Team USA on Top at EWS Trophy of Nations
Riding Maxxis tires, Team USA prevailed at the Bluegrass Trophy of Nations powered by SRAM, the newest event on the Enduro World Series calendar. Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Racing), Shawn Neer ((Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Racing), and Cody Kelley won the Men’s Pro race after competing against teams from 23 other countries. The race, held September 29 in Finale Ligure, Liguria, Italy, was the first to be UCI-sanctioned in the history of the sport.
Rude, Neer, and Kelley dominated the five-stage race from start to finish. They were joined on the podium by fellow Maxxis-sponsored riders Robin Wallner (Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team) of the second-place Team Sweden and Jesse Melamed (Rocky Mountain/Race Face Enduro Team), Remi Gauvin (Rocky Mountain/Race Face Enduro Team) and Rhys Verner (Kona Factory Racing) of third-place Team Canada.
In the women’s race, Bex Baraona (Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team) and Becky Cook (Orbea Enduro Team) of Team Great Britain made the podium in second place. Team Canada’s Miranda Miller (Kona Factory Racing) and Andreane Lanthier Nadeau (Rocky Mountain/Race Face Enduro Team) took third place after a steady performance throughout the race. Anna Newkirk made the Women’s U21 podium when Team USA took second place in the class.
Enduro World Series Director Chris Ball said: “What an incredible weekend of sport. It’s been amazing to see the riders embrace the team format and work together, and to see the winning teams on the podium wearing those jerseys and medals. It marks the start of a very exciting new event to the EWS calendar.”