Photo Epic - Enduro World Series 7 - Race Day 2
"Crazy, crazy, crazy." Those were Fabien Barel's words as he strode towards the ocean to cool down after his race. He has always raced hard, without compromise, and if you're going to ride like that, then sooner or later you're going to get hurt. And Fabien has sure been hurt over the years, smashing more parts of his body than he'd probably care to count. When he went down in Chile this year, fracturing his spine, there were a few whispers about whether he'd be able to reach the heights he'd once scaled. Yet the determination that drove him to three DH world titles is not diminished, and this weekend we may see what ranks as one of his greatest ever rides...
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 At seven thirty in the morning on Sunday the streets of Finale are deserted. They would soon come alive as riders headed into the Piazza to start this final day of the EWS for 2014. |
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| This morning it was time to inspect yesterdays wounds, shake off the stiffness and get ready for the 1,000m climb to stage five. |
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| Coffee and radios. Staples of the media here at the EWS. |
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| When choosing jandals it's always best to be sure they match your bike. |
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| Nico Lau heads out to the race. |
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| T Mo was focused on the job ahead this morning. Don't take needless chances, make no mistakes. Ride safe. Second place was all she needed to lock up the season. |
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| Graves knew something the rest of us didn't this morning. Banana smile for miles. |
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| Richie Rude was sitting in third place this morning and looking to take his first podium in Finale. |
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| Clementz was all smiles at the start this morning. It's been a hard season away for Jerome but he came back at this final race with tremendous style. |
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| With two and a half hours to cover 20km, it was a fairly relaxed affair this morning. |
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| Overnight leader, Yoann Barelli, was showing few signs of pressure this morning. |
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| While the pace was leisurely, this was still a big climb, however you look at it, so it was nice to see markers to let riders how the mileage was going. |
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| Not everyone was sharing our enthusiasm for the riders on the first transfer this morning. |
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| Tracy Moseley rode consistently and took second on both stages five and six to take the win in the season overall. |
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| Anne Caroline Chausson took this race with a clean sweep of every stage. |
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| Cecile Ravanel had to settle for her usual, third position. After getting so close this year, we're interested to see what she does over the winter to try and make that jump back onto the top step. |
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| Jared Graves had to only finish twenty second to win. Grubby took no chances today, confident in knowing it was all but locked up. |
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| Jerome Clementz once again showed just how much of a force he is. He finished fourth this weekend. No doubt he and Graves will be back trading blows next season. |
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| Nico Lau finished 26 seconds off the lead after 38 minutes of racing. It seems unfair to say he was off the pace this weekend, but that's where the series is these days. |
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| Francois Bailly-Maitre screaming towards a seventh place finish on stage six. Francois took tenth for the weekend. He will certainly be one to keep a close eye on next year. |
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| While he may not have looked phased this morning, Barelli clocked up 19th and 11th today, dropping him back to fifth. While this isn't the win he maybe hoped for, it is his best EWS result yet. |
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| While there aren't many tricks in enduro racing, Alex Cures footplant at 30mph in this rock garden is definitely worth some points from the judges. |
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| Anne-Caroline Chausson's aggression was clearly what made the difference for her this weekend - while Tracy had everything to lose, she had nothing, and threw everything at the race course to try and take the title. |
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| What can you say about Fab Barel? In Chile this year he fractured five vertebrae, and is still in physio trying to fully overcome that horrific injury. This weekend he came here with no expectations, he just wanted to take it day-by-day and see if he could complete the race. In the end even he could not seem to believe what he achieved. He was still trying to get his head around what he achieved when he headed for the podium. |
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| Richie Rude was on the fast track to take his first podium today. With a seventh place on stage five it was looking like today would be the day for him until, heartbreakingly, his chain snapped on stage six. Rude certainly has his head wrapped around enduro, he will be a force to be reckoned with next year. |
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| That smile says it all. |
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| I was sent to look for photos of beer and celebration. Tracy Moseley was getting loose with the mineral water, clearly saving herself for the podium where she necked her bottle of champagne. |
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| After it's all said and done, it's time for gelato. Lots of gelato. |
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| With the racing over, beer, beach and pizza were the other tempting combination. |
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| The Rocky Mountain team checking to see how the team competition went. In the end, the Trek team were that bit stronger, but for a relatively small team with a squad of young riders, it's an unquestionably impressive accomplishment. |
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| Cannondale mechanic, Matteo Nati, gets problems solved, Italian style. |
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| When your pit is just behind the Mediterranean, it's good to wash away the day with a refreshing swim. |
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| Overall team standings for the season. Trek Factory Enduro, Rocky Mountain Urge and Yeti Fox. |
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| A well-deserved beer for the man who was simply too strong for his competition this year. He admits that Jerome getting injured had a negative impact on his riding, he struggled a bit under the expectation that he would win, not feeling how he wanted to on the bike until La Thuile, but despite all the strong riders coming through, he had that extra edge at the end of the day. Now 12 months on from the disappointment of watching Jerome lift the crown here in Finale, he has achieved his goal - Jared Graves is your 2014 Enduro World Series champion. |
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| Your 2014 series champions: Jared Graves (men), Tracy Moseley (women), Sebastian Claquin (junior) and Primoz Strancar (masters). |
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Next to last pic from the bottom; date check 2014.
especially if it's offshore wind ,so called "Tramontana".
Feel free to bring your shorts!
Ciao
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^^