The regulation is clear: if you are part of the first 30 places in the ranking (see the FCI ranking page), you cannot go to a regional competition if there is a national competition at the same time.
Too bad that the ranking unconditionally includes all categories: from beginners to Elite, with a single score. A rule that has various obscure points, first of all the equating a Rookie to an Elite.
In a nutshell: if there is a national competition in Lombardy and, concurrently, there is a regional competition in Puglia, if you are a rookie athlete from Puglia (13 years old) in the top 30 of the ranking, you must give up your home competition. Let's say that this rule can be applied to a professional environment such as the one on the road or at the highest levels of the cross country, applying it in enduro is still a bit immature.
The TES was in conjunction with the 4enduro of Coggiola and therefore there were various athletes (in the top 30 of the ranking) forced to run outside the results, such as Vittorio Palmieri (winner of this same stage in 2019) and Nadine Ellecosta, both of the Abetone Ancillotti Team, because having run a few enduro races in Italy Top Class they have gained points. Palmieri and Ellecosta still ran with excellent times: Palmieri would have finished in the 5 while Ellecosta would have won among the women.
RACE REPORT TES ELBA
Below are the names that cannot, at the moment, participate in regional competitions if there is a national team at the same time (Tommaso Francardo is in 36th place, this is why he was able to participate in the Elba competition: on the other hand he did not acquire points Top Class because it was at the start of the EWS in Tasmania, which do not score nationally).
FCI TOP CLASS RANKING APRIL 2023
Some young Juniores and Beginners also paid the price, who were unable to leave due to this rule. Perhaps the most serious thing is the fact of having implemented this rule without adapting the federal system of the K factor, allowing these athletes to register, organize their trip (hotel and ferry) and then be blocked at card control.
The fact remains that, by skipping this race, these athletes will lose important points in the Tuscan classification and will probably no longer be able to compete for victory. An aspect not to be underestimated for an U18 athlete who could see one of his seasonal goals in the Toscano Enduro Series.
I sincerely think that everyone should be free to do the races they want without constraints, especially in a still niche sport like enduro. We are sure that after this bad experience, the Federation will get to work to improve this part of the regulation which, in our opinion, has some points to review. Happy MTB everyone.
