Hot Laps - Enduro World Series, Round 7 - Finale Ligure
Normally the enduro in Finale happens at the end of the month, but for this year is has been brought forward. Those few extra days make a big difference - there are still moustachioed men in creepy, yellow speedos roaming the seafront, the town still feels alive at night and, more importantly, the temperature is still at heights that most people would be happy with in mid-summer. Over the last two days more than 500 riders have taken to the hillsides above the town to practice the six stages that will form the race course for this weekends season finale.
 |
 Asking a local for directions is perhaps the best course of action for navigating the maze like streets of Finale and surrounding towns. |
 |
| 4X world champion, Katy Curd, is joining in the fun this weekend. |
 |
| All Graves wanted was a photo of his Bat Goggles. |
 |
| Joost Wichman has been doing enduro races for a couple of years now, but this is the first time we've seen him at an EWS race this year. |
 |
| Thomas Lapeyrie was looking as aggressive as ever, and the terrain here is very similar to his home trails a couple of hours down the coast, so we expect him to do well this weekend. |
 |
| Martin Maes is hungry for his first EWS win, but admitted that the physical nature of many of the stages here won't suit his strengths. |
 |
| For stages 2, 5 and 6, riders climb up through the medieval village of Orco Felligno. |
 |
| Martin Maes on the very technical stage one. This stage isn't going to be fast. It's the shortest yet, and with all the tight switch backs, it might be one of the most technical we've seen all season. |
 |
| The rules for shuttling in practice here are that it is allowed, but only on the tarmac roads. |
 |
| Guillame Cauvin made the step over from World Cup DH to try his hand at an enduro this weekend. |
 |
| With the XC season over, racers like Manuel Fumic are free to come and play on more technical terrain. |
 |
| They don't call him "Baller" for nothing. Chris Ball makes one of the upper turns on stage four his bitch. |
 |
| Manny Fumic was having no issues on the loose bits of stage four today. |
 |
| Florian Nicolai was tearing up the soft earth at the top of stage five this morning. |
 |
| This isn't Marco Fontana's first time racing here in Finale - he liked it so much last year that he's back again this year, training with his teammate Fumic through the tight rock channels. |
 |
| Cecile Ravanel must be full of confidence after her win in Whistler, it will be interesting to see if the boost means she can take the fight to Chausson and Moseley more of the time. |
 |
| The ground on many of the stages still lays testament to what Finale developed from. The armouring on these ancient mule trails can date back as far as Roman times in places. |
 |
| Old Roman cobbled roads are slick. Riding them down into hair pin turns takes a certain amount of finesse. |
 |
| Nico Quere is on board the new, lighter Commencal bike and is looking faster and looser than ever. |
 |
| This is another great tradition for riding here in Italy - the post-ride Gelato. |
 |
| Ruaridh Cunningham is just one of the guys from the World Cup DH circuit looking to make a mark on the last EWS race of the season. Or, perhaps he's just having a good time riding his bike on the Italian Riviera. |
 |
| Nico Lau loves his bike, and he might just ride it to a first place finish here in Finale. |
 |
| Charging hard into the lower half of stage four, Dave Trumpore holds it wide and lets it slide. |
 |
| Local favorite, Marco Fontana, ditched the XC helmet and is charging hard in Finale. |
 |
| Here are where the points stand. The women's race is looking too close to call. While this round might not suit Graves, Oton will have to be flawless this weekend. Justin Leov is probably the real danger man here. |
 |
| After a long day on the hill, it's nice to ride down to the sea and cool off for a spell. |
 |
| Jared Graves has a solid lead. All he needs to do now is finish with out any mishaps. |
 |
| Jared Graves' mechanic, Sean Hughes puts the final touches to his bike this evening. The battle plan for tomorrow is steady, keep it upright. 22nd place is no big ask for Graves, and the world champion title must be so close he can taste it. |
 |
| Practice is over. It's now time to limber up, get a good night's rest, and get down to business. |
 |
| Buona Notte from Italy. Things get real in the morning. |
Author Info:
Member since Oct 29, 2006
Must Read This Week
How to Watch the 2024 Mountain Bike World Cup [Update: Staylive Offering Access in New Zealand, South Africa & More]
59563 views
59563 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
yeah, they are both on the Sanction.
*Sob*
This is no proper report PB!!!!