Riders faced a ten-stage race, covering over 56km, including grueling liaisons and 2,480m of fast descending. The six stages that made up the UCI Enduro World Cup would return, with the additional of two power stages and one stage newcomer, Jaillet Superior. After a deluge of rain throughout the evening, the changing trail conditions would play a huge part in deciding the fate of riders in today's race.
STAGE 1 AND STAGE 2: POWER STAGE ONE & COL DU JAILLET
Putting the emphasis on the ‘e’ in e-enduro, riders started their day with a power stage. Only 0.2km in length, this steep, purpose-built section of track felt like it was made for Sofia Wiedenroth (Specialized Enduro Team), who took the stage win by +1.406, with teammate Estelle Charles following suit in second.
Overall series leader Flo Espiñeira (Orbea Fox Enduro Team), finished the stage in fifth, but was back on top at the end of stage two, having put just +2.572 seconds between her and second place Italian, Alia Marcellini (Haibike). Estelle Charles remained steady, taking third place on the second stage of the day.
Meanwhile in the men’s field, Irishman Gregory Callaghan made his UCI E-Enduro World Cup debut and had a clean start on the first stage of the day, slotting into the top ten. But it would be the French that dominated the stage one results, taking six of the top 10 spots. Levy Batista (Rocky Mountain Gravity Racing) secured the stage win, fellow countryman Adrien Dailly (Lapierre Zipp Collective) would take third, with Portuguese rider Tiago Ladeira (Miranda Factory Team) splitting the two, taking second, only +0.254 of a second behind Batista.
Riders who competed in Friday’s UCI Enduro World Cup proved that their double-efforts would pay off on stage 2, Col du Jaillet, as they collectively took the three of the four top spots. Kevin Marry (Lapierre Zipp Collective) in fourth, Martin Maes (Orbea Fox Factory Enduro Team) returning to pace in third, Antoine Rogge (Lapierre Zipp Collective) finished the stage in second, with Cecce Endu (Specialized Enduro Team) taking the stage win.
STAGE 3 AND STAGE 4: CHRISTOMET & CABANE DU TETRAS
The mix of freshly cut raw trails offered up in stage three, Christomet, combined with the natural ruts and roots of stage four, Cabane du Tetras, created a mind-boggling mix of both dry and extremely muddy conditions. It didn’t seem to bother Espiñeira however, who took the stage win on three, and third place on stage four.
Opting for a riders right high line to avoid the carpet of roots, Estelle Charles made herself at home on stage four, Cabane du Tetras, to take the win, placing the French athlete in overall lead of the race as they head into stage five.
In the men’s race, Cecce Endu & Antonie Rogge switched up places as they crossed the line at the end of stage three, whilst overall series leader, José Soares Manuel Borges (Canyon Collective Factory Enduro Team), continued to struggle, placing 14th on stage three and 18th on stage four.
Alex Marin (GasGas Factory Racing) struggled to hold on with a crash on Cabane du Tetras but was still +3.439 seconds ahead of Australian Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team), finishing forth on the stage behind Callaghan in third, Damien Oton (Oolab Team) in second, with Rogge making it two stage wins in a row.
STAGE 5 AND STAGE 6: COMBLOUX & POWER STAGE TWO
With only one stage to go before riders visit the technical assistance zone (TAZ), stage five was a beast. Full of chunky chunder, flat corners and snaking, switch back turns, it brought the full speed of bike park trails to the riders.
In the women’s race, George Smith (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) took a surprising stage win in her first ever E-Enduro, ahead of Estelle Charles and Espiñeira, and kept her form on the following power stage to come out second, and up to fourth overall.
Rolling into the last four stages of the day, Estelle Charles led the pack, followed by Espiñeira and Marcellini. With such close racing, there is everything to play for and no guarantee of the top step for Charles needed to fend off the overall series leader to secure the race win.
The men’s race saw Frenchmen Hugo Pigeon (Scott Sr Suntour Enduro Team) take the stage win. Rogge showed he’s keeping pace, taking second place followed by Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) in third, his best result of the day so far. Then came some tactical tire changes in the Technical Assistance Zone (TAZ), with at least Yeti / Fox Factory Racing and Orbea Fox Enduro Team both changing from dry to mud tires, a sign of the conditions that lie ahead.
The fans were out in force on stage 6, the second and final power stage of the day, giving all their encouragement to Cecce Endu, who suffered a broken chain, forcing him to push up the steep switchback climb and ultimately resulting in a dead last stage finish for the French local. Portuguese rider Emanuel Pombo (Miranda Factory Team) took the stage win, with Rogge not taking home any points on this stage, but retaining overall lead of the race, ahead of Kevin Marry, who gathered a crucial eight points on Combloux, to keep him in contention.
STAGE 7 AND 8: JAILLET SUPERIOR & MEGÈVE
If there were two stages that would determine the heroes of this race, the technically challenging terrain of stage 7 and 8 would be it.
Estelle Charles took her third and fourth stage wins of the day, ahead of Flo Espiñeira who followed up with second place in both stages. Although she finished third overall on stage seven and eight, a huge mechanical on Megève with a suspected motor issue, ended Marcellini’s race, a second heartbreaking finish for the Italian racer after her DNF in Saalfalden Leogang – Salzburgerland. Another big loss after she was on-track for a podium here in Combloux, Haute-Savoie.
In the men’s race, Cecce Endu’s broken chain on power stage two would cost him a time penalty, moving him out of the top ten elite men, and there was drama for Michael Hannah (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) who ended up off course on the 2.3km of the rough, wild, and rocky singletrack of the Megève stage. But it was Adrien Dailly (Lapierre Zipp Collective), who stopped his teammate Rogge from taking his third stage win of the day. Rogge had to settle for second place on stage seven, and the same on stage eight, where Damien Oton claimed the stage win.
STAGE 9 AND 10: ROUGE DES FRASSES & COMBLOUX
The all-natural 1.7km Rouge des Frasses may be a short stage, but it offered no respite for the riders as its big, mature roots were time-zappers lying in waiting. A second shot on Combloux would be the final stage of the day, with George Swift hoping for a repeat stage win.
Flo Espiñeira and Estelle Charles continued their battle, and it would be the overall series leader Espiñeira who would find enough gas in the tank to take the final two stage wins. But the Chilean would have to settle for second place in the overall race, as Estelle Charles took her first UCI E-enduro World Cup win. George Swift, who brough home her best World Cup result to date, finished the race in third place.
Stage nine in the men’s race saw Ryan Gilchrist find his form to take the stage win. He’d go on to win the final stage of the day, a re-run of Combloux, securing him the third-place podium spot. Antoine Rogge’s third and fourth finishes on stage 9 and 10 respectively allowed him to maintain a comfortable 22-point lead, to take his first UCI E-enduro World Cup win.
Damien Oton’s steady pace throughout the day was rewarded with the second-place spot on the podium, his best result since the 2018 Enduro World Series round in Finale Outdoor Region. Despite a huge crash on stage 10, Hugo Pigeon stayed in the points to secure fourth place overall, followed by Greg Callaghan in fifth.
THE RACE FOR SERIES LEAD
Flo Espiñeira remains top of the overall standings as Ryan Gilchrist regains the overall series leader jersey after some hard-fought stages in Combloux, Haute-Savoie.
Gilchrist’s team, Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team also remain untouched in the team standings, with two races left of the 2024 season. The UCI Enduro & E-enduro World Cup returns in mid-July (12-14), when the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series rolls into Aletsch Arena in Switzerland, the seventh new race venue on the 2024 series calendar.
The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continues its stay in France next week (4-7), with the series’ biggest weekend on the calendar in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie.
