Jesse Melamed, Max Leyen notch wins at Crankzilla
The seventh round of the Enduro World Series saw the men's race owned by the Whistler-based Rocky Mountain URGE-bp rider
With a win on his home soil of Whistler, B.C., Jesse Melamed, riding for Rocky Mountain URGE-bp, took Round 7 of the Enduro World Series—the Crankworx Open Enduro presented by Specialized. And for the Whistler-based mountain bike rider, the intense, dirt-shredding race was nothing if not epic.
That appraisal of the competition was likely shared by spectators in attendance, too.
Much of the race came down to a battle between Melamed and series leader Sam Hill, riding for Chain Reaction Cycles Mavic, who took the day’s first stage with a 17-second lead on the rest of the field. By Stage 3, however, Melamed managed to close that gap, leaving just a half second’s breathing room between him and Hill. In the finish, Melamed crashed on the last stage, but pouring on the power once more, the Whistler athlete nonetheless managed to seize the win by a margin of 14 seconds.
Mark Scott of Santa Cruz x SRAM, meanwhile, took third, stepping on to an Enduro World Series podium for the very first time.
“I felt good coming into the race,” remarked Melamed, looking back on the day’s competition. “I had a solid result in Aspen and I’ve been feeling good on my bike all year. I was expecting the times to be closer, I had a huge crash on the last stage and I’m really happy I didn’t throw it away.”
Cecile Ravanel of Commencal Vallnord Enduro Team absolutely dominated the women’s competition, claiming her season’s sixth win. Close behind was Isabeau Courdurier of SUNN, crossing the finish in second, with Katy Winton of Trek Factory Racing Enduro rounding out the podium with a third-place finish—taking her second podium spot of the season. “Crankworx for us it’s like the world championships,” Ravanel said. “For me it is the best event of the year.”
“I did the job, I was focused on the victory and I’m really enjoying the outcome of my run today. It’s amazing,” she added.
Canada’s Max Leyen prevailed in the men’s under-21 competition, with series leader Killian Callaghan second and Rhys Verner taking third. For the under-21 women, Britain was the day’s dominating force. The podium was completely painted in the colours of the Union Jack, with Martha Gill, Elena Melton and Abigale Lawton in first, second and third, respectively.
In the over-40 masters competition, Matt Ryan, another local rider, handed Karim Amour of BH-Miranda Racing his first defeat of the year, with the current series leader slotted into second place. Former world champion Woody Hole, riding for Hope Factory Racing, took third. In the women’s masters competition, Chrissy Deval won, Mary Mcconneloug took second and Penny Deck took third.
The overall team competition, finally, saw Rocky Mountain URGE-bp take first, Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team second and Commencal Vallnord Enduro Team third.
The Enduro World Series of 2017 concludes with two days of racing on the trails of Finale, Italy, where enduro titans Sam Hill, Adrien Dailly and Greg Callaghan will battle it out for the men’s title, while Cecile Ravanel, on the women’s side, is expected to take her second world championship.
