Preview: The Enduro World Series 2014: A Different Game
The Enduro World Series is almost upon us! Coming full circle we shall soon see the world’s elite lining up once again to make their mark in the Chilean dirt. Riders are there now, getting used to the food and heat of the Chilean resort. The banter and camaraderie will be high, but every night talk will switch to the course, the competition and the season ahead. Last year it was about new beginnings and learning, this year the competition is on!
The story began in Punta Ala with enduro’s hope resting on a dream, an idea of uniting the elite and throwing the spotlight onto a world stage. The move was bold and careers hung in the balance, the stage had been set but would anyone watch the show! With the glorious dunking of the first victors in the sea, you could see the relief on the EWS teams faces, the World Series had begun, it was amazing and the global riding community had taken note!
What happened through the rest of the season was electric, the EWS machine worked its way around the globe, bringing incredible photos and stories to the computers of those who never leave home trails. The series stimulated not just a taste for racing, but also weaved a grand adventure, starting in the highest mountain platueas, and with an inevitable conclusion on the shores of the Mediterranean. And then it was over! We had our victors and the party had begun! In just one year enduro took not a stumbling step, but a giant leap into the limelight!
We now have our goal posts: Last year there were no foundations, riders met and raced for the first time and nobody knew who would be victorious. Elite DH racers confidently dipped their toes into enduro and were bitten hard, requiring far more than just savage speed, enduro is a game for tacticians able to carry incredible speed, while knowing when to ease off and play smart. Jerome Clementz and Tracy Moseley were crowned as champions, but everything has changed, the sport has an identity and training is now focused!
The entire elite field will have been training through the cold, dark winter, thinking of nothing but exploding through the rocks of Finale, or powering through Chilean dust. Jared graves will have been putting kilowatts through turbo trainers, and snapping cranks as he prepares to smash into the season. Nico Lau’s performance at Finale Ligure showed the world that on his day he is faster than anyone, he has already faced Jerome last week, was he holding something back? Perhaps Jamie Nicoll will surprise us here, now supported by a big team and with his own personal axe to grind with Chile, he will be faster than ever!
And what of younger riders like Martin Maes, a deserved Junior champion far outclassing his rivals, his only barrier to overall domination was lack of experience, he has that now! In a few days time it will all go on the line, those endless hours training through the winter will hinge on this one race. The season will be exciting, but this first round will be explosive, everyone will want to stamp their authority on the series and show their sponsors and new teams something special.
Words: Trev Worsey
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