Andréane Lanthier Nadeau leads EWS La Thuile #2 after Day 1

Andréane Lanthier Nadeau showed on Saturday she’s having no trouble keeping up with the relentless pace of the 2021 Enduro World Series. The Rocky Mountain Race Face athlete leads the pro women’s category after the first day of racing in the back end of a double-EWS round in La Thuile, Italy.

Saturday was the start of the second EWS double header in 2021. The series started with two back-to-back rounds in Val di Fassa, Italy, where ALN also posted strong results.

Lanthier Nadeau won Saturday’s “Pro Stage” by a solid 7.11 seconds over GT Factory Racing’s Noga Korem. Melanie Pugin, winner of the last two EWS rounds, was another 1.05 seconds back in third. Final results for EWS La Thuile will be determined after Sunday’s racing.

Today’s result comes on the heels of a third place in La Thuile, in the first half of this weekend’s double header. The Enduro World Series opted for the compressed calendar, which sees riders race on Thursday, then again on Saturday and Sunday, to make up for races cancelled by the ongoing pandemic.

Miranda Miller (Kona Gravity Racing) also had a strong finish on Saturday, starting her weekend with a 9th place in the Pro Stage. Miller is 13.86 seconds off ALN, but only six seconds behind Korem in second place. Georgia Astle (Devinci) followed in 22nd and Rachel Pageau (Commencal) in 24th

Goldstone on pace to podium

After a third place in his Enduro World Series debut on Thursday, Jacksone Goldstone (Miranda Factory Team) is on pace for another impressive finish in La Thuile. The Squamish junior sits third after Saturday’s Pro Stage, but just 0.43 seconds behind Francescu Camoin (Specialized) in an incredibly tight under-21 men’s race.

Quebec’s Nathan Sterckx is 4.90 seconds back in 7th, followed by Johnathan Helly (We Are One) in 12th.

Melamed in touch

In the pro men’s race, Jesse Melamed (Rocky Mountain Race Face) is close to the leaders, if a few spots behind where he normally would be. The Whistler-born racer is in fifth, 5.13 seconds behind race leader Richie Rude (Yeti Fox). Rude is – again – locked in a tight battle with Australian DH convert, Jack Moir (Canyon Cllctv). Just 0.97 seconds separate the two after Saturday’s racing. Rude and Moir have claimed the top two spots at each of the first three Enduro World Series rounds of 2021.

Remi Gauvin, Melamed and Lanthier Nadeau’s teammate, is the next-best Canadian in 20th. Kasper Woolley (Yeti OneUp Pro Team) is 33rd and McKay Vezina (Giant Factory Off Road) is tied with Mathew Stuttard for 36th. Carter Krasny is 84th and Daniel Shaw (Knolly) 104th after Saturday’s racing.