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July 14, 2024
MTB – EDR – World Cup 2024 – 5 – – Aletsch Arena, Bellwald, Valais, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Enduro is mountain biking’s equivalent of a car rally – each racer faces multiple descents across a day and has to pedal themselves to the top of each.
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July 14, 2024
MTB – EDR – World Cup 2024 – 5 – – Aletsch Arena, Bellwald, Valais, Switzerland 🇨🇭
Enduro is mountain biking’s equivalent of a car rally – each racer faces multiple descents across a day and has to pedal themselves to the top of each. They have a set start time for each stage and the shortest cumulative time on the stages wins!
The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continued this weekend in the third new venue of the 2024 series: the trails of the Aletsch Arena in Bellwald, Valais, Switzerland. Poor weather in Valais pushed the weekend’s action back by a day, so Sunday saw a double-header of brilliant action across the UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Cups, happening on the same day for the first time.
The UCI Enduro World Cup featured five stages totalling 54.5km, including 4,591m of descending and 1,583m of total elevation gain (including liaisons), while the UCI E-enduro event involved a gruelling nine stages totalling 76.3km course with 5,899m descent and 2,677m of total elevation gain (including liaisons).
The Alpine hills of the Aletsch Glacier witnessed a thrilling day of racing and will host the riders once again next year, as the home of the 2025 UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Championships. The inaugural battle for the rainbow stripes across these disciplines takes place in just two months’ time, as the riders will descend on Val di Fassa Trentino, Italy on 14-15 September for the sport’s biggest prizes.
In the Men’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup, Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) continues to hold prime position to defend his 2023 overall title, but the American couldn’t pull off the series win in Valais, coming third. He was 21 seconds behind Jack Moir (YT MOB), who won the final three stages of the five-stage course and came second on the first two to log an impressive win.
Rude’s teammate Slawomir Lukasik bested him to second place, coming in 14 seconds down on Moir and with the teammates sharing the spoils at one stage win each. But Rude still has a 342-point lead over the Pole and the teammates still look poised to make it a Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team one-two at the end of the UCI World Cup. It was another good weekend for Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team, who remain top of the Team Standings.
Speaking after the race, Rude said: “It was tough, I feel like I didn’t perform that great on stages 1 and 4, my legs didn’t feel like they were there. When it went downhill on stage 2, I felt like I was on it, it was a tough day for sure. I wanted to be up there, and I definitely had the confidence to do that but struggled to find the pace on 1 and 4 and Jack (Moir) was just on it all day, so it was hard to keep that pace. But for the overall, this is the perfect place to be.”
Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) had been looking strong at the top of the Women’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup overall standings, but with just one series left to decide the title there’s still time for one of her challengers to spring a surprise.
And that’s what happened in Valais: the 2023 title winner finished third in the Aletsch Arena as Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) inched closer to her in the overall standings by taking victory this weekend, her second of the series.
The Brit won stages 1 and 4, while compatriot Ella Conolly kept the pressure on Courdurier as she pipped her to second place by less than two seconds. The Frenchwoman came in 30 seconds down and now has just a 63-point advantage over Harnden in the overall, while Conolly moves into third another 322 points back.
Speaking after the race, Harden said: “It’s amazing, I can’t believe I actually put it together. A lot of mistakes but obviously it was still really good. One more race left, the overall is super tight so it’s really exciting. I’m just going to be giving it my best for the overall.”
Results WE :
Results ME :
, while the UCI E-enduro event involved a gruelling nine stages totalling 76.3km course with 5,899m descent and 2,677m of total elevation gain (including liaisons).
The Alpine hills of the Aletsch Glacier witnessed a thrilling day of racing and will host the riders once again next year, as the home of the 2025 UCI Enduro and E-enduro World Championships. The inaugural battle for the rainbow stripes across these disciplines takes place in just two months’ time, as the riders will descend on Val di Fassa Trentino, Italy on 14-15 September for the sport’s biggest prizes.
In the Men’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup, Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) continues to hold prime position to defend his 2023 overall title, but the American couldn’t pull off the series win in Valais, coming third. He was 21 seconds behind Jack Moir (YT MOB), who won the final three stages of the five-stage course and came second on the first two to log an impressive win.
Rude’s teammate Slawomir Lukasik bested him to second place, coming in 14 seconds down on Moir and with the teammates sharing the spoils at one stage win each. But Rude still has a 342-point lead over the Pole and the teammates still look poised to make it a Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team one-two at the end of the UCI World Cup. It was another good weekend for Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team, who remain top of the Team Standings.
Speaking after the race, Rude said: “It was tough, I feel like I didn’t perform that great on stages 1 and 4, my legs didn’t feel like they were there. When it went downhill on stage 2, I felt like I was on it, it was a tough day for sure. I wanted to be up there, and I definitely had the confidence to do that but struggled to find the pace on 1 and 4 and Jack (Moir) was just on it all day, so it was hard to keep that pace. But for the overall, this is the perfect place to be.”
Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) had been looking strong at the top of the Women’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup overall standings, but with just one series left to decide the title there’s still time for one of her challengers to spring a surprise.
And that’s what happened in Valais: the 2023 title winner finished third in the Aletsch Arena as Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) inched closer to her in the overall standings by taking victory this weekend, her second of the series.
The Brit won stages 1 and 4, while compatriot Ella Conolly kept the pressure on Courdurier as she pipped her to second place by less than two seconds. The Frenchwoman came in 30 seconds down and now has just a 63-point advantage over Harnden in the overall, while Conolly moves into third another 322 points back.
Speaking after the race, Harden said: “It’s amazing, I can’t believe I actually put it together. A lot of mistakes but obviously it was still really good. One more race left, the overall is super tight so it’s really exciting. I’m just going to be giving it my best for the overall.”
<strong>Results WE : </strong>
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<strong>Results ME : </strong>
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