Three adrenaline fuelled stages greeted riders on the opening day of enduro racing as the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series arrived in the spectacular setting of the Dolomites.
Italian home favourite Tommaso Calonaci showed his consistency in the Men’s Elite category with top three stage placings to lead overall overnight. Meanwhile, Ella Conolly was locked in battle with UCI Enduro World Champion Elly Hoskin throughout the day in the Women’s Elite event and also has a slender lead heading into Sunday.
Val di Fassa, Trentino is the first two-day race format of the season, with a 59.6-kilometre course featuring 2,633m of descent across two days.
With four stages ahead of them tomorrow both Calonaci and Conolly lead their respective events by just three seconds overall.
In the Junior categories Hugo Marti Montessinos leads the Men’s event by 11 seconds overall and Nežka Libnik has an advantage of over one minute in the Women’s.
CALONACI HAS STELLAR DAY TO LEAD MEN’S ELITE BATTLE
Tommaso Calonaci is on course to secure the best UCI Enduro World Cup result of his career, provided he can hold off a stacked Men’s Elite field across Sunday’s four decisive stages. The 23-year-old Italian emerged as the standout performer in Val di Fassa, Trentino, taking an unexpected overnight lead.
Fellow Italian Tommaso Francardo (Abetone Vittoria Nencini Sport Factory Team) laid down the benchmark time in the iconic Tutti Frutti. Calonaci followed closely, just three tenths adrift. Overall series leader and defending champion Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) stayed firmly in contention, only 1.4 seconds back, with round one winner and reigning UCI World Champion Alex Rudeau hovering just 3.5 seconds off the lead.
There was early drama for Canadian Elliot Jamieson, whose return to the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series was compromised by a mechanical issue that cost him 12 seconds.
Stage two, a 1.85km mix of technical and high-speed descending on 9.90, reshuffled the order slightly. Rudeau capitalised on the terrain, edging out Canada’s Evan Wall by a tenth of a second in a tightly contested run to move back into contention. Calonaci remained consistent at 1.8 seconds back, while Łukasik dropped a further three seconds and Francardo conceded four.
The short but punchy final stage, Ciasates “EWS” (1.25km), demanded an all-out effort ahead of Sunday’s racing. Dutch rider Tristan Botteram set the pace, narrowly beating Calonaci by a tenth, with Rudeau another second behind. Łukasik, however, slipped to ninth on the stage, losing 4.9 seconds.
With just four stages remaining, the Men’s Elite race is finely poised. Calonaci leads by three seconds over Rudeau, while Botteram sits third at 5.8 seconds. Łukasik remains within striking distance, just 7.1 seconds off the lead heading into the final day.
CONOLLY AND HOSKINS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN DOLOMITES BATTLE
After winning the opening round and finishing runner-up in Saalfelden-Leogang Salzburgerland, Ella Conolly arrived in Val di Fassa, Trentino as the overall UCI Enduro World Cup leader. The British rider, who also triumphed at this picturesque venue last year, wasted no time asserting herself on the opening stage.
Despite its reduced length of just 2.2km and an uphill start, Tutti Frutti played to Conolly’s strengths, allowing her to put her power to good use and take the stage win.
Reigning UCI Enduro World Champion Elly Hoskins is still searching for her first podium of the season and immediately applied pressure, finishing just 3.6 seconds behind. Fresh from her maiden UCI Enduro World Cup victory last weekend, Winnifred Goldsbury also stayed firmly in contention, placing third a further second back.
Tutti Frutti claimed an early victim, as Simona Kuchyňková (Cube Action Team) dropped 20 seconds, while Italy’s Nadine Ellecosta (Abetone Vittoria Nencini Sport Factory Team) conceded eight seconds after suffering a rear wheel puncture. Determined to bounce back in front of a home crowd, Ellecosta responded strongly on stage two, the 1.85km technical test of 9.90. The reworked stage combined a demanding opening section with faster, flowing terrain, setting up a tight battle that Ellecosta edged by just eight tenths of a second over Conolly, with Hoskins 1.9 seconds further back.
Mélanie Pugin (Speed Project) also recovered well after losing 11 seconds on the opening stage, finishing just 2.5 seconds off the fastest time on 9.90.
The short but intense final stage of the day, Ciasates “EWS” (1.25km), delivered a physical test featuring a rapid opening descent followed by a punchy uphill section. Hoskins seized the opportunity to claw back time ahead of Sunday’s finale, beating Conolly by 1.4 seconds, while Goldsbury remained in touch just two tenths further adrift.
Heading into the final day, the fight for overall victory remains wide open. Conolly leads Hoskins by just three seconds, with Goldsbury in third, 12 seconds off the pace.
MONTESSINOS AND LIBNIK COMMAND JUNIOR CATEGORIES
Hugo Marti Montessinos is firmly on course to make it three wins from three in the Men’s Junior category. The Frenchman edged a tightly contested opening stage on Tutti Frutti, beating Šimon Lehký by just three tenths of a second.
Lehký’s challenge unravelled on stage two, where a problem cost him 31 seconds and effectively ended his bid for victory. Montessinos capitalised immediately, dominating the 9.90 stage with a commanding five-second margin over Italian Lorenzo Noferini, while Australia’s Harper Nelmes completed the top three.
The third and final stage of the day offered a glimmer of hope for his rivals. Canadian Nolan Weiss took the stage win, finishing 1.4 seconds ahead of Nelmes, with France’s Tommy Bougon in third.
Despite placing fifth on the final stage, Marti Montessinos remains firmly in control, carrying an 11-second advantage into Sunday’s four remaining stages. Behind him, the fight for the podium is intensifying, with Nelmes and Weiss separated by just one tenth of a second.
In the Women’s Junior category, Nežka Libnik delivered a flawless opening day. Fresh from her victory in the previous round, the Slovakian rider swept all three stages and holds a commanding lead of over one minute heading into the final day.
Elena Frei secured second place on the opening two stages and has established a clear gap in the runner-up position, while a tightly contested battle for third is unfolding between Bélinda Baudet, Ella Mårtensson and Romy Williams (Speed Project).
The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continues in Val di Fassa, Trentino on Sunday, with four decisive stages set to determine the UCI Enduro World Cup outcome. Click here for information on how to follow the final day of action.
