It's been a long time, but the Enduro World Series (EWS) will return to racing Whistler's iconic trails this weekend. Round four takes place on Canada's most popular trail network for the first time since 2019; with this weekend's race marking the midpoint of the 2022 season. The riders will tackle six major stages, with nearly 3000m of descent over a course of just 40km in total.
EVENT PROGRAM
In the women's race, Isabeau Courdurier leads the standings ahead of the race, but after the horrendous foot injury of the EWS-E Valberg in France last month, the Lapierre Zipp Collective rider is still undecided whether to take the start. This leaves the series overall open for the likes of Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) and Bex Baraona (Yeti / Fox Factory Team), who sit in second and third place respectively.
However, Andreane Lanthier Nadeau (HERE the interview) will be looking to increase the speed for his home crowd and Noga Korem (GT Factory Racing) has climbed to the Whistler podium in the last two races here. Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing) has not yet replicated her winning form from last season, but she remains a constant threat to the podium and is one to watch this weekend.
In the men's race it's hard to bet against series leader Richie Rude (Yeti / Fox Factory Team), who already has two Whistler wins to his credit.
However, hometown hero Jesse Melamed (whose interview you can read HERE) is only 75 points behind him and will be looking not only to repeat his Whistler win in 2017, but also to take the overall lead. However, the men's field has never been more competitive with the likes of Eddie Masters (Pivot Factory Racing), Martin Maes (GT Factory Racing) and reigning champion Jack Moir (Canyon Collective) chasing their first ever victory in the season. In the U21 competition keep an eye on series leaders Luke Meier-Smith (Propain Factory Enduro) and Emmy Lan (Norco Factory Racing), while in the Masters there are Fejola Nestlerova and Ian Austermuhle in the lead. Meanwhile, in the amateur competition, the EWS100 and EWS80 riders will be out on Saturday to tackle some of the same stages as the Pro. The EWS100 riders will tackle five stages, while the EWS80 has four to complete.
If you want to know the complete program of the event, HERE IS THE LINK.
