Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team) is in the perfect position to win the final round of the men’s Elite UCI Enduro (EDR) World Cup after day one in Morillon, Haute-Savoie (France) and clinch second overall in the standings, while Simona Kuchynková (CUBE Action Team) and Elly Hoskin are the women Elite celebrating at the halfway stage in the finale.
BRACE OF STAGE WINS PUTS MELAMED IN THE DRIVING SEAT
After a couple of gloomy training days, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series returned from its six-week hiatus to glorious sunshine in the French Alps, and Melamed was the shining star of the show on the trails.
With overall winner Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/FOX Factory Race Team) present in Morillon, Haute-Savoie (unlike women’s champion Ella Connolly) Melamed showed the Pole won’t have things all his own way at the UCI Enduro World Championships event next weekend by winning the opening two stages and leading by five seconds at the end of day one.
In a straight winner-takes-all shootout with Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity) for second place in the overall standings, Melamed was over 20 seconds ahead of his rival by the finish line on stage four with the Kiwi only finishing inside the top eight on one stage.
Gregory Callaghan and Tommaso Calonaci were surprise victors on Dre dans l’pentu and Paddock Express respectively to round out a Saturday that leaves Alex Rudeau as Melamed’s closest challenger.
HOSKIN RULES THE ROOST ON RIVETING SATURDAY
Hoskin announced herself to the pro ranks by cutting through mud and slush to take her maiden UCI Enduro World Cup victory in Bielsko-Biała (Poland) earlier this season and though the conditions couldn’t have been more different in France, the Canadian surged back to the front of the pack.
Third on a tight opening stage, Hoskin laid down her marker at the next opportunity on La Char by conquering an unpredictable and slick clay surface as only Raphaela Richter could get within 10 seconds, and the 20-year-old backed that up with second win of the day on stage three.
That was much closer as only a second separated Hoskin and revelation Delia Da Mocogno (YT Racing Development) who’s yet to finish on an Elite UCI Enduro World Cup round podium but will start Sunday in second after winning stage four.
Kuchynkova described her day as “3.6, not great not terrible” but she arrived in France knowing only a Chernobyl-scale meltdown could prevent the 2024 U21 World Cup winner from taking second place overall in her first season of Elite racing. The Slovakian ended the day in fourth, nine seconds ahead of her only overall rival Nadine Ellecosta (Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team).
SURPRISE PACKAGES SHINE IN UNPREDICTABLE JUNIORS
Like in the women’s Elite competition, with the men’s junior title being wrapped up ahead of the finale, new faces pushed themselves to the fore as Hugo Marti Montessinos led the rest of the field - including champion Melvin Almueis by almost six seconds - at the close of play.
Cooper Millwood also starred with two stage wins but started off very slowly so has over nine seconds to make up.
And Elise Porta (Lapierre Gravity Collective) was the junior woman to beat, finishing the day a giant two minutes ahead of Chloe Bear (Yeti/FOX Factory Race Team) on debut in the competition.
That capped a successful return to WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series racing that also saw 192 riders enter the Open EDR and Open E-EDR competitions that took on four stages ridden by the pros.
Tristan Borel took a nailbiting 0.3-second victory in the men’s Open Enduro category while Sarah Chamaillard was the women’s champion and Ludovic Erima and Alejandra López Sánchez triumphed in the Masters. Meanwhile Maks Struna was the man to beat in a very competitive junior field and Paul Renaudin and Christine Soprano celebrated electrified wins.
The action resumes tomorrow with the Elite and junior riders taking on five more stages that offer a more gruelling challenge and feature some tough uphill slogs, compared to the fast-paced races to the bottom of day one.
