Rewind replay: wild Enduro World Series racing in Colombia

Thick jungle mud and huge urban racing crowds were the name of the game the last time Manizales, Colombia hosted the Enduro World Series. That race, back in 2018, had set the bar high for the EWS’s return to South America in 2020.

Both the Colombia and Chile rounds of EWS racing have been postponed to the fall. But, while we wait patiently for that race to happen, here’s a look back at what happened in 2018.

Jesse Melamed (Rocky Mountain) led the Canadian contingent, riding and sliding to 10th in Colombia.

McKay Vezina had a rough go, crashing in a high-speed tunnel of jungle greenery. The Canadian split his knee, requiring six stitches to fix and sidelining him for the rest of the weekend.

Vancouver Island privateer Trevor Thew had his own adventures navigating the South American race rounds.

Enduro World Series: Manizales, Colombia Teaser

What did Manizales look like before the mud? Fast trails and sweet drone shots of the Colombin dirt pre-EWS.

One Minute Highlights: 2018 EWS – Manizales, Colombia

All the race action from two days in Manizales, crammed into a 60-second highlight reel.

RELATED: Mckay Vezina: Crashing and community in the EWS

Stage 1 – 50to01 Colombia Street Race POV

Onboard with 50to01’s Josh “Loose Dog” Lewis in the urban jungle and massive crowds of Stage 1.

Stage 2 – Sam Hill POV

Practice footage from Stage 2. It was dry for pre-riding, making the tunnels of jungle foilage a high speed cannonball run of green.

RELATED: Trevor Thew: Wild horses and sketchy shuttles in South America

Stage 3 – Sam Hill POV

Stage 3 was already starting to get muddy when Hill dropped in for his practice run. The Australian may train in dry conditions, but he dealt with the mud of Manizales better than anyone else. The legendary Hill was by far the fastest on Stage 3.  He added more wins on Stages 2, 4 and 5 on his way to dominating the weekend’s results.

Stage 4 – Elliott Heap POV

Elliott Heap, Hill’s Chain Reaction teammate, won the under-21 men’s race in Manizales including Stage 4. Follow along with the British rider’s winning run.

Gutierrez on home turf: Giant Factory Off-Road Team’s Race Recap

Marcelo Gutierrez usually sticks to the World Cup downhill circuit but, with the EWS landing in his home country, he joined in the fun. The multiple-time Colombian downhill national champion traded in his DH rig for an enduro bike, and wowed the home crowd with a podium result on day one.

Day two brought different challenges for G-FORT. Canadian McKay Vezina sliced open his knee on a high-speed section. With Vezina sidelined with six stitches, it was up to the rest of the team to hunt for results in the mud of Manizales.

Want more? Watch the full race recap from the EWS’s 2018 visit to Colombia.