Slip Slidin' Away - Enduro World Series, Valberg

View as: Slideshow | One Page
Justin Leov on the undulating tops of stage three with Chris Ball introducing the Valberg venue. -Sven Martin
Francois near the start of stage three. One of the best trails you could ever ride anywhere. 7km long, 1100m descending and only 5 meters of climbing. -Sven Martin
Sam Hill on stage two, that was unfortunately cancelled due to tomorrow's impending weather. This stage has his name all over it. Flat pedals and a million wet slippery turns. -Sven Martin
Sam Hill roosting and about to foot-out the off-camber before the steep woods on stage six. -Sven Martin
Rocky Mountain's team HQ is about an hour away and they have ridden here plenty before. Florian is one of the favorites for the win this weekend. -Sven Martin
Hats off to this guy who plans to climb over 2600m tomorrow. Nevermind the tight switchbacks. -Sven Martin
Siri, what is the best way to get mud out Cody's hair? -Lee Trumpore
Anita Gehrig on the natural trails of the Valberg region. -Sven Martin
Jerome may be in France but he is far from home. He still looks comfortable on these trails and has raced here before. Stage one glory. -Sven Martin
KrunkShox on the magical stage one. Steep, techy and natural. 3.6KM long with a 620m drop and a ribbon ridgeline with drops off each side. -Sven Martin
Quite a contrast to recent conditions in North America, but Jared Graves is keen to sink his knobs into some fresh French soil. -Lee Trumpore
29er Hillbilly tires comin' at ya! -Lee Trumpore
Marco Osbourne railing ruts and smashing fisheyes. Literally moments later my camera went flying. Stage five. -Sven Martin
Anka Martin weaving through the slot canyons of decomposed shale on Grey Earth, an old favorite of hers from many years of Trans Provence racing. -Sven Martin
Rene the Wildman catching some early morning #lightbro on the top of stage one. -Sven Martin
You know it's epic (and I really mean EPIC) when EWS video squid #2, Chris Seager, sets to film on a spot like this. -Sven Martin
Isabeau looking strong on stage one, trying to ignore the sheer drops off both sides of the trail. -Sven Martin
Yoanne Barelli going crazy over the options. -Sven Martin
This man is no stranger to the area. His house is only an hour away and he already holds the Strava KOM on stage six and a few others in the area. -Sven Martin
It's a bit slick out there. -Lee Trumpore
Matt Stuttard boosting into infinity. -Sven Martin
Tim Flooks discusses the racers' needs here in Valberg. -Sven Martin
Inside or outside, #TurboSveno's moment of indecision. -Lee Trumpore
Martin Maes looks comfortable out here after World Champs and will be looking to take his first EWS win here. -Sven Martin
Elliott Heap missed out on a medal at Junior World Champs when he was looking set for one. He loves climbing and pedaling especially up to stage three he told me. -Sven Martin
Adrien Dailly might still be an under-21 rider but he has the race craft of someone with years of experience. Opting for braking traction rather than the most direct line into the next corner. -Lee Trumpore
With the vast area covered by the race and its wild nature, it's good to have roaming doctors on course. Bruce Thouret knows this area better than most and riders will be in safe hands. Stage one. -Sven Martin
Mike Broderick from USA leads the Masters class. Navigating the slippery balcony section on stage six. -Sven Martin
Damien Oton sliding on Sunday's race stages. -Sven Martin
Wyn Masters on stage six. Greasy off-camber roots everywhere. -Sven Martin
How not to carry an umbrella on your bike. #prayfordunc -Lee Trumpore
Tires, tyres, spikes, spykes, cut spikes, semi-muds? Lots of decisions to be made and thankfully none of them include semi slicks. I like it when enduros call for proper tires. -Sven Martin
Curtis and Jared down the brown snake on stage five. It was all about tire choice for this twisty, steep, slippery trail. Not bad for a bike park trail. Simply stunning. -Sven Martin
Mckay Vezina has steadily moved through the ranks and now sets off with the final thirty Pro Men, who start after the women. It's the same as making the live feed in UCI World Cup DH. -Sven Martin
Katy Winton leaning in with the trees on stage three. -Sven Martin
Iago (not boosting for a change) railing one of the canyons on the super-fun-to-ride stage four. #greyearth -Sven Martin
Remy Absalon sucking it up on Grey Earth. -Sven Martin
Jerome just climbed 1200m to get here. Stage three marathon liaison. -Sven Martin
Because blacksnakes are indigenous to Val di Sole, Marco Osborne and Joe Nation do battle with the brownsnake here in France. -Lee Trumpore
Theo Galy dodging the winds up on the top of Mordor. Stage three. -Sven Martin
Ludo May rides the knife edge line on stage three. -Sven Martin
James Shirley scrubbing like a champ for Radon. -Sven Martin
Scottish rider, Chris Hutchins, is right at home in the sloppy Valberg conditions. -Lee Trumpore
Inside, outside, middle, cross-rutted, foot in, foot out...either way you're still sliding to the same spot. -Lee Trumpore
Matt Stuttard making full use of the greasy catch berm. -Lee Trumpore
"Oh dear, you've fallen a long way from your bike," says Duncan. -Lee Trumpore
Spot the turnbar. -Lee Trumpore
Sam Hill relaxed and composed and ready for the weekend. -Sven Martin
One of the top privateers last year, Meggie Bichard, is entering only her second EWS of the season. -Lee Trumpore
Even with a season full of injury, it would be tough to find a rider who entered more races than Wyn Masters this year. Never offseason. -Lee Trumpore
This lofty roller after a g-out caught out almost everyone as their bikes unweighted and their tires went sideways. -Lee Trumpore
Jerome Clementz. Back in France and punching out practice runs all day. Stay tuned for the race goods! -Lee Trumpore
Intro Graphic
day1intro.png?VersionId=PMEp6vzn2IQxWCAO3w
Description

The 7th round of the 2016 Enduro World Series lands in the south of France for an adventure-heavy two-day event. Originally planned with 8 stages and 2600m of climbing, Stage 2 has been removed due to high exposure and potential for lightning. Regardless, there is a lot of climbing and plenty of fun to be had on the timed descents. Wet conditions have proven tricky during practice and meaty tire choices are on the menu. Sven Martin and Lee Trumpore deliver the roost-filled goods from France.

0 comments

The Latest