Into The High Country - EWS Aspen Event Preview
We've had a nice little break since we left the Enduro World Series last. Time to dry out our bones and put one of the toughest races of the year behind us. For round number six we are back in Aspen, Colorado. There will be six stages over two days of racing, and a few fresh sections of track which we really dig. We have plenty of elevation here, eleven thousand plus feet at the start of stage two. Marijuana laws aside, we have indeed entered the high country. Let's take a look at Aspen and the tracks, as we gear up for what is hopefully, a dry weekend.
Bald eagles, trucker hats, fireworks and aviators... 'Merica.
Suspension ready to be serviced.
Time to strip those bikes down and give them some love.
Top of Snowmass, and the start of stage four, which has much new loamy goodness.
The last remnants of winter can still be seen at the top of Independence Pass.
The top of Stage four is up there.
It's usually sunny in Aspen, but nothing is ever for certain in the high mountains. Fog and rain can appear in the blink of an eye above 9000 feet.
Those views though.
Matt Delorme has been living on a ranch all summer, and has a custom fur that he claims will provide superior protection in a thunderstorm.
Someone's curious what all the commotion is about on the slopes of Aspen Mountain this weekend.
Seager and Sven square off.
The iconic Maroon Bells peek through the cloud cover at the top of Stage four.
This will not be a fun lift ride if any kind of foul weather rolls in.
Dave gets shreddy on the very long stage two in Aspen. It's a media squid favorite.
More point and shooting through the aspens from Fraser Britton.
We happened upon some people jumping off a perfectly good cliff near the top of stage two.
Down the hatch. Dave and Mad Dog Boris chug a crisp Budweiser at the top of stage two. What could be more American besides shoving a Bic Mac and fries down their gullets first?
Aspens in Aspen.
The weather followed the EWS to Aspen. Luckily, Colorado gets better with a little moisture.
Stage one is identical to last year, but with the racing line a bit more bedded in the time around.
Dave was having a grand old time on Sam's Nob.
Baller finding his way down stage five, which happens to run down a mountain called Sam's Nob. Do with that what you will.
Sven, Lee, and Boris race for position down Sam's Nob.
Enduro Boris gets his bar-drag on in one of the high switchbacks on Stage 4.
Stage five is fresh cut and raw. With no established racing line just yet, it will be interesting to see how things cut in during the training sessions.
While most of the stages are raw singletrack, there are still a few bike park features scattered about.
The Mad Dog dips into stage one. It's Boris' first enduro in quite some time, but we were very happy to have him join our squidy ranks.
Duncan Philpott enjoying a rare bit of damp Colorado hero dirt.
Our fearless presenter, Ric working hard to get you those course previews.
When the clouds part, there are some mega views to be had from the upper slopes of every stage.
Dropping into the aspens on Stage two.
Welcome to cowboy country.
The Snowmass Rodeo, held every Wednesday night in the summer, is a great chance for racers to take in a little bit of what makes America's Western culture so unique.
Some of the ten-year-olds in Aspen are out shredding bikes in the park, while others are taming a different kind of steed.
Hopefully the rain holds off so the only dust flying we witness is from barrel racing.
Bull riding is always a pleasant distraction the day before practice starts.
With lots of descending, ample chairlift uplifts, and plenty of fresh cut stages, Colorado Juan approves.
There's rodeo roping here in Aspen, then there is roping on a real ranch. Both a pretty rad part of Colorado.
On the eastern prairie the cowboys are a little less flashy.
Keep your eyeballs glued to this site for all the wild action in Aspen coming up over the next three days.
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