Throwback Thursday: Enduro of Nations 2011, Sauze D'Oulx
As Innerleithen gears up for the final EWS race this weekend, what better time to look back on where the sport has come from? I have been telling people recently that I believe enduro is the biggest change to mountain biking in my riding life, so what better way to get a handle on how big a thing it has been than by looking at how the sport looked before it reached the mainstream? Sauze D'Oulx marked a big step for the burgeoning discipline, it was the first time the Trophy of Nations was ever held outside of France.
The Enduro of Nations is significant for me personally too, it was my first paid job for Pinkbike. 10 years ago I was a bike guide who had waved a camera around a couple of times, but let's not put too fine a point on it - I had no idea what I was doing. Today, I'm not entirely sure how I came to convince Pinkbike to pay me for the weekend, but I probably owe Julian Coffey a beer for doing it.
Armed with a Canon Rebel, the lens it came with, and very little grasp of how to make them do what I wanted, this is the result (although I have had a little re-edit). Looking through it, I find it useful reminder - sure, the photos aren't great, but I worked my ass off that weekend, running around town late each evening to make sure there was content to go out. I'm almost certain the reason I'm here today to write this was my work ethic (I produced ten articles over the space of a week), and that is something I try not to forget.
So buckle up and let's have a look at how the best enduro racers in the world looked in 2011. Although this weekend was when a certain Martin Maes came to the world's attention, at just 15 years destroying most of the men's field to grab top 5 scratch, I can't find a single image of him or the actual results sheets.
Sauze D'Oulx lies just West of Turin in northern Italy - there was a brief period when it made an attempt to become a big MTB destination, even sponsoring the Athertons for a season or two, but these days it seems to have given up on the project.
The Superenduro team always knew how to put on an event.
Some things are constant, like Nico Vouilloz being at the forefront of changes to racing.
The Godfather of Enduro, Fred Glo, heads out to check out the course on his trials bike.
Sauze D'Oulx was famous for two things - first was the high alpine meadows at the top of the resort...
Second was the larch forest below, with fast, flowing singletracks carrying you all the way down to the lifts.
Cin - back then riders were less shy about grabbing a beer after practice.
Jerome Clementz was already the name to watch.
While Team GB was made up of James McKnight, Rowan Sorrell and Al Stock.
Overnight the weather took a turn for the worse and Sundays racing was under the rain.
Jerome Clementz was not even slight phased by the muddy conditions, even if my camera was...
You have to feel for this poor fella.
In the years to follow, Jerome would get quite familiar with this feeling (and I bought cameras with working autofocus)
And finally, the great Italian photographer Matteo Cappe - the following year I would become part of the Superenduro team and I learnt so much working with him.
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