Overall men’s series leader Alex Rudeau is out of the UCI Enduro World Cup round at Aletsch Arena-Bellwald on a bruising day one, alongside third and fourth-placed women Raphaela Richter and Winnifred Goldsbury.
Rudeau broke his rear wheel navigating a rock garden at the end of stage 1 and was disqualified for unauthorised access of the Technical Assistance Zone, and unauthorised replacement of a marked component.
That leaves Leif Rogers primed to take over the series lead with the Canadian sitting fourth overnight at 10.9 seconds behind Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team), while Ella Conolly edges closer and closer to clinching back-to-back titles as she boasts a 26-second lead at the halfway stage.
Richter and Goldsbury both dropped out of the event for medical reasons, with Elina Frei and Hugo Marti Montessinos setting the pace in the junior races.
RUDEAU OPENS DOOR TO ROGERS AND DAILLY
At first glance, Rudeau finishing stage 1 in 11th at 14.5 seconds back appeared far from disastrous given he arrived in Switzerland boasting an 85-point lead at the top of the elite men’s standings. However, news of his disqualification sent shockwaves around the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series and gave a huge carrot to all his rivals at the top of the standings.
Fresh from his maiden elite UCI World Cup win in La Thuile-Valle d’Aosta, Raphaël Giambi was the early pacesetter but an issue on stage 2 cost him over half a minute and handed the initiative to Łukasik. The defending champion has endured a difficult season but he finished in the top five of every stage to eke out a 2.3-second lead over fellow Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team rider Ryan Gilchrist.
Łukasik only topped the timesheets on one stage but with Giambi and Rogers both struggling with consistency, he will be the man to beat on day two.
Adrien Dailly is the other man within 10 seconds of the Pole and he has an outside shot of leaving Switzerland with the overall lead if Rogers comes unstuck tomorrow, which features the tougher, steeper trails after longer energy-sapping rides on day one.
CONOLLY ON THE BRINK AFTER DOMINANT DAY ONE
While a big-name casualty shook up the elite men’s standings, DNFs for Richter and Goldbury helped Conolly tighten her grip in the elite women’s overall. However, the Brit deserves even more credit for a dominant performance in Aletsch Arena-Bellwald as she blew away her remaining rivals.
With second-placed Simona Kuchyňková (Cube Action Team) also absent, Conolly immediately jumped out to a 15-second lead on Alpine Rodeo, the first of three long winding stages.
UCI Enduro World Champion Elly Hoskin hit back on Blueberry Trail and Glaciara Trail but Conolly stayed in touch, then fired herself back to the front on the shortest stage of the day as Hoskin came unstuck, losing 13 seconds in just 1.5km.
The Canadian remains Conolly’s closest challenger while Nadine Ellecosta is in line for a podium place in Switzerland, though the elongated gaps at the top of the women’s standings means neither rider is set to move up any positions.
Kuchyňkova’s absence means Conolly is set to clinch the UCI Enduro World Cup with a round to go as long as she can stay on her bike tomorrow, though anything can happen on the technical trails of Aletsch Arena-Bellwald.
The hardest stage of the weekend comes early on day two with Lord of the Rims (Extended Cut) featuring 725m of descent in just a 4.9km course, while the untested Into the Wild trail on the penultimate stage will be a fresh test for the exhausted riders.
CONTRASTING FORTUNES FOR JUNIOR LEADERS
The gap at the top of the junior women’s standings is tightening after Nežka Libnik had a disastrous stage 3, losing 15 minutes to a puncture and opening the door to Romy Williams (Speed Project).
Elina Frei leads by 2:38.950 on home trails as Williams was outclassed by the Swiss rider on every stage but looks set to finish ahead of Libnik as long as she finishes day two. However, Emily Skeie-Lebreux’s failure to finish stage two means Libnik is still on course to pick up 40 points and hold onto her overall lead.
It was contrasting fortunes for the junior leaders as Hugo Marti Montessinos took a giant step towards clinching the overall title. Entering Aletsch Arena - Bellwald with an 80-point advantage at the top of the standings, a podium finish for the Frenchman would secure the junior men’s title ahead of the final round in August and Marti Montessinos is 12.9 seconds ahead after day one. His closest challenger Tommy Bougon is out too, so it looks like it would take a miracle to deny Marti Montessinos.
The action reaches its climax tomorrow in Aletsch Arena–Bellwald with four more stages to close out the penultimate UCI Enduro World Cup round of the season. The final stage will be broadcast live on-site, with fans also able to follow the action on a delayed-live basis via subscription on MTBWS TV, in all markets where the streaming service is available.
