EWS 2016 - Here We Go!!!

Looks like the Enduro World Series kicks off this weekend. I LOVE this series. Great riding by up and comers and veterans of the sport. Everything I love in mountain biking - endure the climbs to bomb the descents. Before you all begin bitching about "the coverage sucks" please understand you do not have to have same-day, top-to-bottom course coverage to witness exciting racing.

Can Richie Rude match last year's exploits? Will a healthy Jared Graves on his new (gasp) Speshy return to the top of the game? Will Jerome Clementz regain the form he once had as the man to beat? Or will one of the others make good on their promising finishes (Martin Maes, Josh Carlson, etc). Who will rise in the women's ranks now that Moseley is gone?

Here we go!

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/ews-2016-season-teaser-video.html

 

I don't know how to consume Enduro racing without having the spoilers front and center. For me, much of the fun of watching any competition is not knowing who won before I actually watch it. Last year, all I could find was 2-5 min clips in the weeks following the event, not even same day/same weekend. By then, I had accidentally tripped over the winners (boo!). I want to consume it in an enjoyable way for me (30-90min w/o tripping over spoilers in the beginning), and I'm not having a lot of luck .

For me, the most interesting thing about the EWS this year will actually be on the women's scene. It is a free for all. Tracey Mosley has dominated for years and retired last season. Her only real notable competitor (Anne Chausson) got injured during the season last year and I believe I read she is still injured at the start of this season. So that field is WIDE open.

 

Ritchie Rude is a beast! Naturally all my hope a dreams are with Ritchie the Turquoise Terminator!

 

Unlike cougar, I don't care who wins or if i know it. What I find exciting is watching highlights and videos of the races, and the skill.
Unfortunately, all that was available for consumption were 3-5 minutes ads with no real riding.

So unless they put up live or filmed riding at length, I won't be interested.
Let's hope that changes this year.

Just my 2cents, and it's barely with that.

 

Perhaps the most exciting way to view EWS races without knowing the full results is to go to Pinkbike or VitalMTB throughout the actual race weekend and look for links to the action. They typically put up slide shows or video snippets of the stories that are unfolding, and you can get a stage-by-stage sense of how things are going. There are also links to live timing sites that you could check periodically to see how things are going.

After the races, manufacturers start rolling out their stories via video clips, and that gives the viewer an understanding of what the riding and riders looked like. Yes, they are ads for Canyon, Yeti, Specialized, Mondraker or whatnot, but basically they just show great riding and awesome courses.

And, since all of that sounds like way too much investment for most of the relatively uninterested riders on IMTB, I will attempt to drum up interest by cross posting things to this thread. I am here for you, people.

 

Herz, it's an interesting and exciting race. And id love to watch it and follow it.
Just horrible coverage.

That is all.

 

Ditto

 

I doubt anyone will ever put video cameras all the way down one of these stages, much less 5 or 6 of them.

So, for those who don't need video to think bike riding is cool...

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/practice-ews-2016-round-one-chile.html

I have to admit, I have always been a Rude fan, and a Graves fan, but I hate Specialized (the company - not the bikes) so I find myself rooting against Jared. That, my friends, is just plain wrong.

Go Dick!

However, I predict someone other than those two winning the weekend. Going way out on a limb on that one, 'eh?

 

That was almost better than video... Almost. Thanks for keeping us informed!

 

And here's an official introductory video that introduces the viewer to this year's venues and the top riders. And yes, there is competitive bike riding in this video. Consider me your filter so you don't have to go to the trouble of going directly to Pinkbike and wading through all their stories.

I can't embed their videos, so all I can do is provide the link.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/whats-to-come-ews-round-one-chile-video-2016.html

Here's a slideshow that will give you more insight, and has some pretty pictures of people riding bikes.

http://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/feat...orral-Chile-Action,9944/Slideshow,0/sspomer,2

 

No coverage is not horrible coverage. Horrible coverage is what they tried to do at Whistler over the past two years when they showed riders on the last stage for about 15-20 seconds each, and had insipid commentary going on while the "action" was taking place. I'd rather they didn't cover it "live" at all than try to suffer through the fake drama, stupid commentary and tedious video segments into the finish line. (Although I have to admit, it was pretty exciting to watch Rude smash everyone).

 

hahaha...
I stand corrected!

Thanks for the links, enjoyed perusing the photos and comments.

 

Seems tailor made for an action sports or POV camera brand to do a webcast. Nikon is breaking into the POV space...

The WSL webcasts are incredible. (Surfing tour) and they have to deal with stops and starts based on changing conditions, and incredibly remote Third World venues. Not sure why in Rnduro isn't following the same track. The WSL is basically funded by a sugar daddy right now. I would think there would be some sugar daddies wanting to fund the Enduro series.

 

The surf breaks are often in remote locations, but once they pick a break, the action stays there. Enduro races are run on 3-6 different stages of 1-9 miles in length. Definitely a different logistical challenge. POV cameras could do a lot, but how about a "collective" of all of the different videographers lining all of the courses? A Wiki-Video!

 

A video overview of the race, and a POV ride down stage 2. Not quite Claudio, but who is?

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/track-preview-ews-round-one-chile-2017-video.html

BTW - 9000' of climbing in the race (untimed) and 9000' ft. during training. YIKES!


Todays' results in photos. Sounds like tight action, as always. And a forest fire.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/race-day-one-ews-2016-round-one-chile.html

'Murica!!!

 

Done and done.

Thanks! I liked the intro video

 

It would be Rude of me not to share...

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/race-day-two-ews-2016-round-one-chile.html

And a little taste of how they ride...

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/flash-fires-ews-round-1-chile-one-minute-video-2016.html

 

OK - as promised. Here is a 22 minute video with plenty of riding, interesting stories and interviews, and Richie Rude screwing around throwing a street 180 in the background at the end. Anneke Beerten had a great weekend, and she is basically a SoCal local (she's been here for years, and you can hear it in her accent and vocabulary). She is actually Dutch, and as such, she makes sure she is first in line for beer!

Fun fact - the top two men's ages combined do not equal Nico Vouilloz, who finished third. Go old man! Put those ten DH World Championships to work on these youngsters!

I believe they had to climb over 9000' over four days, including training runs and the race -pretty good for gravity riders!

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/storie...-the-sea-ews-rd-1-chile-highlights-video.html

 

That looks like a fun course with just enough tech to keep you on your toes! .... not that I would go down it nearly as fast as those guys/gals will be doing this weekend!

 

Race #2 in Bariloche, Argentina. Normally, I lust for the trails of the EWS. Not these. You can have your foot deep brown pow!

Shows just how talented the #1 rider is - to handle these conditions with just as much domination as Whistler's or Europe's loam and rocks.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Day-One-EWS-2016-Round-Two-Bariloche.html

 

Ya, that doesn't look that fun to ride in.

 

Short glimpse of the action. Looks - uhhhh, challenging!

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/dust-clouds-huge-crowds-ews-rd2-cerro-catedral-in-one-minute-video.html

Sam Blenkinsop is throwing down at 5 EWS and 7 World Cup DHs this year. He had a spectacular weekend at Bariloche, despite finishing 42nd on stage 2. What do Sam and Richie Rude have in common? Wins on Yeti. (Sam went to LaPierre, then Norco. He hasn't won since leaving Yeti, but he's very close.).

 

Well worth the 18 minutes. Great riding, good information. Personalities coming through.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/dust-tornado-ews-round-two-bariloche-highlights-2016.html

And you better watch it, because turns out, this was my 3000th post. Yay me!

 

Thanks @herzalot !!

 

And we're back...

Here's a great preview of today's race in Ireland. 7 stages in one day with no uplift assist (riders must pedal up to all of the stages). Rootin' for Rude of course, but wouldn't mind seeing Graves have a great day or Maes get his well-deserved first win. Or maybe Nico winning one for the old guys. The courses look quite pedally, so I'm not sure why Sam Hill is racing there. Training?

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/the-calm-before-the-crowds-ews-rd-3-track-preview-video-2016.html

 

OK, well I guess I was way wrong about Sam Hill. And Mr. Rude won 5 out of 7 stages - but not the race.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/final-results-ews-round-three-ireland-2016.html

 

Wait what?! Tracey Moseley is back?

 

Just while the races are in her relative backyard... She won't be doing others (allegedly).

 

Okay, I can see that. She still has it (although I'm not sure there was any question about that), she was - and still is - crazy dominant.