Practice Photo Epic: EWS Scotland 2021
For the final Enduro World Series race of the season, it’s back to one of the UK’s most famous venues, the Tweed Valley in Scotland. After a six year hiatus, the series returns to the hallowed trails of Innerleithen and the surrounding hills to crown the series champions. It’s a fitting location for a fair fight and level playing field with trails most riders have never seen prior and conditions unique to any previous round raced. Who the tight trees, slippery mud, rocks and roots favor is anyone's guess.
The Women's title fight may be a pretty sure thing at the front with Melanie Pugin miles ahead, but the battle behind between Isabeau Courdurier, Harriet Harnden Noga Korem and Morgane Charre for the final podium spots is as tight as can be. While in the men's, it's a nail bitter with Jack Moir and Richie Rude trading blows all season, going 1,2 in just about every stage and every race. Jack has a 70 point lead that affords him a buffer, but no margin for error. Just behind the two leaders an equally tight race for third between Jesse Melamed and Kevin Miquel is brewing.
The stages in Scotland are a mix of flat out and fast combined with technical, steep and slow. The heavy rains each day leading up to the event have thickened the mud in the woods to add another element of physicality to the equation. Strength to muscle through will be paramount as well as being able to keep it pinned but smooth to carry maximum speed. Unlike other venues where a mistake means going off line and getting right back into groove, the narrow trails in the Scottish forest mean mistakes are costly, often resulting in a full stop against a tree. The trails flow at pace, but are incredibly difficult a slow speeds, so getting started again after a crash can be a nightmare. Considering the stakes at hand and how tight racing has been all season, the slightest error could be the difference between standing on the podium or watching from the crowd.
Racing gets underway with the Pro Stage on Saturday in what is forecast to be pouring rain, followed by an additional 5 stages on Sunday. It will be wet, it will be wild, and it will be a battle to the end for the championship.
The rolling hills of the Scottish Borders play host to the final round of the 2021 EWS season.
Lots of rain keeps things lush
Slick roots can be found just about everywhere you look here
It's a pretty nice place to be when the sun is shining
The woods are dark and the trees tight here in Scotland
Kasper Woolley trying to squeeze through some tight spaces on Stage 2
Two stages start out in the open and offer a bit of breathing room for riders’ elbows before heading back into the tight trees
Richie Rude needs to be out front and on the gas if he wants to make up the 70 point deficit to Jack Moir in the overall
All eyes (and cameras) are on Jack Moir this weekend to see if he can fend off Richie Rude to take the overall title
Isabeau Courdurier would like to cap off her season with a win here in Scotland
Dmitri Tordo always looks fast and committed
Bex Baraona will be looking to use her local knowledge to be good effect here.
Adrien Dailly out on the open moorland atop 'The Golfie' which plays hosts to the majority of this weekend's stages.
The open bits in the woods might be nice and bright, but it makes seeing where you are going that much harder when you dive back into the darkness
The woods are dark enough when the sun is shining, but when clouds roll in it would be nice to have a headlight in some spots
Robin Wallner recently announced his retirement from racing but that didn't seem to be holding him back today.
Jack Moir in the muddy green (and brown) room on Stage 2
Kasper Woolley looking to end his impressive 2021 season on a high here in Scotland.
Jesse Melamed making light work of the tricky top of stage 2.
Martin Maes navigating the mud and roots on Stage 5 as the sun makes a brief appearance
Last round’s winner, Morgane Charre in Stage 2
Greg Callaghan has had strong results in the previous two Tweed Valley EWS rounds.
Shawn Neer through the trees on Stage 6
Vid Persak looked good out there today.
Slick rocks and even slicker roots make up Stage 4
Harriet Harnden is still in the fight for a podium spot in the series overall
It's good to see Mark Scott back between tape and racing his first EWS of the season
Lewis Buchanan is on home turf and looking fast at his first EWS race in almost two years
The rain is never too far away here.
Even when it's sunny the rain seems to be falling here in Scotland
Rain, sun, wind, maybe all three at once... What conditions racers will face on Sunday is anyone's guess here
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Alexridesmtb has it on his live stories so can't post a link
This is from Matt Stuttards Instagram tho
www.instagram.com/reel/CUh7kxTgTaV/?utm_medium=share_sheet
That Instagram link above
It's on the Instagram link I posted earlier
Some other riders must have taken the inside line as well, you can see from the grass that they weren't the first to do it.
But what the hell? It's not like they wouldn't know which side to ride on, right?
Can't believe it. I was especially rooting for Lukasik, so bummed.
Have you ever watched a ski race? That’s absolutely normal. There was no reason for them to pick the inside line. It was clearly visible.
There's an old Scottish saying for that; If you don't like the weather, wait 10 mins. It might not be better but it'll be doing something different.