Video: Rocky Mountain Urge BP Rally Team from Ainsa to Finale Ligure EWS

EWS round 7 and 8 – Ups and downs
From the medieval town of Ainsa in Spain to the Italian coast in Finale Ligure, the rally team experienced every condition of racing, lots of emotions but what will be remembered is that we’ve all grown through this. It all started two weeks ago under a bright sun in Ainsa at the start of the prologue that would take us down the old streets of the town. It was not a part of the race but still, Alexandre decided to race it and confirmed his prologue supremacy.

The race was a fitness and mental test. The stages were very mixed in between technical and physical sections. From sunshine to torrential rain, the Spanish spectators were all out there and cheering as hard as ever. The last stage got canceled because of a massive storm. Have you ever seen racers going down, sliding on their butts? That’s when you realize enduro is really about having an adventure!

- Florian didn’t have the weekend he was hoping for but his 9th was enough to keep the 2nd overall provisional rank of the EWS.


- Alexandre with the prologue win under his belt and a 14th position had a great weekend. The unlucky beginning of season is far away for him.


- Jesse was BACK! We were very pleased to see our Canadian mate back after his ankle injury and 39th with a 22nd on one stage sounds like a very good come back.

- Peter “stach” our American ranked in the top 50.


- In the women field, Andréane claimed 4th after a weekend spent chasing the girls that started in front of her and passing them. I finished 3rd and am very happy to see that I was able on a rally format to step on the podium.


For those of you that were following our very first races last year, you’ve seen us struggling, learning and growing. The Rally Team won the EWS in Spain and that is to me our biggest accomplishment! Not only it’s the sum of racers’ results but the sum of mechanics, manager and riders passion. Two years of devotion to performance got us on this podium and we were all proud.

But from highs to lows, there is one step. We all headed to Italy with objectives, goals and dreams.


Florian after being 2nd almost all season long was the first one to see his dream of standing on this podium going away. He was sick all night from Friday to Saturday and knew this weekend was not going to be a success. He battled hard and it takes determination to compete when your body is so weak. He concluded his weekend 21st and his year 4th overall of the EWS. Was he disappointed? Of course, he was but what people may not know is that in the same time he was pleased. Pleased to see the benefits of this year. After two years in the same team, I can tell you that Flo from a shy, nice guy became a confident rider, humble and with the spirit of great champions. He knows what he is capable of with his second place in Scotland and what to work on this winter to make that step in between the chocolate medal and the box.

Alex was 10th on Saturday night before settling for 15th on Sunday. After many unlucky races, a lot of riders would have seen their hopes for good results gone. Not only Alex raced with motivation but with passion! He kept his smile all season long and he raced as hard as ever on each round. The last two rounds just confirm that he can do it. He has what it takes to be in the top 10 next year. You might not know it but behind Alex the funny guy, there is a hard worker man in his last year of engineering school.

Jesse’s season is the typical example of how much we are on the edge. You can be having the best season of your life and the next day you can crash, injure yourself and see what you’ve worked so hard for get reduces to almost nothing. What always surprises me with Jesse is his ability to see the positive in every situation. How can you almost never complain? Jesse does. He broke his ankle and straight after, started focusing on the next season. The last two rounds were a way to get back to competition and a test to know what he need to work on to shape his perfect season.


Peter “Stach” “Pistouche” “Pitou”! I believe that every team needs a Peter in their ranks. 51st overall of the EWS this season but best cooker, most beautiful moustache and a person we can all look up to. His respect towards people, racing and environment had a huge positive impact on all of us. He helped us being a better team with values and principles.

Andréane joined the team in Whistler. But it feels like we always had her by our sides. Our Québécoise had proven a top 5 is accessible for her in EWS. She has the strengths and capacities to make her place in Enduro.

I had a bad weekend in Finale Ligure being sick and having a hard time to finish the race on Sunday. I felt I was back to New Zealand after being off the bike all the winter. But in the meantime, I had a season I am very proud of. More than my own results, I am proud that I have been part of the Rally Team. Two years to evolve, learn and became the racers we are today.


8 countries, 8 Enduro World Series, a team, an adventure… Ups and downs. And a common passion that drove us all together to the second step of the team podium.
Thank you, Merci, Gracias, Grazie.

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