3 Jerome CLEMENTZ Cannondale (FRA) 28:39.89 +1:45.49 9:23.42 (15th) 7:42.18 (20th) 11:34.29 (23rd)
19th 19 Bryan REGNIER (FRA) 28:47.65 +1:53.25 9:30.96 (26th) 7:42.60 (21st) 11:34.09 (22nd)
20th 21 Theo GALY Devinci Enduro Racing (FRA) 28:49.65 +1:55.25 9:24.79 (16th) 7:47.15 (28th) 11:37.71 (28th)
No water, no tools ?
Wish all the best to the riders competing this weekend!
ainda se ve dois portugueses nas fotos, provavelmente a prova do ews com mais até a data