EWS Kick-Off In South America with the Giant Factory Off-Road Team - Video

Held just one week apart from one another in South America, the first two rounds of the Enduro World Series offered starkly different terrain and track conditions, testing the riders from one extreme to the other.


Round #1: Lo Barnechea, Chile

The first EWS race of the year, held at the La Parva Ski Resort, 26km east of Santiago, challenged riders with its loose, rocky terrain and extreme track conditions. They faced six grueling stages over two days, and attrition played a role with crashes and mechanicals affecting many of the contenders.


Carlson raced well throughout the final three stages on Sunday. He taped up his finger and went on to post his best stage finish, eighth, on the final stage to climb into seventh overall for the weekend.

Mckay Vezina had a strong start on Saturday, including a seventh-place finish on Stage 3, but lost some time with a big crash and mechanical troubles on day two. After damaging his rear derailleur, Vezina was forced to finish a stage with no chain and then run 6km and 1500 vertical feet up a rocky, switchback trail, as fellow riders helped push his bike to the start of the next stage.

Rae Morrison, representing the women’s Liv brand, also had a strong performance with an eighth place overall. Morrison, who finished 10th overall in last year’s series, had two sixth-place stage finishes in Chile.

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Round #2: Manizales, Colombia

Marcelo Gutierrez gave the home fans something to cheer for when he won the first stage and finished second overall at Round 2 in Manizales, Colombia.

With the EWS visiting Colombia for the first time, the seven-time DH national champion in this Central American country made a special appearance, taking a break from his downhill racing and training to give enduro racing a go. The two-day event started with a unique urban downhill on Day 1, then continued with more traditional enduro racing in wet, muddy jungle terrain on Day 2.


Day 2 presented a completely different set of challenges for Gutierrez and his teammates Josh Carlson, Mckay Vezina and Rae Morrison. Heavy rain made for treacherous conditions in the 8-stage race through dense jungle terrain. Vezina was unfortunately sidelined after crashing in practice and requiring 6 stitches in his knee. Morrison, representing the women’s Liv brand, also experienced bad luck, dealing with an acute asthma attack and a crash that caused her to abandon.

Carlson, persevering with a cold throughout the weekend, fought through the conditions to finish 27th overall, finishing on a high note with a 4th place finish on Stage 8.

Gutierrez would finish the day on the podium, just behind EWS reigning champ Sam Hill.

“Second place for the weekend leaves me completely satisfied,” Gutierrez said. “Racing enduro is something completely different from what I usually do, so that’s a valuable podium finish to me. Millions of thanks to all the people who supported me, to the team and all the sponsors that made it possible to have this big party in my hometown.”

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MENTIONS: @giantbicycles @EnduroWorldSeries

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