Fergus Ryan and the elusive 4

Fergus Ryan is a 25 year old privateer based in Bristol, UK. After starting out racing downhill in 2011, Fergus soon got hooked on bike racing, taking him all over the world. Eventually landing him with the contention to take on the grand stage that is the EWS. To get in the mens race, first you have to achieve 38 points, but with crashes setting him back in Les Orres and Canezzi Fergus is searching for that elusive 4.




Fergus is currently in the EWS 100, racing the full race but not amongst the worlds top enduro athletes. Standing at 34 points gained by coming 78th in Fergus' first EWS this year in Madeira. But this round in in Canada is really going to test his mettle. Day 1 and stage 1 meant racing "Top of the world," one of the longest race runs in mountain biking currently and without coming to this venue before, Fergus did not know how to approach it. Deciding to take it conservatively Fergus came down with no issues but feeling like he could have pushed it further. But with 5 more long, strenuous stages to go, there is no point blowing up now.



All week prior to Crankworx has been 30 degree heat, blue skies and sun, meaning the trails are dry and blown out. All of that was to change coming into day 2. Luckily Fergus is from the UK, so is used to the wet weather, but the locals will definitely have the upper edge on home turf. Fegus was feeling confident on stage 2, enjoying the steep technical terrain. He was nervous for stage three, it was the one he felt weakest on. With a minute pedal in the middle I don't think anyone would look forward to this one, but with no technical issues or crashes he still put in a good time.



Day two involved racking up a whopping 1,396 metres of climbing, but training three times a week and putting in a 30 mile ride to and from work every day is Fergus' way of coping with these big days. You need to be prepared. Feeling at home again on stage 4, bike park and roots made for a real fun ride. Stage 5 was the opposite though, awkward roots with minimal flow had a lot of people cursing it across the line but this was Fergus' best stage of the weekend.




After 6 runs, over 5,000 metres of descending and over an hour of racing, all you can do is check the clock and hope. Exhausted and after putting everything on the line all Fergus can do is wait for the rest of the results to see how the overall fares. But with no crashes and no mechanicals Fergus ended up finishing 93rd overall! Giving him enough points to make the main event at the next round he is entered in at Zermatt, Switzerland. Good work lad!


Big thanks to the Enduro World Series for providing such a great event and everyone for their amazing hospitality.
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