5 Things We Learned at EWS Val di Fassa 2019
The fourth round of the EWS in Val di Fassa provided some intense racing while riders dealt with blistering temperatures. Here are five things we noticed from the sidelines:
1. EWS races are shorter this year
At the halfway point in the season, it seems that riders are being given an easier time this year than last year. Yes, the weather gods have smiled on them but so have the EWS route planners, who have cut down the amount of riding considerably from last year.
In 2018, riders kicked off with four consecutive two day races however this year two of the races have been completed in just one. The fastest men had already also racked up nearly three hours of race time against the clock at this point last year, with each race averaging just over 43 minutes, whereas we've had about an hour less in total this year with races averaging around the 30 minute mark.
2. Riders from warmer climates seemed to perform better in the high temperatures
With Europe baking under a heatwave at the moment, riders faced temperatures of upwards of 36°C throughout the day. This made conditions pretty hard for everyone with not a lot of opportunity for shade and recovery. One thing we noticed was that in the hotter weather local riders and those from warmer climates tended to perform better with only a few riders like Richie Rude and ALN being the exceptions. In the Elite men's race, seven of the ten fastest were from warmer climates and the Women's was pretty similar with six of the top ten. This presents an interesting issue as the hot weather is set to continue into next weekend when the EWS arrives in France for two long days of riding.
3. Isabeau Courdurier continues her domination of the women's field
No one can argue that Isabeau Courdurier is absolutely dominating the 2019 EWS season and with four back to back wins she is on her way to matching Cecile Ravanel's perfect 2018 season. So far this year Courdurier has won 75% of the stages on offer, she has only finished outside of the top two in a stage twice and she has also taken the fastest time on all the Queen stages and grabbing those valuable extra overall points. For 2019 she has finally had her chance to show she has what it takes to perform at the highest level consistently race to race but is she as dominant as Cecile was last year?
When you look at overall race times, maybe not. Isabeau is currently pulling an average of 1.4% over second place and 3.3% over fifth, for Cecile this was 3.6% and 8.4% respectively at this point in the season. Yes weather and tracks will have played their part but Isabeau's grip over the series isn't quite as tight as Cecile's was and she'll have to keep an eye over her shoulder if she wants that perfect season this year.
4. Plenty of riders rocked new bikes to tackle the Dolomites
The biggest change of bikes for round four was Sam Hill testing a prototype Nukeproof Mega that had more travel, slacker head angle and a longer reach. After struggling to get used to the bigger wheels over the past few seasons the new bike seems to suit him well as he finished the weekend second behind Richie Rude. Gustav Wildhaber, who finished 10th, would also be riding a prototype Cube which looks to be a new direction for the company, although the paint job is definitely divisive.
In other tech news, Isabeau Courdurier has now made the switch to 29-inch wheels and she seems to be loving it according to her Instagram, it also isn't slowing her down either. The Canyon team were also on some freshly painted Canyon Strives.
5. Consistency is key for the EWS overall
Winning doesn't mean everything this year in the EWS with only two of the top ten riders having actually been fastest of the day. No rider has been in the top five at every race so far and only current series leader Florian Nicolai has been in it three times. The four other riders at the top of the overall standings only have six results inside the top five between them but because of consistently good results, they see themselves featured at the top of the leaderboards.
Sam Hill is a great example of this, his results of 12th, 8th, 5th and 2nd may not have yet reached the sparkling brilliance of last year but he finds himself second in the overall with Nicolai easily catchable just 220 points ahead.
Previously:
• Final Results: EWS Val di Fassa 2019
• Course Preview: Unspoiled Beauty - EWS Val di Fassa 2019
• Practice Photo Epic: High Altitude - EWS Val di Fassa 2019
• Finals Photo Epic: Checkers or Wreckers - EWS Val di Fassa 2019
• Video: Course Preview With Katy Winton - EWS Val Di Fassa 2019
MENTIONS: @EnduroWorldSeries / @davetrumpore / @mdelorme
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And whether or not those things are illegal, I personally have issues with the extent of the banned items list. It makes it way too easy to get popped for inadvertently ingesting trace amounts of "drugs" that have little to no real performance enhancing value.
Blood boosting, etc. Whole 'nother ballgame.
Bottom line is doping suspensions will probably determine men's winner this season, and that's a bummer.
Hopefully these instances will make athletes take note of what they ingest and we won't have to question a rider in the future who barrels past other top competitors, making them look like rookies. Worse would be to let everyone have free reign as they pretty much had in the beginning. Before long the whole sport can end up being tainted like road cycling. If you look at XC, those athletes get tested continually, yet very few dramas and drug stories emerge. Checking what you take in is part and parcel of their routine.
Here's to a long, successful and clean future of EWS!
I hate the idea of doping. And I’m disgusted by anyone who would dirty the waters of sport and competition by cheating their way through the pack. It’s a selfish, ugly thing to do. But I... well... believe it or not, I actually believe these guys. I believe in their integrity and their skill.
Not sure what the draw of recreational hate is. But it sure does flavor 90% of Pinkbike comments.
I just mean, we all do it. So don’t use words like “being disgusted at the very thought of someone doping” because being genetically predisposed for training, good looking, well spoken, meeting right people, give you as good shot at a win as doping and not having all these things. The reason you are not there, that is in position to consider whether take or not take drugs to win, in whatever sport you fancy, is MAINLY because you were born to wrong parents with wrong genes in wrong place at a wrong time and have lived among wrong people in wrong place at a wrong time. Wrong in terms: not suitable to become a world class athlete. If you think that many of those people who are at the top, suddenly decided at young age to be world class mountain bikers and grinded their way through storm more than anyone does to get where they are at whatever job they do, then you are doing a huge disservice to yourself. Screw them, their doping, think about yourself getting in your own way.
Cheating is wrong, because society says it is wrong. You are going with the vote of majority. It’s a matter whether you got caught or not. Society does not consist of folks who hand themselves free willingly to justice as soon as they make some mistake. It is physically impossible.
I don't think doping should be accepted as an evolutionary mechanism. I think it is almost the exact opposite. Drugs aren't going to turn you into Jordan, tiny-fetus-jesus made Jordan and his hard work (no offense to religious folk). Get what you are saying. Still think it is gross to pollute sport with cheating. Also think it's gross to look at meeting girls as sport. And also am getting a little bit of a vibe that a race against you might benefit from a urine sample at the end...
"Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike"
Having said that, in a weird way it baffles me how people who claim to want MTB to be a loose, free, inclusive sport, activity, a way of life if you like, suddenly become zealot huntsmen for those who cheat. So do we have loose attitude or are we a police state? Or maybe everything in between. And we should chill the fk out, when Richie Rude or Jared Graves get tested positive for something, something
It offends my tastes. Cheating offends my perception of what could be a pure sport. No huntsman here. Not out for anybody’s blood. And I don’t think groups bigger than about five or six people are ever truly all that interested in loose inclusion, especially given the anonymity afforded by a keyboard.
I stay out of the comments most of the time. I read them more for social edification. No hard feelings on my side, sorry for the pokes. Off to ride my bike before it gets too hot!
If you look at what I wrote, I don’t think I made any moral value judgements. (Morality really is something I think about often) I said “ugly”, “pollute”, “disgusted”. Not evil, or even wrong. Just offensive.
Back to riding...
Re-read your first response and have a couple of notes. It's not always warranted to spout off life advice, dating advice, and lessons on morality to strangers on the internet.
I get that most people don't notice the Nietzsche reference in my name (maybe there are a couple philosophy majors on here), but having spent years studying the guy, I have a more nuanced understanding of morality than the average individual.
And also I don't know if the dating reference was supposed to be a dig in some way, like attacking a stranger's manhood, but, dude. Again, not necessary. I was married to a Brazilian model for seven years. Before her I dated a girl who is now an international sex symbol whom you've probably tried to find naked pictures of on google, and after my wife, another model. All awesome people. Never planned it that way, just happened. Never cheated or looked at it like a sport either. You have no reason to believe me, but here's the thing... it's true.
Enough internet posturing for me today (probably for a couple months). Time to shower and go grab some brews! Keep your life lessons to yourself, man. I said I don't comment much, not that I don't read comments. Not sure what you get out of all of this all the time. Still no animosity, just kinda shaking my head, that's all.
As to analogy, well, you overanalyzed it. But I referred to the fact that just like me in my teenage years there are plenty of folks setting themselves a certain standard of what is fair and what isn’t, inevitably based on impressions they get from society. If I was to take a dig at you I would have to assume that you are a typical guy with Virgin Mary complex, who puts women on pedestal that is waaay over the top and as a result never getting laid. A type that thinks that one should never look for a woman in a club. A bipolar disorder of virgin/whore.
Now this can also be applied to looking for fairness in other areas of life. Not saying that you do but you did use words like “pure” which always strike me, as nothing, even a new born child is pure. Racing is not pure, and I personally find a few more disgusting things than opening speeches for Olympic Games, full of high fly values. I may change my mind when upbringing kids, I may see value in brainwashing, because their little minds not always grasp the underlying mechanisms. By no means I am trying to say that fairness is useless since everyone is cheating, but I have a hard time demonizing dopers, because I can put myself into their shoes. I rarely display empathy, but I can empathize with horrible people. Because I can imagine where they come from. Because I can find all that in me. I am one of you people. I also have a pro athlete in the family, it is a very hard walk to walk and nothing hides it’s darkest corners more than “sick edits” on social media.
The void is always there. The mirror, the home of shadows, angels thrown from heavens. The house of the dragon. Very few things make us more angry in other humans, than our own traits we are ashamed of and repress. Like the memory of that girl Ivonne I fancied and was super kind to, and she turned out to be a needy chick, that got away with another dude, an a*shole, possibly irritated with me not making decisive moves.
I believe showing your soft belly is a display of power
BTw no sending for me either. Dig No ride day.
I just choose not to spread anger accept where I feel it is warranted. And that is only when I’m at my best. I choose not to get involved online because personas are inherently flawed.
I will gladly talk to about this elsewhere, but for now... why do you take away from this community so often?
I'm all for legalizing performance enhancing drugs, but one needs to be aware of the consequences: it will cause a loss of reputation for the sport in question, more athletes might die due to drug related complications, etc. I don't know whether we really want to go there...
He would get my repsect back if he just said sorry and got on. But now? Sorry ass cheater it is.
If RR continues to win it will make it hard for SH to catch Flo. He needs the wins to pull back the points gap.