Practice Photo Epic: EWS Crans-Montana 2021
Another new venue for the Enduro World Series greets racers for round 7 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Five stages starting high above the treeline and descending through the technical forest below will test bike and body as everything takes the beating of racing and training on such long runs. There's quite a bit of bike park trail used to start many of the stages, many of which feature a plethora of jumps and road gaps, perhaps the most we have seen at any EWS round, and for sure the biggest. And with only one practice run, racers will have to commit without hesitation when trying to piece together the puzzle that is stage racing at the EWS.
The week started off blown out and dusty, perhaps too much so until the nightly rainstorms began to roll in. The trails have been a mix of mud, grip, slick rocks and roots, hero dirt and dusty loam. Often all on the same run so tire choice, line selection and the ability to make do on the fly will be paramount in keeping pace at the front.
Racing starts with the Pro Stage Saturday that is basically a shortened 4-minute version of the massive Stage 5, and the continues full bore on Sunday with 4 more fast, long and technical stages that will throw just about every kind of terrain you could imagine at racers throughout the day.
Stay tuned for the action as it gets underway in Crans-Montana
We will let Shawn Neer get the action started here in Crans-Montana
Swiss mountains
Remi Gauvin always with the style
Big mountains here in Switzerland
Weather may be a factor with heavy rain falling each night and sunshine throughout the day. Conditions are inconsistent and every changing
Stormy skies made for a dramatic backdrop on Stage 5
The start of Stage 1 is a bit of a pedal nearly up in the clouds
Florian Nicolai on Stage 5
Connor Fearon on the opening stage high above the trees
Kasper Woolley looking to carry over the speed he showed last week in Loudenvielle
Max Chapuis on course sweeping duty at the close of training
Antoine Vidal with the toboggan on Stage 1
Inside lines may not always offer clear vision, but they tend to be faster nonetheless
Joe Connell finding's the grip on Stage 1
There may be long stretches of bike park on some stages, but there are plenty of sections through the forest to make things very technical. Especially with the overnight rain we've been having
Series leader Jack Moir
Richie Rude looking for nothing but a win here this weekend to pull back points on Jack Moir
Jesse Melamed speed tucking on Stage 2
Hugo Pigeon with the gnarly take-off of Stage 3's optional step-down line
And he sticks the landing... It looks basic in photos, but this one made everyone who hit it nervous
Martin Maes halfway down Stage 5
A little moody weather mid-afternoon on stage 4
Zakarias Johansen
Katy Winton on what will both Saturday's Pro Stage and Sunday's final stage
This is the start gate of the race on Sunday, definitely not a bad view to suffer through while pedaling flat out for 2 minutes
Isabeau Courdurier loving for her third win of the season
It's been brutal on parts the past few weeks racing three back to back rounds in the high mountains
Andreane Lanthier Nadeau practicing just in case she feels strong and confident enough to race
Noga Korem in the slippery morning mud that's urns to dust by each afternoon
plenty of rocks to be found here on the open slopes
Harriet Harnden on the open slopes of Stage 4
Morgane Jonnier on Stage 4. Sadly she will not race due to injury in the final training session
Despite being high above treelike at the start, all stages make their way through the forest here
Matt Walker loving the berms and jumps here
Damion Oton through the steep gully on the Pro Stage that will be raced Friday afternoon
Greg Minnaar Fan Club?
It's good to see Jared Graves here once again after 3 years away. He is still nursing an injury and will not be taking the start in the EWS
Andreane Lanthier Nadeau is still a maybe for the race tomorrow
Storm clouds building in the evening
No one complains when the sun is shining
Racing gets underway tomorrow... Stay tuned for the action as it unfolds here in Switzerland
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