Superenduro PRO6, Finale Ligure - Friday Practice
Oct 19, 2012 at 13:15
So here we are... The season finale here in, errr... Finale. This is the biggest race of the season and, in very real terms, the biggest enduro race ever. More than 500 riders will take to the trail network around the small Italian town come Sunday. There are no official records for this kind of thing, but there's a very good chance that makes this the biggest enduro race ever. What's more, around 40% of those riders are foreign with people coming from the US and all across Europe to come and see out the season in style.
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 Fridays are slow days at Superenduro and this one started with a hangover, a long breakfast and session with Riccardo Negro, the man who knows more about the riding around Finale than anyone else in the world. With these races the logistics of covering them for the photo and video guys is huge, the course on Sunday is 50km long, so getting someone who knows the ground so well to help you decide where to be and when is invaluable. |
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| There are going to be a lot of eyes on this guy over the next few days. Curtis Keene is the US enduro champion, but this is his first time racing a European enduro. How is he going to fare against riders like Nico Vouilloz? Start placing your bets now. |
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| As today was relaxed, I headed up out of town with Steffie Teltscher and Caro Gehrig to take a look at some of the stages for the race. |
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| Concentration was the order of the day for the higher, rockier trails. |
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| Although on first appearances the rocks look intimidating, once you work out where the lines are the place opens up and you can start to carry good speed through ugly-looking terrain. |
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| Of course you're not going to get it right every time... |
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| That's more like it. |
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| The soil here is very sandy, so once a trail is opened it doesn't take long for the rain water to wash that soil away and expose the roots and rocks beneath. |
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| Pedal sections are a bit of lottery on these higher trails, this one offers something of a breather, while some of them burn your legs and lungs. |
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| Further down the scrub gets thicker, the dust deeper and the gradient more severe. In other words, the trails here are incredible. |
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| Steffie couldn't wait to get onto the beach and unwind after an afternoon of shuttle runs. |
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| That's not a bad way to end a ride, is it? |
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| It's name and shame time. It's not cool to steal your son's pushbike and go tearing off around the square, Alex Boyce. |
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| Especially when your son just wants to be the first of the 500+ to roll down that start ramp this weekend. |
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| Robin Schmitt and the guys from Enduro Magazine got into town last night, after a hard day hitting the trails a beer (or five) is well-deserved. |
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| It's hard to explain just how much of the town Superenduro will take over this weekend, or how much Finale welcomes them with open arms. |
Tomorrow things get a bit more serious, it's the last chance to get some practice laps in and in the evening it's prologue time. We'll be bringing you coverage of the event all weekend here on Pinkbike.
www.superenduromtb.com
