Race Report: Portuguese Enduro Series, Lousa

Have you visited Louzan bikepark? No? Then don't think twice, pack your bike grab some clothes and go there ASAP!


This past weekend the Fox Enduro Race, 3rd stop of Portugal Enduro Series was held in Lousa, a small village in central region of Portugal, 2h drive from Lisbon. Highest point is just about 1200m, but don't be fooled, past April 2018 organizers of the European Downhill Championship choose this place for the event and man, let me tell you, that's steep! And the trails? And the terrain? Ohhh... makes you want to go at warp speed. Enough said that one of the Lacondeguy brothers was spotted building a new jump line.


For the race, all top Portuguese riders were present, Emanuel Pombo current series leader, José Oliveira, no EWS close by so Jose Borges was there too, Francisco Pardal and some more. Lousa mountains are known all over the country as to have some of the best loam of Portugal, lot of riders wanted to give it a try and see if they could follow the best riders down the mountain battling against the clock.

With 6 short but fast stages, the battle for the podium was expected to be ferocious. With an initial shuttle on trucks and a bus for the riders, start was from about 900m high. Participants needed to climb for about 5km and +300m to get to the start of first stage at 1210m.








At the end of training day there was a heavy rain, perfect to settle down the dust and get the terrain on even better conditions. Sunday morning was all clear and sunny, the day ahead was indeed perfect for riding on the best trails in the area. Fresh loam, steep sections and wet roots were the highlights of the day.








Ze Manel Borges from Miranda Factory was first on SS1 and 2 some seconds ahead of Francisco Pardal and Emanuel Pombo. Maaris Meier won SS1 and Ana Catarina Leite SS2, with Gabriela Vasconselos almost a minute behind, so it was a battle of two.











At the end of the day, Francisco Pardal and Borges were tight with 3 wins each, but Pardal managed to get a 1.8 sec difference to win the race. Emanuel Pombo tried to close the gap but as the race advanced these two contestants built a comfortable 36s gap. On elite women category, it was a clear battle between Maaris Meier and Ana Leite. On SS4 Leite got 2nd by 17s, precisely the total difference at the end of the race.






After this race, current Portugal Enduro Series standings as follows. Full results here.


Next race will be in Celorico Beira, Serra da Estrela, 2nd of September.