VERMONT KICKS OFF BACK-TO-BACK ENDURO WORLD SERIES EVENTS IN EASTERN U.S.

EWS NEWS RELEASE:

With the roar of the Whistler crowd still ringing in the ears, the Enduro World Series (EWS) moves south into the USA for back-to-back rounds over the next two weekends in the Eastern states of Vermont and Maine.

And it’s the Vermont ski town of Burke that plays host to this weekend’s fifth round of the 2022 EWS. (Aug 13/14)

The East Coast venue is new to the series but is already a well-known riding destination in the States and it is sure to rack up a legion of new fans when the field of international riders get to experience its fast, fun trails.

Harriet Harnden, on her way to her third EWS win in Whistler last weekend. Photo courtesy of Enduro World Series

Britain’s Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing) will come into Burke with huge confidence after taking the win in the EWS women’s race in Whistler and Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team rider Jesse Melamed will be hoping to capitalize on the form that led him to such an emotional hometown victory in Canada.

But it won’t be easy for either Hattie or Jesse. The women’s series leader Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) is getting stronger by the day. The French star rode to an incredible fourth place on Whistler’s hugely challenging course, despite the significant pain she was in from a horrific foot injury suffered just four weeks before at the EWS-E in Valberg. Will another week’s recovery be enough to let Courdurier challenge for the win?

New Englander Richie Rude will have the home-field advantage this weekend in Vermont. Photo courtesy of Enduro World Series

And in the men’s race, the home advantage that spurred Jesse on to take not just the win, but also the series lead last weekend, will swing back towards the USA’s Richie Rude (Yeti Fox/Factory Team). Richie lives just four hours away in Connecticut and there’s a track at Burke named after him. ‘Rude Awakening’ will be the start of stage five on Sunday. Richie, who suffered the disappointment and heartbreak of a blowout on the final stage in Whistler last weekend, will be hungry to make amends in front of what’s sure to be a hugely-supportive home crowd.

The loamy tree-lined tracks in Burke are sure to offer some exciting and tight racing. After the rocky slabs and general gnar of the iconic Canadian venue last weekend, Burke looks set to be a higher-speed prospect. The tracks offer a mixture of established but loamy singletrack threading through the mountain’s pine and birch forest, peppered with technical, often slippery, rock features plus some foot-out, fresh, grassy corners.

EWS racing starts on Saturday at midday local time (UTC-4) with the Pro Stage. Then on Sunday, racers will run the remaining five stages between 9 am and 4:45 pm.

The EWS100 riders will start at 10:15 am on Saturday and the EWS80s at 12:15pm.