Italy welcomes the UCI Enduro World Cup this weekend to the iconic Finale Outdoor Region. An area that has long been synonymous with enduro mountain biking, having hosted the series ever since its inception in 2013. And while Finale has traditionally been the grand finale to the season in later September, this year sees riders take to the lush green hills above the Mediterranean Sea in June for round 3.
World Cup racing kicks off on Saturday when the world’s best enduro riders will descend on Pietra Ligure to tackle its expansive trail network in the mountains high above the Ligurian Sea. With six big stages and over 3000 metres of descending on the menu, riders will have to push hard to keep both body and bike intact on these notoriously technical trails.
In the women’s competition, all eyes will be on series leader Bex Baraona as the British rider leads the standings by just 17 points ahead of France’s Isabeau Courdurier. While Ella Conolly currently rounds out the top three in the overall, she will not be competing this weekend due to injury. One to pay attention to will be local rider Gloria Scarsi as a definite podium threat in front of her home crowd.
In the men’s competition, it’s Baraona’s Yeti/Fox Factory Race teammate Richie Rude who will start the race as the clear favourite. The American rider will be looking to add a fifth Finale podium finish to his roster, but trying hard to stop him will be Australia’s Daniel Booker and Luke Meier-Smith, Jesse Melamed, Jack Moir and a host of others who showed podium form at the first two rounds in Tasmania.
