Cycling: Four out of seven races have now been completed - the Enduro World Series is making great strides and it remains as exciting as on the first day. There was no clear favorite in La Thuile either, so Damien Oton clinched victory with a consistent drive.
It should have been a race in the shadow of the great Mont Blanc. La Thuile was the first stop of the Enduro World Series on Italian soil and offered a lot of variety. In addition to alpine trails, slippery trails through the forest also had to be mastered. The fact that the weather was just as varied didn't necessarily make it easier for the drivers. Snow, rain, sunshine - Pedrus didn't mean well with the Enduro Elite.
Damien Oton started the race unfazed by all this. The fast Frenchman had already impressed with a consistent performance in Valloire and started in La Thuile with best times on stages one and two. Already after the first stage he had a lead of eight seconds. Going into the third and final stage on Saturday, it looked like he could complete the hat-trick. With an extremely good intermediate time, he turned into the finish area, but fell in the last corner and lost more than 20 seconds to Rene Wildhaber, who won the stage and thus also took over the overall ranking.
The driving level was unbelievable that day. In contrast to Valloire, there were only a few defects and so the drivers always had to push themselves to the limit. Consistent performance was not rewarded here. Jared Graves finished in the top 10 on all three stages and just missed the best time on stage three, but he didn't manage to catch up with the top 3.
Among the women, Tracy Moseley, Anne-Caroline Chausson and Cecil Ravanel exchanged blows. All three were able to win a stage and they were only separated by a few seconds after the first day. Ravanel was able to keep up with Moseley and Chausson for the first time and was second after the first day of racing behind Anne-Caroline Chausson, who shrunk XNUMX seconds from her competitors on stage three.
Day two started with a best time from Joe Barnes. The Canyon Factory team rider wasn't usually competitive in alpine terrain, but La Thuile seemed to suit him. Already on the first three stages he achieved consistent top 6 results. With his stage win on stage four, he moved up the rankings. Meanwhile, Damien Oton regained the lead while Wildhaber finished sixth.
Martin Maes and Jared Graves secured the last two stages. Both drove solid races but didn't manage to catch up with the leading group. Damien Oton defended his lead on stages five and six and secured victory ahead of Bailly-Maitre after a driving time of 1:11:38 hours. Scotsman Joe Barnes was able to take third place and thus secure his second EWS podium.
result of the gentlemen
Thus there is already the fourth winner in the men's classification. Considering the dominance of Jerome Clementz and Jared Graves over the past year reflects how much the level has risen over the winter. The smallest mistakes are punished with great loss of time. The overall rating, however, looks unchanged. Jared Graves continues to lead the standings but has lost some ground and is now being chased by Damien Oton.
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Cecil Ravanel didn't manage to keep everything together. Shortly after starting on stage four, she fell on the slippery stones and couldn't find her rhythm. Meanwhile, Tracy Moseley drove an impressive race. With a lead of more than 40 seconds on stage four, she took the lead from Chausson and never relinquished it. Her third win means a big lead in the Enduro World Series standings. Anne-Caroline Chausson was second ahead of Ravanel and Anneke Beerten from the Netherlands.
result of women
The next stop of the Enduro World Series takes the field of riders to North America for the first time this year. The Colorado Freeride Festival is the venue for the fifth round and will bring a welcome change. In contrast to the European routes, the trails in Colorado are very jump-heavy. Jared Garves was able to win here last year. When it comes to women, it is important to pay particular attention to Anneke Beerten. According to her own statement, she likes this type of trail and will do everything to exploit her advantages.