Photo Report: EWS Scotland puts on the greatest show!
02.06.2014
by
As Tracy Moseley hosed down the excited kids with champagne, this topped off the incredible weekend!
The racing is over, the expo has been broken down and racers, industry types and media have descended on the quiet town of Peebles to paint the town red and let off some steam! There will be some sore heads this morning for sure, but also, as the excitement fades and the hangovers creep in, a sense of progress in our sport. Everyone is in complete agreement, the organisation has been second to none, the stages were incredible, and the expo was the greatest ever seen in the Enduro World Series!
There is no doubt that Scotland has been the perfect host! But that is not all, Scotland has pushed the EWS even further that expected, never before has the series been so well connected to the community, inspiring local children and uniting riders, racers and spectators alike. As children waited until the last rider returned, cheering and ‘high-fiving’ until the very last, pockets full of stickers and covered in signatures, you could see what this event had brought to community! ‘Chapeau’ Tweedlove, you did not only bring us a worthy World Series, but when it comes to bringing enduro to the people, you have raised the bar!
Many sticker books will have been filled this weekend!An event of this scale has never before been seen in the valley!Is this a future enduro world champion? After the Tweedlove EWS, there are many that want to be!Scotland, would it be able to deliver a world class event? I think this picture says it all!After the event moves off, it will live on in the aspirations of the bike mad community!Tracy found her race winning form in front of her home nation! Winning all of the stages and taking the overall by a good margin!Everyone thought that Nico Lau would be strong here, and he rode to a decisive victory!But wildcards also shone here too, WC DH racer Ruaridh Cunningham, took a stage win on his EWS debut!The stages were long and tough! Truly world class!Joe Barnes took an amazing 3rd place and became the first ever British Male to stand on an EWS podium!Jared Graves could not find the pace he was looking for this weekend, but is sure to come back even stronger!And what about the weather! Good fortune provided 3 beautiful days of sunshine for the race!
Expecting rain, some of the media had to come up with creative ways to express the true Scottish experience.Jerome Clementz was there to show his support to his girlfriend, Pauline.Local legend, WTB Enduro Team rider Gary Forrest took an amazing 10th place overall!Another local favourite, Katy Winton also took 10th. The home crowd were delighted!Steve Peat was there all weekend, racing, signing autographs and keeping the party going!Cedric brought his enthusiastic banter everywhere he went, but met his match with some of the locals!The racing was ‘full gas’ all weekend!Spectators lined the stages, with the action just centimeters away!Alpine Bikes were on hand the entire weekend helping with mechanicals and providing free support!”The racing was intense, fierce, tough, challenging and certainly world class!Tracy has raced here for many years and her experience and incredible speed proved too much to match!For the entire weekend, racers had to content with tight, tree lined passages! Distaster was only a few centimeters away!This was a unique riding experience for many of the international racers who had, until now, only heard tales of the highly technical trails!The stages took the very fittest racers to the edge of their limit, and pushed many right over!There were crashes, but even those that went down could not be kept from the action!Managing both body and bike was also important, with over 40 minutes of timed stages it was a challenge!The battle was fought in many locations, from the high moorland expanses, to super tight forest trails!
Transitions were tight but achievable and all were in agreement they they were spot on!Fully pinned with a long way to go!It was rare to stay on the bike for the entire race, most riders went to the dirt at least once, some went down much more!Racers were all in agreement! Scotland rocks!The local community was out in force to see the racers home!Every stage brought a different feel to the race! This is what enduro is all about, showcasing a region!This was a race that was dominated by local heroes! Pivot/Morvelo rider Katy Winton held on to 10th place! Marking a fantastic return from injury!Scotland has left the rest of the series with work to do!The top spots have been changing all weekend! With a highly varied course no rider could dominate!And then it was over, times were checked, some were elated, and some were dissapointed!Scotland has brought new riders to the podium, what will the rest of the season bring?This is how an enduro podium ceremony should look!Unable to compete for the win, Jerome Clementz receives an unexpected bonus, a birthday cake and 600 strong ‘happy birthday’ serenade!As Nico dons his prized Tweed Jacket and takes the top step, the EWS and Tweedlove can celebrate an incredible weekend!Racing is over, it is now time for the party!This is why we race!With the music playing and the crowd jumping, Scotland showed that it knows how to throw a party!
The Focus Trail Team take some time out to enjoy the moment!Nico relaxes after an important win!If one image could define Tweedloves success, surely this is it!
Photos: Matt Wragg, Trev Worsey and Chris Leakey
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