RUDE
NOT TO
WORDS AND PHOTOSMATT WRAGG AND DAVE TRUMPORE
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.
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.
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:-)
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...!!
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