Cycling: The fourth round of the Enduro World Series is on the racing calendar for the coming weekend. This time the enduro elite is heading to La Thuile in the Italian Alps.
Enduro cannot be missing in Italy. As the motherland of the discipline, La Thuile in the Aosta Valley is the first Italian stop of the series. Since the beginning of the week, the drivers have been able to walk through the individual stages and memorize the key points of the six stages. From Friday the drivers are then allowed to practice the stages until the first three timed stages on Saturday.
There will be six stages in total, which will be divided equally between the two days of racing. While on Saturday the trails super kappa, Mines and Piloni alto be driven, wait on Sunday super kappa, the Piloni basso and mill on the drivers. The riders will have to climb 4700 meters in altitude and cover a distance of 37 kilometers - partly with the lift, partly on their own.
Valentina Macheda and Manuel Ducci give us a sneak peek of what's in store for riders at La Thuile.
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The race for the title remains as exciting as ever. The fact that there were three different winners in three races is a thrill, especially for the men. Halfway through the season, it's difficult to pick a clear favourite. Nico Lau and Jared Graves are hot for the title after Jerome Clementz's exit. However, the race in Valloire a few weeks ago showed that Justin Leov is also a guarantee for fast times. He lost his lead due to a flat tire and had to cede victory to Graves, who now leads the overall standings with 1300 points. He is followed by Justin Leov with 1170 points and Damien Oton with 1160 points.
However, Nico Lau and Florian Nicolai are not far behind with 1040 points each and so every mistake and every defect can decide between victory and defeat.
But Rene Wildhaber should also be on the list of contenders for the podium. With a good race in Valloire and victory in the European Enduro Series in Flims, his form is showing a strong improvement.
Here is the overall standings for the men.
Even with the women, the last word has not yet been spoken. Tracy Moseley and Anne-Caroline Chausson battle it out for victory. It is currently 2-1 to Moseley, but only 50 points separate the two fastest women. If Chausson wins ahead of Moseley, they equalize again and it would be a tie for the Colorado Freeride Festival. Cecile Ravanel will have to assert herself against a strong Anneke Beerten. At 10 points, the gap between third and fourth place could not be closer.
Here is the overall standings for women.