Photo Epic: Wet & Wild Practice - EWS Loudenvielle 2021
The Enduro World Series always seems to bring out a few new venues each season to keep riders on their toes, and for 2021 the first of such rounds is about to go off as a double header in Loudenvielle, France. A small village at the base of the Pyrenees and practically in Andorra, Loudenveille greeted riders with some absolutely massive stages starting high above tree line, as well as some of the steepest woods we have seen all season. The trails themselves are outstanding, and while they were running dry and dusty to start, two massive storms rolled through in the afternoon practice and turned everything into a muddy river. Will it dry? Will it rain again? No one really knows, and in mountains this big, it changes every hour.
The person that will do well here will be someone who can adapt to changing conditions, unpredictable trails, and who can mentally tough out possibly being quite wet and cold for a large part of the day. If practice was any indication of how miserable things can get when a storm rolled in, then things might just get a bit spicy as riders race not just once here in Loudenveille, but twice. The first round of the double header goes down Thursday, while the second caps off a long week on Saturday evening and Sunday.
Not a bad place to enjoy your morning coffee.
Bike prep in the sunshine to start the week, but it's not looking like it will stay this way.
Things started out bone dry and dusty.
Jack Moir drifting about on some dust early in the day.
Keegan Wright through the dark forest.
Theo Galy trying to find grip on the ever-shifting rocks in the woods.
Harriet Harnden looking strong and fast, and looking to back up her win from last round in La Thuile.
So much dust and "light bro" in the woods when things were dry.
Dusty gold in the woods.
Lots of rock in the soil in some spots should help with traction in the wet, but the clay in the open bits will be a nightmare.
Steep and loose in the Loudenvielle woods.
High traffic day on the liaisons.
Some old school fast grass, freshly mowed, and ready to get spicy in the rain.
Jesse Melamed loving it when the sun was still out.
Florian Nicolai on top of Stage 1.
Morgane Charre on Stage 1.
Beautiful trails here in Loudenvielle
The views here are amazing when not socked in by clouds.
Stage 2 is in the forest amongst the ferns.
Remi Gauvin with some style on stage 1 before the rain.
EWS overall leader Richie Rude powering down stage 1.
Matin Maes pinned on stage 1.
Andreane Lanthier Nadeau on stage 5 before a nasty crash took her out of the race.
Isabeau Courdurier on Stage 4.
Big stages out in the open, and very susceptible to incoming weather.
Storm approaching.
It rained a lot.
Jared Graves is back after a three year break, but sadly an injury will keep him in the pits helping the youngsters cope with the weather... Goggle prep on point.
No more dust.
Slip and slide in the monsoon.
Eliot Heap on Stage 4.
The weather comes and goes here, but when it comes in it's no joke.
Laps with fiends in the rain, sometimes that's the most fun you can have on a bike.
Lots of work for the mechanics tonight.
Clear skies to end the evening after a day with two massive storms. Let's hope it stays this way for tomorrow's race
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31 Comments
This place looks amazing and I hope they have some cameras on those grass corners.