Photo Epic: Practice - EWS Finale Ligure 2018
Finale seems more on pace with vacation than bike race this year. Practice of the four stages was dealt with in one day and riders were given Saturday off as the Challenger race took place. That's not to say practice was uneventful. With a helicopter evacuation on the top of stage two and a resulting hour and change delay, the day proved longer than most expected. Saturday, well..... not much but good living going on before the final showdown.
Richie Rude joined a plethora of rider including Curtis Keene, Shawn Near, McKay Vezina and the entire staff of Yeti & Specialized to shave JerryHawks into their heads in support of Jared Graves.
A great reminder about the important things as riders reach the top of the long climb to Stage 2.
Chris Ball took a bit of time to soak in the view on stage two before the riders appeared.
Big shuttle trucks are in hot demand during an EWS week in Finale so Richie Rude and Shawn Neer went with a smaller local option to get themselves around.
Miranda Miller heading for the beach.
The views from stage 3 are out of this world, although the riders can't exactly pay them much attention once they've dropped in...
Florian Nicolai hopes to go a few spots better than Ainsa and get back on the podium steps.
Isabeau Courdurier cutting through the dust at the bottom of stage three.
Sam Hill just needs to ride smart and consistent this weekend to take his second world title for the second year in a row.
Last year's winner here was Damien Oton, and with his results at the last few rounds, we know he will be one to watch here once again.
Mark Scott hasn't had the best of seasons and will be looking to go out on a high note in Finale.
Martha Gill on the sharp rocks at the top of Stage 2.
Andreane Lanthier Nadeau has been getting faster with each race and her podium finish last week in Spain proves she can mix it up with the best riders at the front of the race.
Lewis Buchanan is nursing a painfully bruised foot and sprained ankle this week, but with Teammate Robin Wallner out of action he is pushing on to help Ibis preserve their team ranking in the overall points race.
Florian Nicolai has been looking quick in practice. Expect another top result from the Frenchman.
Casey Brown rolls the white rock.
Zakarias Johansen will be looking to follow up Ainsa with another top ten result. This may be the place to do it.
Remi Gauvin through the rough on stage two opening the taps.
Cody Kelly emerges from in between some fine Ligurian rock.
Jesse Melamed sends it down the rocky ridge atop Stage 3. If you dig through the archives of the decades past you might recognize this section of trail from Cranked 2.
Joe Smith is having a little EWS fun now that the World Cup season is over.
Melanie Pugin navigates a narrow ridge on Stage 3 where riders will struggle not to be distracted by the beautiful views.
Richie Rude finding the limits of the loose gravel on stage 2.
Lewis Buchanan cracking on despite a broken foot.
Ruaridh Cunningham will be looking for redemption after nursing his destroyed wheel across the line in Ainsa.
Remi Gauvin powering through the dust lingering in the air.
Richie Rude looks to be on a fast pace here in Finale, and with a win in similar conditions last week in Spain, we know the trails in Finale will suit him well.
Killian Bron snakes through the thick brush on the classic Stage 4.
Isabel Courdurier blasts down the freshly built Stage 3 that gives riders a beautiful view of the sea from top to bottom.
Ruaridh Cunningham looking to close out the season on a high note.
Noga Korem navigates the gnar on the top of stage two.
"You reckon if we drink enough maple syrup we can huck that whole section eh?" "Heck yeah."
Tracy Mosely is out on track with the Trek team to help out with line choice and such. It's good to see her back at the races.
Eliot Heap is on pace to take home the title in the U-21 category this weekend in Finale Ligure.
Cecile Ravanel finds the fast line through the door traffic at the top of Stage 2.
The top of stage 2 was thick with riders in the line as they all jammed into the track to scope out one particular rocky chute. Only when a rider approached would they part like the Red Sea.
Martin Maes has won here in the past and with the current form he is on it would be unlikely to see him finish any worse than second.
Cecile Ravanel is looking to close out the year with a clean sweep of victories.
T Lap is certainly looking for better luck this time around.
Nigel parts the riders.
Martin Maes on the hunt for the win one last time here in Finale. Will he pull it off?
Damien Oton. Captian consistent. Can't imagine him far off a podium finish.
Keegan Wright tries to find the line through some sharp off camber rocks.
Unfortunately a serious injury closed down training on Stage 2 for over an hour, stranding many riders at the top while a helicopter was called in. We all wish the injured racer a speedy recovery.
Last week's 4th place finisher Kevin Miguel is riding with confidence right now and has his sights set on the podium to close out the 2018 season.
Remi Gauvin heads for the sea on Stage 3.
Hot and hazy in Finale Ligure
Onlookers scatter as Sam gets down to it. They probably saw that video clip from Whistler and didn't want a scolding.
Cecile smooths out the jaggedness of stage two. Other racers take notes.
All aboard the Commencal train.
Everyone is spending a fair bit of time in the sea.
Saturday, a day to just let it all hang out.
In an uncharacteristic move, practice was all held on Friday and racing on Sunday. This left Saturday open for riders to use as a rest day. Some rested better than others
Can the EWS schedule rest days on the Mediterranean Sea more often?
One last swim before racing.
The less posh end of Finale. It's still posh.
Another beautiful day and with more of the same on tap as racing gets underway Sunday morning in Finale Ligure.
Author Info:
Member since May 11, 2011
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
www.instagram.com/p/BoUnRNuByy-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I understand that this makes it somewhat warmer but it really saves the joints - when I fell hard with 25 km/h straight on my shoulder and broke the collar bone I did not have even a bruise on the shoulder.
www.facebook.com/MTBBEDS/videos/1933747903356406
But it is the truth... Sam Hill and Rude are the PB fav's, all kiddo's here are drooling over them...