By Oliver May
America’s longest winter is not yet over. But the inauguration this week of President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Vice President Kamala D. Harris should reassure the country and the world that though the promise of American reinvention seems distant, it will come again. We have arrived at this moment violently, as usual. With baseball bats and long guns cradled in our arms, some of us Americans pulled on battle fatigues, convinced that the war for the soul of a nation could be won with just a little more menace—not just on TV or on Facebook, but in Washington and […]
The fifth and sixth rounds of the Enduro World Series took place in Loudenvielle, France, over the weekend where Team Chain Reaction Cycles took on some of the gnarliest trails in the Pyrenees.Team Chain Reaction Cycles Manager Nigel Page was trackside to bring us this report:The stunning village of Loudenvielle, high up in the French Pyrenees, played host to stages five and six of the Enduro World Series.There was a mixture of tracks to challenge the racers from flat-out wide big mountain open tracks to super steep technical trails and of course some big climbs in stages to keep the racers red lining and requiring cross-country fitness as well as downhill skills.Race one was held on Thursday after a wet practice day on Wednesday making the tracks slick and extra challenging. The race was shortened to four stages from five as the Dolmans stage was removed, which happened to be Sam, Elliott and Kelan’s favourite stage – it was deemed too dangerous to ride after the rain. It was still going to be a big day and super challenging and physical.The riders had a one-day break and then it was back onto race action for round six of the EWS with one practice run on the Pro stage and then race runs on Saturday afternoon followed by five stages on Sunday.The tracks were a lot drier which was good, but this made the tracks super rough, blown out and challenging as well as even faster speeds.The Pro stage which would also be repeated for the final stage on Sunday was a great track to ride but super hard at race speed as it was really tight and awkward in places, with lots of roots and rocks and off-cambers.Sunday came and the weather was clear – the views up on the higher stages were stunning. The tracks were running super-fast and the racing was amazing!It was a great effort from all the lads and thanks to Jacy and Oli for keeping the bikes running perfectly.At both races, Kelan raced his large Nukeproof Giga 290, Sam on his medium Nukeproof Giga 279 and Elliott on his Nukeproof Mega 279.
