Enduro World Series 2017

[NicoBoshoff]

Some serious shaking up of the status quo in the EWS.

 

Looks like Adrian Dailly will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Rude hasn't found his pace just quite yet and Oton and Clementz are nowhere to be seen.

 

Hill and Callaghan are fast and consistent so far. If this carries on, it's going to be a three-way battle for the title between Dailly, Hill and Callaghan. 

 

Super stoked for Courdurier's first win. Outrode Ravanel, plain and simple.

Jip.  Hill and the Irishman are going for the long game, although Callaghan so prodigiously jinxed himself with his statement that you can only lose the race on stage 7.  Poor guy.  

 

Graves has flashes of a major threat and then he chucks it.  However, we'll see how he goes in the dry stuff.  At least his tires are holding air this year and he's still doing OK overall.

 

I'm most surprised by Jerome Clementz's "lack" of results.  He used to be untouchable, but now he's fighting for top 10's.  I suppose he got in when the game was still new and the DH masses didn't migrate.  It does however put it in perspective, when someone of his caliber seems outgunned.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Jip.  Hill and the Irishman are going for the long game, although Callaghan so prodigiously jinxed himself with his statement that you can only lose the race on stage 7.  Poor guy.  

 

Graves has flashes of a major threat and then he chucks it.  However, we'll see how he goes in the dry stuff.  At least his tires are holding air this year and he's still doing OK overall.

 

I'm most surprised by Jerome Clementz's "lack" of results.  He used to be untouchable, but now he's fighting for top 10's.  I suppose he got in when the game was still new and the DH masses didn't migrate.  It does however put it in perspective, when someone of his caliber seems outgunned.

Still a moer fast rider, but I wonder if he's just taken the edge off a bit in order to sorta ride within himself instead of going all out. Or maybe he's just in it for the fun and competition. Strange. 

[NicoBoshoff]

Oh and also, other than cinical commercial motives why would you take a bruiser like Rude and force him onto a 125mm bike.  It's a bike that does wonders with that little travel but FFS, give the man some room to work with.

[NicoBoshoff]

Probably, but I think it may be weighing on his mind a bit... that little not so little episode with his artery in his leg... Still a moer fast rider, but I wonder if he's just taken the edge off a bit in order to sorta ride within himself instead of going all out. 

You're thinking of Cedric Gracia.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Oh and also, other than cinical commercial motives why would you take a bruiser like Rude and force him onto a 120mm bike.  It's a bike that does wonders with that little travel but FFS, give the man some room to work with.

from what I read, he preferred the snappiness of the smaller travel 127mm SB5. He's running "a total of 300mm" according t a pre-race interview, so unless he's running a 170mm fork on the front (IIRC he was running a 160 in previous EWS?) they may be running some custom stroke shock and he may have some more travel. 

 

If he is running a 170mm fork - HOLY OVER-FORKING, Batman!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

You're thinking of Cedric Gracia.

You're right... off to edit-land I go. 

[NicoBoshoff]

from what I read, he preferred the snappiness of the smaller travel 127mm SB5. He's running "a total of 300mm" according t a pre-race interview, so unless he's running a 170mm fork on the front (IIRC he was running a 160 in previous EWS?) they may be running some custom stroke shock and he may have some more travel. 

 

If he is running a 170mm fork - HOLY OVER-FORKING, Batman!

I dunno.  Last Bike check with him and his teammate on PB led me to believe it's a pretty stock build on the bouncy bits.  Who knows.  Well if it's his choice, then cool.  Still got 4th, so what do I know, right?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I dunno.  Last Bike check with him and his teammate on PB led me to believe it's a pretty stock build on the bouncy bits.  Who knows.  Well if it's his choice, then cool.  Still got 4th, so what do I know, right?

Suppose the only way we'll know is if someone takes a tape measure to the shock & fork. 

 

Still a BEAST on the bike. Love that line by Clements that he's more worried that Rude's shoulders won't fit through the rock gap thingie. 

[Odinson]

Oh and also, other than cinical commercial motives why would you take a bruiser like Rude and force him onto a 125mm bike.  It's a bike that does wonders with that little travel but FFS, give the man some room to work with.

 

It's a bit strange. Rude is a heavy bloke and hard rider. You would expect him to be more comfortable on the longer travel SB6.

 

Interestingly enough, Graves is running a Stumpy 29 this year, whereas Keene is running the Enduro 29.

 

Different strokes, different folks.

[Odinson]

Graves has flashes of a major threat and then he chucks it.  However, we'll see how he goes in the dry stuff.  At least his tires are holding air this year and he's still doing OK overall.

 

Very true. One some stages he shows that he can be blisteringly fast, but he can't seem to put an entire race together.

[NicoBoshoff]

It's a bit strange. Rude is a heavy bloke and hard rider. You would expect him to be more comfortable on the longer travel SB6.

 

Interestingly enough, Graves is running a Stumpy 29 this year, whereas Keene is running the Enduro 29.

 

Different strokes, different folks.

Ja but that Stumpy is a Frankentein's monster.  Coil and a special yolk for more travel and over-forked to 160mm if I'm not mistaken.

[NickGM]

Ravanel had a crash that she couldn't recover from. A slight chink in her armour, but Cordurier has been there in 2nd place just waiting for a mistake.. 

 

I reckon Rude just needs to get his mind straight. That, or the others have had a MARKED increase in their off season training. Hill is just a monster... 

If you look at Round 1, by the time Rude had to ride there were ruts deeper than his bottom bracket - but he still managed to grind out a win on at least one of the drier stages.

 

Then this last round, well I think 4th is a pretty good result considering last year Sam Hill only did a couple of events (and was now racing in his home country), and Dailly was riding U21 (unless I'm mistaken?). So excluding those 2, (who were not in the picture last year) then its really just Rude and the ever improving callaghan who were in the mix. So this weekend was probably a fair reflection of his abilities. I'm choosing to ignore round 1's results because it seemed like a bit of a lottery. 

 

All in all it's great for the sport - its just getting tougher at the top basically. The top 4 from this round will be fighting it out for the rest of the season I hope. Geez, Hill vs Rude vs Callaghan - what a showdown.  

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Yeah, Dailly was u21 last year. Agreed re Rude and the new challengers. 

[Odinson]

Ja but that Stumpy is a Frankentein's monster.  Coil and a special yolk for more travel and over-forked to 160mm if I'm not mistaken.

 

I wonder how many of Spez' athletes have ever raced one of their bikes in a 'stock' configuration. Virtually every Demo ridden by Spez's top athletes have a custom yoke and shock and the same is now for their EWS racers.

[NicoBoshoff]

I wonder how many of Spez' athletes have ever raced one of their bikes in a 'stock' configuration. Virtually every Demo ridden by Spez's top athletes have a custom yoke and shock and the same is now for their EWS racers.

Who knows.  Thing is, they inevitably end up doubling up as Guinea Pigs for suspension partners, so they are kinda riding future "stock builds".  The Ohlins on my bike now was super secret tech two seasons ago and now it's stock.

[Nick]