Finals in Finale: Enduro World Series returns to Italy

The eighth and final round of Enduro World Series racing is set to get underway under the beautiful backdrop of Finale Ligure, Italy, with several Canadian’s looking to step onto the year’s last podium.

Finale Ligure has closed out the EWS season for several seasons, sending riders straight through the final finish line and straight into the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Before riders can relax on the Italian Riviera, there’s four big stages of racing left to go. With series placings on the line, racing will remain intense right to the beautiful end.

Canadians in Italy

Just one week after stepping on her first podium of the season, Rocky Mountain / Race Face’s Andréane Lanthier Nadeau will be looking to finish her comeback strong. ALN missed the first three rounds of racing with a broken wrist, but still sits 11th in the overall standings.

Taking a spin on the EWS circuit now that the World Cup downhill season has wrapped up, Squamish’s Miranda Miller (Specialized)  was seventh last week in Spain. With Stage 3’s Mao Crest Trail – which some viewers may remember from its appearance in Kranked II – and Stage 4 being more downhill style trails, Miller could improve on that this weekend. Trek Factory Racing’s Casey Brown has raced well in Finale in the past, and already has an EWS podium to her name this season. Look for the Revelstoke, B.C. racer to be back up near the front on Sunday.

On the men’s side, Jesse Melamed currently leads the Canadians in ninth overall, even after missing two rounds due to injury. Close behind is Melamed’s Rocky Mountain / Race Face teammate Remi Gauvin, who sits in 13th with one day of racing left to go. With consistent riding all year, Mckay Vezina (Giant Factory Off Road Team) is riding in 39th.

Crowning 2018’s Enduro World Series champions

With one round of racing remaining, it is Sam Hill (Chain Reaction Cycles / Mavic) and Cecile Ravanel (Commencal Vallnord) that lead the 2018 Enduro World Series. Both have substantial leads, and it will take disaster or DNF to unseat them.

Both have ridden with such consistency all year – Ravanel has not lost a single round of racing – that it seems unlikely Finale would see either unseated. Racing’s racing though, and anything can happen. Should the opportunity arise, it is Isabeau Courdurier (Intense Mavic Collective) that sits firmly in second. She’s chased by Katy Winton (Trek Factory Racing) for the final podium spot.

On the Men’s side, it is Belgium’s multi-disciplinary phenom Martin Maes (GT Factory Racing) currently riding in second behind Hill. With an unprecedented EWS-World Cup DH back-to-back victory under his belt, Maes is certainly on form to challenge for the win on Sunday. He’ll need to ride well to defend his podium spot, though, as Damien Oton (Unior Devinci Factory Racing) is close behind in third.

As ever, it’s the beautiful Finale Ligure in Italy that will close out the season. A stalwart of the calendar, this incredible area on the Italian Riviera has everything you could possibly want to end the year; sun sea and four days of back to back riding on prime Italian singletrack. It’s the perfect end to the year, as the 2018 World Champions are crowned against the glittering backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea.