Pietra Ligure provided a great weekend of flat-out and dusty racing as riders took on the fast, loose, and chunky Italian trails. The third stop of the 2023 Enduro World Cup saw plenty of interesting results, with some fresh faces achieving their best results alongside riders opting for smaller travel bikes to master the unique challenge of the Finale Outdoor Region. Here are a few of the things we spotted from the third Enduro World Cup.
Fresh Faces at the Top
In past seasons of EWS racing the results often become a predictable group of the same faces and names featuring every race weekend on the podium. But this season it seems there has been quite a shakeup in the results as frequently we are seeing the usual suspects joined by some fresh talent showing they have the speed to match the long-standing top riders. This past weekend in Pietra Ligure we saw Rhys Verner take another career-best result as he took home the silver medal after he previously secured fourth place at the opening round of the season in Maydena.
Rhys was not the only Elite Male rider to have one of their best results as Alex Rudeu secured his second-ever podium finish alongside Dimitri Tordo and Charlie Murray breaking into the top five. In the Elite Women’s race we saw some similar results as fitting around the fast French rider of Morgane Charre, Isabeua Courdurier and Mélanie Pugin we had Gloria Scarsi going 2nd and Rapahaela Richter taking fourth.
It’s great to see more riders getting on the podium and it only makes enduro more exciting to pay attention to as the results hopefully become less predictable.
A Good Weekend for Trail Bikes
While we have been seeing the trend of enduro bikes getting bigger over the years with burlier forks and more travel, Pietra Ligure threw an interesting challenge for riders as the tight and technical trails led some of the riders to opt for smaller and lighter trail bikes to master the Italian tech.
The gamble seems to have paid off for some as we saw Rhys Verner take the new Forbidden Druid to 2nd place in the Elite Men’s race, with Emmy Lan piloting the same bike to the U21 Women’s win. The high pivot Druid wasn’t the only trail bike causing an upset in Finale as Charlie Murray opted to ride a Specialized Stumpjumper EVO with a RockShox Lyrik fork to fifth place, and Dimitri Tordo didn’t join Jesse Melamed on switching to the 170mm Canyon Strive, instead rallying the 160mm Spectral to fourth.
The Elite Women’s Race Almost Saw a Winner Not from France or the UK
Since the EWS began back in 2013 we have not yet seen an Elite Women’s race won by any country except France or the UK. This past weekend in Italy we saw Gloria Scarsi join a very exclusive club of riders who have denied a rider from France and the UK a 2nd place finish. Looking back at the data from past Enduro World Cup and EWS races there have been 20 races ending with a rider outside of France or the UK in 3rd, but there are only ten races with riders outside of these countries coming in 2nd. Looking at the 2nd place data, only the 2016, 17 and 19 seasons of the EWS saw this happen with six races in 2019 seeing a non-French/British rider in 2nd.
Andreane Lanthier Nadeau currently tops the list of riders achieving this feat with three 2nd places although she is closely followed by Noga Korem who is the only other rider to achieve this more than once. Gloria Scarsi will join the group of six riders who all have one 2nd place Elite finish. It’s taken almost four years but it is great to see some variation at the top of the women’s field, hopefully, things will continue to be shaken up and we progress through the season.
The Future is Bright for Canadian Enduro Racing
What a weekend for Canadian racers. The dusty Italian trails may not be the first place you would think a Canadian racer would perform best, but Pietra Ligure saw the Canadian racers rival the normally dominant French riders to take home two wins alongside multiple podium results. Not only did we see Canadian riders Jesse Melamed and Rhys Verner take the top two spots in the Elite Men’s racing but the future is looking good as Emmy Lan secured first in the U21 Women’s racing with Elly Hoskin in 3rd and Lily Boucher coming home in 6th place. Once these riders begin moving into Elite, Canada could be a formidable country for women’s enduro racing and maybe topple the domination of the UK and French women.
