Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) and Luke Meier-Smith of the Giant Factory Off-Road Team won the inaugural round of the renewed UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup.
Courdurier of France has shown the consistency and form that has already earned her 2 EWS titles. She is definitely the athlete to beat this year.


And Meier-Smith demonstrated what good he had done among the U21s by winning in his 1st year among the Elites. Star of DH but also of Enduro.
THE PATH
The tough six-stage race that opened the proceedings took place in the beautiful Tasmanian eucalyptus trees high above the Derwent Valley and saw the riders cover around 54km, climb more than 1.200m and descend nearly 3.000m.
WOMEN RACE
Courdurier started the day with a win but was pushed to the limit by the UCI World Champion Downhill in charge Valentina Höll, who would win the next two stages with a demonstration of immense class. Too bad though that in PS3, Höll crashes and loses her rhythm, while Courdurier continued to spin her own pace.


Behind them the perky Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) and Ella Conolly (Cannondale Enduro Team), not too far away and certainly ready, already from the next round, to take the victory.


MEN'S RACE
In the men's race, it was a Tasmanian local, Nukeproof SRAM Factory Racing's Dan Booker, who won the first stage, but a very strong Meier-Smith, reigning Australian DH Champion, finished second and would go on to win three stages later. never leaving the top 4.

However, Booker did not give up a meter and finished with an unexpected second place just 5 seconds from Meier-Smith's stratospheric pace.


Another Australian star of the downhill, Connor Fearon of the Forbidden Synthesis team, finished on the podium at his home race. Defending champion Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) didn't have his best day: wild card and a crash in the third stage, relegated him to 19th place (see the video).
Team of the day was Forbidden Synthesis with Giant Factory Off-Road second and Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team third.


ITALIANS IN THE RACE
In the men's field, Tommaso Francardo (Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory) finished in 48th place,
Thank you all for the messages, here in Maydena I haven't found the right mentality to do what I like that's what I forgot and that it's really nice to ride a bike and we have to have more fun on the bike, I close P 48 collecting too many coins but the sensations are there and I know that in derby I will find the right feeling and the right mentality ‼️– Thomas Francardo
Mirco Vendemmia (Weride Fulgur Factory) is 56th while, in the women's field, Gloria Scarsi is 17th.


The UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup stays in Tasmania for round two, returning to the inimitable trails of the Derby next weekend (31 March – 1 April).
MEN'S ELITE RANKING
1 | MEIER-SMITH Luke GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM – EDR | 28:55.210 + 00: 00.000 |
2 | BOOKER Daniel NUKEPROOF SRAM FACTORY RACING | 29:01.040 + 00: 05.830 |
3 | FEARON Connor FORBIDDEN SYNTHESIS TEAM | 29:14.450 + 00: 19.240 |
4 | VERNER Rhys FORBIDDEN SYNTHESIS TEAM | 29:19.780 + 00: 24.570 |
5 | BROSNAN Troy CANYON CLLCTV FACTORY TEAM | 29:21.920 + 00: 26.710 |
6 | GILCHRIST Ryan YETI / FOX FACTORY RACE TEAM | 29:28.920 + 00: 33.710 |
7 | RUDE JR Richard YETI / FOX FACTORY RACE TEAM | 29:30.280 + 00: 35.070 |
8 | MASTERS Edward PIVOT FACTORY RACING | 29:40.300 + 00: 45.090 |
9 | DENIAUD Youn GIANT FACTORY OFF-ROAD TEAM – EDR | 29:43.860 + 00: 48.650 |
10 | JOHANSEN Zakarias IBIS ENDURO TEAM | 29:46.710 + 00: 51.500 |
FEMALE ELITE RANKING
1 | COURDURIER Isabeau LAPIERRE ZIPP COLLECTIVE | 33:15.930 + 00: 00.000 |
2 | CHARRE Morgane PIVOT FACTORY RACING | 33:25.510 + 00: 09.580 |
3 | CONOLLY She CANNONDALE ENDURO TEAM | 33:53.650 + 00: 37.720 |
4 | BARAONA Rebekah YETI / FOX FACTORY RACE TEAM | 33:56.010 + 00: 40.080 |
5 | HARNDEN Harriet TREK FACTORY RACING GRAVITY | 33:59.530 + 00: 43.600 |
6 | MORRISONRae LIV RACING ENDURO | 34:02.390 + 00: 46.460 |
7 | WEATHERLY Kate | 34:15.730 + 00: 59.800 |
8 | PUGIN Melanie WERIDE FULGUR FACTORY TEAM | 34:22.850 + 01: 06.920 |
9 | KOREM Noga GT CONTINENTAL FACTORY RACING | 34:23.180 + 01: 07.250 |
10 | HOLL Valentina | 34:34.750 + 01: 18.820 |
WOMEN U21
The U21 women's category saw a victory for Canadian Emmy Lan (Forbidden Synthesis Team) who chose the final stage to overtake Erice Van Leuven (Commencal Les Orres) after the New Zealander had been leading all day. Canada's Elly Hoskin finished third. The Italian Sophie Riva closes in 6th place.

WOMEN'S U23 results
MEN'S U21
The U21 men saw a win for Tasmanian local Sascha Kim who took three stage wins. Giant Factory Off-Road Team's Remy Meier-Smith finished second after also taking three stage wins and Will Hynes in third took another All-Australian podium finish.

MEN'S U23 STANDINGS
