Nobody can deny that the Enduro World Series’ first foray onto the Emerald Isle was anything short of a raging success. Huge crowds, huge noise, blue skies, a wicked mix of trails and a home winner meant the organisers and local fans got the fairytale ending they’d dreamt of.
Unfortunately the luck of the Irish was not with the Canyon Factory Enduro Team. Fabien Barel and Joe Barnes were riding super strong and mixing it up at the top of the timing sheets; podium finishes were within reach. However, things unravelled very quickly on stages 4 and 6 with blow outs dropping them to 20th and 12th respectively. Ines Thoma also couldn't get to grips with the flatter terrain around Carrick Mountain, finishing off the day in 13th.
Now it's time for Round 3 at Tweedlove, Scotland, where Joe first stepped onto the EWS podium last year. With some Scottish cornering charm and home advantage on his side he and the rest of CFET will be looking to go even better this time around.
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Fabien was the only rider I felt could have beaten Greg Callaghan on the day. His power on the short stages was there to see. Sorry for your troubles on stage 4 fabien but only a little bit sorry as I was one of the leprechauns you see near the start of this video and well you can guess who I was rooting for