Friday 10 June
A handful of die-hard Enduro mountain biking fans, who had been eagerly awaiting the event for the past few months, descended on Les Moussières, at the heart of the Haut-Jura regional natural park. Just like last year participants enjoyed an all-inclusive package from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with accommodation, meals, snacks and shuttles provided, plus a welcome gift (JULBO mountain biking goggles, no less) thrown in for good measure.
All that the riders had to worry about was the weather forecast.
Saturday 11 June
The first day began in the pouring rain. Six different stages were on the cards for today. The participants really threw themselves into each route despite the tracks becoming slippier by the minute. Mindful of keeping safety a top priority, organisers were forced to cancel the day’s penultimate stage.
The scratch races followed the same format as the Enduro World Series. Although not his terrain of choice, southerner Damien Oton bagged four out of five scratches and finished the day on top. Behind him, Jérôme Clementz and Rémy Absalon made up the rest of the overnight leaders. In the women’s category the gauntlet was thrown down by sisters Anita and Carolin Gehrig and Mélanie Pugin, a rider from the Franche- Comté region.
After a busy first day the participants met up for a fun, relaxed evening of entertainment. Their bodies had a bit of time to recover during the popular “skinny” event, followed by a hearty meal during which the best photos and a video summary of the day were shown. Saturday drew to a close with a barrel of laughs thanks to what has become a bit of a tradition: a one-man show put on by one of our volunteers.
Sunday 13 June
The riders were ready and raring to go for another epic day of cycling, with three long, physical and technical stages. Despite the rain, which refused to budge, the Jura’s trails did not disappoint.
Sunday’s final stages played out like a true finale and were a resounding success among all of the riders, who were completely won over by the incredible trails.
First place saw a closely-fought battle between Damien Oton and Jérôme Clementz. In the end it was Damien who claimed victory in the second ever Enduro Jura by Julbo, crossing the line a mere five seconds ahead of his opponent after more than 50 minutes of racing. Incredible! Vosges native Rémy Absalon completed the podium line-up.
In the women’s event, Mélanie Pugin came out victorious after a weekend that very much went her way against the Swiss Anita and Carolin Gehrig. In the “Masters” category the fantastic Vincent Haulet took home the prize.
Given the standing ovation received by François Bailly-Maître and his team, it is clear that the Enduro Jura by Julbo has established itself as one of the unmissable events on the calendar and fully lived up to what it promised.
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Words & Photos: Enduro Jura
