Pinkbike Awards: Enduro Race of the Year Nominees
"Love it, hate it or don't understand it, the word 'enduro' was everywhere this season. And while we all like the word so much we're considering having it tattooed on Mike Levy next year, enduro isn't about questionable style choices, a convenient word to slap on unexciting products or a new label for what we've all been doing on bicycles since forever. What enduro is supposed to be about is one, simple thing: racing." This was how we introduced our Enduro Race of the Year award last year, and in the last twelve months things haven't changed on most of those fronts: If you are to believe the comments sections there are a lot of people who are still to be won over by the discipline, fanny packs still look ridiculous, marketing departments are unabated in their love of those six letters and we're still riding bicycles. And while we're a little disappointed that Mike Levy chose to get a chest piece that doesn't feature the "e" word anywhere, what's happened this year is that enduro has made huge, if quiet, steps towards becoming a real thing across the globe, closing the gap between the marketing hype and what people are actually doing on their bikes. Looking out from the French-Italian border where people have been holding enduro and enduro-like races here since the late 1980s, it was too easy to forget that in countries like the US, Canada and Germany it wasn't established in the same way. What many people saw was the word over and over again in the media, but without the grassroots riding that any successful sport is rooted in - this year that changed a lot. Today, no matter where you live and ride, chances are that someone is running a race near you that you can go out and try. On the grassroots level more people than ever raced this year and much of that goes unreported because people who race at that level tend to be too busy riding and having fun to report on it. On an international level, after a second great season, the Enduro World Series cemented its status as a series that looks set to stay with us for the foreseeable future, not just a novelty item that we would play with for a year or two. 2014 should go down in the record books as the year enduro began truly establishing itself far beyond the French and Italian hillsides where it was born and raised. This is reflected in our three nominations for the Enduro Race of the Year - they cover three continents and three very different interpretations of the sport. To draw together this shortlist we polled more than 35 of the sports top riders and photographers and these three races were their top choices.- Matt Wragg
Take a look at our complete EWS season recap to relive the years action: 2014, A Photo Epic
• Enduro World Series: Nevados de Chillan, Chile
Opening the 2014 race season in Chile was a bold move for the EWS. It was a real signal of intent, that the series will be truly international, shedding off the France/Italy-centric calendar of its inaugural season. It is a move that was hugely popular with the riders. Talk to riders about this race and words like "adventure" crop up time and again. For most of them it was a new country, new terrain and a new interpretation of enduro racing. It helped that Chillan's seasons decided to put on the most unworldly display of burning red leaves as you carved lines through the perfect, black soil. Nacho and the trail crew carved in some unbelievable works of art into those mountainsides that would form the race course - the second stage was a brand-new masterpiece winding down from the volcanic sands into the rainforest and stage six was an endless trail with nearly everything you could hope for packed into it.Then there was the race itself, the Montenbaik team put on a technically proficient race that many Northern hemisphere race organisers would do well to study and learn from.
Opening the 2014 race season in Chile was a bold move for the EWS. It was a real signal of intent, that the series will be truly international, shedding off the France/Italy-centric calendar of its inaugural season. It is a move that was hugely popular with the riders. Talk to riders about this race and words like "adventure" crop up time and again. For most of them it was a new country, new terrain and a new interpretation of enduro racing. It helped that Chillan's seasons decided to put on the most unworldly display of burning red leaves as you carved lines through the perfect, black soil. Nacho and the trail crew carved in some unbelievable works of art into those mountainsides that would form the race course - the second stage was a brand-new masterpiece winding down from the volcanic sands into the rainforest and stage six was an endless trail with nearly everything you could hope for packed into it.Then there was the race itself, the Montenbaik team put on a technically proficient race that many Northern hemisphere race organisers would do well to study and learn from.
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• Enduro World Series: Whistler, Canada
Whistler's appearance in this list will likely come as a surprise to many. No race in recent years has sparked as much controversy and debate. Come the finish on Sunday many riders were talking about things like survival, rather than enjoyment. In total riders had to cope with more than 2,000m climbing and eight hours in the saddle on some of the most challenging and physical transfers and stages all season. It was a long, brutal day that broke many people - yet talking to the sport's top riders, its popularity seems barely diminshed by the race day ordeal. In fact, more than a few said plainly that they loved the physicality of the whole thing. It's always helped by the fact that the riders love being in Whistler - with the week in between races there was time to relax, explore and smash out runs.
Whistler's appearance in this list will likely come as a surprise to many. No race in recent years has sparked as much controversy and debate. Come the finish on Sunday many riders were talking about things like survival, rather than enjoyment. In total riders had to cope with more than 2,000m climbing and eight hours in the saddle on some of the most challenging and physical transfers and stages all season. It was a long, brutal day that broke many people - yet talking to the sport's top riders, its popularity seems barely diminshed by the race day ordeal. In fact, more than a few said plainly that they loved the physicality of the whole thing. It's always helped by the fact that the riders love being in Whistler - with the week in between races there was time to relax, explore and smash out runs.
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• Enduro World Series: Finale Ligure, Italy
Finales appeal is simple - riders love to end their seasons there. As autumn starts to take hold of the Northern hemisphere it's one last splash of dusty trails, azure seas and brightly-coloured gelato to end the year. It's like the last day of school, the last time you get to see many of the people who have followed the season with over the last seven months before you go your separate ways for the winter. Every year the Superenduro crew pull out all of the stops to put on a show, and without fail their races are slick and well-organised, this year the local government were more involved than as the race took over the town centre once more and Riccardo and the trail crews opened up many entirely new trails for the race, no small feat somewhere as well-ridden as Finale.
Finales appeal is simple - riders love to end their seasons there. As autumn starts to take hold of the Northern hemisphere it's one last splash of dusty trails, azure seas and brightly-coloured gelato to end the year. It's like the last day of school, the last time you get to see many of the people who have followed the season with over the last seven months before you go your separate ways for the winter. Every year the Superenduro crew pull out all of the stops to put on a show, and without fail their races are slick and well-organised, this year the local government were more involved than as the race took over the town centre once more and Riccardo and the trail crews opened up many entirely new trails for the race, no small feat somewhere as well-ridden as Finale.
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Stay tuned for more PB MTB Awards nominees all month.
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www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/Final-Stage-Race-Action-from-Enduro-World-Series-Chile,7479/Slideshow,0/sspomer,2
Wish I was there to ride this dirt... it looked like a promise of smooth rides made of infinite grip.
(PB users: sorry for the private joke. Of course Nevados)
my vote is definitely clear
What about the Trans-Savoie for instance?
Nevados should win Enduro race of the year and Enduro race footage of the year too.
None of the events were really televised so it's hard for me to identify with any of the races like I do with World Cup DH. I paid attention last year because it was new, but this year it already seemed stale. I think if the EWS wants to succeed from a fans perspective they gotta get this televised somehow, maybe just Sundays races.
Initially i thought Colorado was the best race because everybody was complaining, but then there was even more complaining about Whistler so I guess Whistler gets my vote.
I agree with it too - without video coverage, unless you are a spectator or a racer it is hard to get into the moment.
Good thing we have you to speak for what the fans want, need and deserve haha.