It had to happen. The way Richie Rude has been riding this season the question was no longer "Will he win?" but when... All season he has been on the pace, not just on the more demanding downhill stages where you would expect him to be strong, but everywhere, even on the tough physical stages where conventional wisdom states that a rider with his build shouldn't have a chance. Conventional wisdom be damned and today we saw a 20 year old standing on the podium step about two men who have thirteen downhill World Championship titles between them. That represents three generations of riders - in 1998 when Richie was three years old, Fabien Barel was winning the junior World Championship and Nico Vouilloz was winning the senior title.
It's an important moment for enduro too. Richie is one of a group of young riders coming to the head of the sport, along with Martin Maes and Florian Nicolai, who are without a doubt the future of the discipline. There should be no question that Richie, Maes or Nicolai could find a ride on the World Cup DH circuit if they wanted one, Richie's Junior World Champ stripes put his ability beyond question. Yet this is where he chooses to be - this is the discipline he wants to race. And that is a big deal - he is the first race winner from a growing group of young, extremely talented racers who have chosen enduro, and that is crucial for the future of enduro as mainstream racing discipline.
The storm that never was. All week the weather forecasts have said a storm was coming today, but in the end it came to nothing and we had blue skies all day.
It was a relaxed Canyon pit this morning as they waited for the lifts to open and racing to start.
You know you are starting up high when you have a near unobstructed view of Mont Blanc from the gate.
Nico Vouilloz was all smiles this morning, he knows what to do to win at the highest level better than almost anybody else in the sport.
Tracy Mosely drops into the super-g start to stage one.
Anneke Beerten looked fast, confident and smooth all weekend and would land herself another solid podium finishing 3rd.
Cecile Ravanel was on the attack today, pushing hard to try and make up time on Tracy, but the lead from yesterday was a bridge too far for her.
If points were awarded for raw aggression Josh Carlson would have scored highly this weekend, sadly that only translated to a 30th this weekend.
Francois Bailly-Maitre finally cracked the top 10 this year. New bike, new colors and new found speed going into the second half of the season.
Thoma Lapeyrie had a whole mess of crashes today to slip down a few spots but would still manage to finish 5th overall.
Fabien Barel had a slow start on stage one and would have to play catch up all weekend. in the end he would win both of Sunday's stages to take 3rd. Just 14 seconds back after 48 minutes of racing.
It's hard not to use the word "if" when you talk about Florian Nicolai's weekend - he slashed his deficit of 30 seconds from the very first stage to Richie right down to 16 seconds, but at this level that much time was always going to be hard to make up.
Sam Blenkinsop was a threat all weekend on the gravity filed stages and would end up in 7th.
What was the trail surface today? Glorious loose dirt and fresh loam all day long.
Richie Rude foot out and flat out. Where most riders were hanging on at this point of stage one Richie was barely out of breath.
Fabien Barel was on a mission today to make up for his day yesterday, winning both stages today to bring himself up to third from sixth.
Nico Vouilloz made quick work of all the off camber roots but still conceded time to Richie Rude on the first stage of the day.
Matti Lehikoinen versus the heat and humidity at the end of stage four.
The classic French lunch: beer and a baguette.
Ludo May has been out of with injury all year and it was good to see him back in action this weekend.
This was not Jerome's weekend and he struggled to back up the pace he showed on the opening stage. While some riders would be happy with a top 10, Jerome settles for nothing but the win.
It's a solid sixth for Jared Graves on his return from injury, as we head into the second half of the season that should suit his strengths.
Tracy Moseley was supreme this weekend and although she eased off the gas on the second stage she still won the first and longest stage today to seal her win by over a minute and a half.
After a winter off the bike Isabeau Courdurier is back to where we expect to see her in the results - fourth today, her first ever top five.
Tracy Mosely was in the driver's seat all weekend and cruised through another day of total stage domination.
Enduro specific fans and their enduro specific cow bells.
By his own standards it was a slightly off weekend for Justin Leov this weekend, but 12th was enough for him to hold onto the series leader as we head across the Atlantic.
Nico Vouilloz knew when he crossed the line that it wasn't to be his day - a bike vs rock incident on the final stage was enough to tip the scales away from him.
Fabien Barel put literally everything on the line today and it paid off as he dominated proceedings. If you didn't know the results you'd probably think he won the whole thing from the smile on his face this evening.
On the fly maths from the timing to give provisional results.
After 40 minutes of racing, Richie Rude started the final stage just 0.20 behind Vouilloz in the overall classification. This is the moment at the end of stage 5 that the race announcer, Enrico Guala broke the good news
Winning doesn't get old, that smile on Tracy Moseley's face says it all.
Your women's podium: Tracy Moseley, Cecile Ravanel and Anneke Beerten.
Champagne snow showers to cool down after another scorching hot day in the French Alps.
The Canyon crew were more than stoked to bag the team win this week and the riders duck out the way as the backstage crew let off some steam on stage.
Three generations of world champions on the podium today, the youngest of which took top honors and the majority of the champagne spray. Welcome to life at the top Richie Rude.
About the Photographers
Matt Wragg • Age: 32 • Years Shooting: 3 Maybe best-known as a long-standing member of Pinkbike's European editorial team, Matt is also a successful commercial photographer. As the first English-speaking photographer to follow and document the nascent European enduro scene, he was shooting enduro well before it became a marketing buzzword or a shade of blue. Today he is still one of the few photographers to make his living following the discipline and has built up an enviable client list that includes many of the top teams and brands in the world.
Dave Trumpore • Age: 35 • Years Shooting: 4 Dave spent the bulk of the past 17 years racing professionally before realizing that despite qualifying for the random World Cup final here and there, the next generation was just way too fast and way more talented. Upon hanging up his racing boots in 2010, it would be a few years until Dave picked up a camera and started shooting the odd race here and there as a way to stay in touch with all the friends he had made over the years, and the rest as they say is history. In just a few years time his photos have graced the pages of just about every MTB magazine and major media outlet, while his commercial client list includes a who's who of the cycling industry, and he is lucky enough to shoot regularly with some of the best riders on the planet. Currently at Pinkbike, Dave shoots the Downhill WC and the Enduro World Series as well as contributing to the occasional editorial story.
MENTIONS: @EnduroWorldSeries / @yeticycles / @trek
MENTIONS: @EnduroWorldSeries / @yeticycles / @trek
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dv56 0.045414
:-)
I totally concur with your points as well. I was more-or-less speaking hypothetically in regards to Richie having regrets. It's very refreshing to see riders actually being loyal to a brand they believe in - and vice-versa.
:-)
Go Tracee go...!!