La Thuile, Italy: the perfect venue for Rounds 3 and 4 of the Enduro World Series. With trails that are infamous for being steep and rocky, racers and spectators alike were in for a ride. Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) and Jack Moir (Canyon Collective) were neck-and-neck in the overall standings heading into Round 3, adding to the excitement and buzz around the series.
Round 3 started off with a bang on Thursday. Being La Thuile, the daily rain made for mixed track conditions, and riders were puzzling about tire choice. Richie Rude seemed to like the Maxxis Assegai up front with a Shorty in the rear, while Jack Moir would stick with his tried and true Maxxis Assegai and DHR II combo. After a day’s worth of intense racing, Richie would be the one to stand on the top step of the EWS La Thuile Round 3 podium, with Jack Moir slotting into second; only 1.8 seconds back! The insanely close margins between the two have been unbelievable and are making EWS history before our eyes. In the Elite Women’s race, Maxxis athlete Andreane Lanthier Nadeau (Rocky Mountain/Race Face Enduro Team) was able to sneak into third place, while Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) slid into fourth. The U21 Men category saw Jackson Goldstone (Miranda Factory Team) pick up another solid result with third place in a highly competitive field.
After riders rested and scouted the tracks once more on Friday, it was go-time for Round 4 on Saturday, starting with the Pro Stage. Rude would go on to take the Pro Stage in Elite Men and Andreane Lanthier Nadeau won the stage in Elite Women. The very next day, riders tackled four more stages to wrap up the race week and Round 2. Sunday was crazy: lots of fans heckling, massive crashes, tape flying across the course causing frustrations, and everything in-between that an EWS fan could hope for in a race. The results only added to the drama; in Elite Men, Jack Moir took first place and his second-ever EWS win, Rude came in second after some mistakes, and Maxxis athlete Zakarias Johansen (Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team) was third on his first-ever EWS podium. Unfortunately, Elite Women’s Andreane Lanthier Nadeau suffered two huge crashes along with an already hurt ankle and fell all the way off the podium into 26th place. The consistent Morgane Charre ended up in fifth, adding to her impressive overall points allotment.
Maxxis-sponsored teams the Canyon Collective and Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team scored a first and third place on the Team podium, respectively.
We’re currently witnessing some of the tightest mountain bike racing ever – and it stokes us out! Catch the next EWS rounds in Loudenvielle on September 2-5.
