FULL Highlights Rd 4 | Petzen/Jamnica, Austria/Slovenia, 2018

Round 4 of the 2018 Enduro World Series was intense – just as you’d expect for the midway point of the series. The men’s race had some of the tightest times to date – which is pretty incredible after two huge days in the saddle and nearly 100km pedalled. Border crossings, underground liaisons and technical, steep stages – this was a race like no other!

[Music] hello it’s round four and for the first time in EWS history we’re going to give you two countries for the price of one [Music] Rhine for their none has not come round quickly once Racing’s over at the endless weekend we will reach the halfway point of our season this race is said to be a two-day affair contested over six fast and furious mountain stages so high we managed this act of geographical sorcery well we’re right on the border on both days we’ll see the first two stages contested in Slovenia before the research liaison back across to finish them in Austria as ever that is enough talk let’s get stripped on the stage one and start the action [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] it was really flat and physical she really really pushed off on a lot of strength in my legs tonight I smashed my leg yesterday during training [Music] [Music] [Applause] to see the ravenel got straight into the swing of things in stage 1 before when ahead of Kitty went in and Melanie puja and the man’s Reyes Belgium’s Martin Mays was in no mood for hanging around and went fastest Damien autumn was second and Florian Nikolai was furred the weather was warmer compared to Laurie enough practice but it did a little to brighten up the brutal test which lay ahead on stage 2 this weekend we’re being hosted by the black hole Bike Festival and if that’s so in slightly ominous it’s cuz it kind of is this area along the Austria Slovenian border is famous for its mining but we will be digging a little deeper until that later on believe it or not this is the first time on the calendar for both countries and they are keen to prove that they can caught up with the mountain biking big boys and it’s said to be a tough debut to with over 96 kilometers andreas distance and over 5,000 vertical meters at the standing Stage two is the jungle and although far from massive a two point five four kilometers in length it is one of the most arduous in the race the third stage is one the jewels in the crime the new EWS trail and peten data kicks off in Slovenia with a flu and loom fair since the age for stage 5 is called lost goat and is comfortably the shortest at the weekend at one point eight kilometers and then after that it’s back across the border again into Austria and the mammoth six kilometer long thriller but perhaps one of the biggest challenges will be the sheer length of all those brutal liaisons I ask any EWS aficionado and they’ll probably tell you the biggest news story from last season was Sam Hill winning the overall title take a bit deeper however I’m one of the big stories was the fact that Ritchie rude the back-to-back champion in 2015 and 2016 didn’t win arias at the last round in all over France the chump was back however and we saw him writing out his very best well Ritchie Ruud is currently off the overall slit back in 12th position but the big news in the Adrian day won the big contenders last season is I a broken elbow sustained in between the rinds to seal ravenel perfection as always leads the women’s risk having yet to lose a wrist in 2018 edible chord area is securing her slot as best as the rest and you get the feeling that if anybody’s gonna challenge to seal then it’s gonna come from her fellow French woman I’m with that let’s head back to the action on stage 2 Stage two steep top session led into a flatter wetter lower half which then wind its way along a riverbed [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Oh as chaotic as he gets and lost my shoe buckle and my basel bit hyper play for a tough day stayed on my bike for that one huh good wild ride though man those who just blimey [Music] yeah okay slippery [Music] [Applause] I was okay until the last wood section where I rolled most of that on my balls other than an analyst okay just super physical I’m glad to get these two out of the way and go over to pepsin and get the fun started to me that’s nothing zero to suffering no fun on the bike try to stay focused and keep the motivation I [Music] [Applause] thank these first two probably my physical every day just so I can stay in touch or somewhere there about some rhythm with odor date the second stage was through many of the toughest of the weekend and as we’ve seen in the past that’s all the excuse that Sam Hill seems to need to put some serious time into the competition meanwhile in the women’s melanie pooja was on the move and was nice at 14 seconds behind cecilia Van Alen second Katie Winton however it was in trouble a 20 from the stage after some horrible crashes saw her plummet in the overall standings the newly opened EWS trio was the third of the day and easily as long as dropping over a thousand meters ingredient [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yeah probably one of the tougher days so play for anything nothing so we’re not [Music] well it was quite a long day on the cellar like we tried for hours but the final one was really nice [Music] [Music] [Music] I’ve gotta say stages one and two definitely not on my bucket list stages to race but somehow I pulled it out of the bag and then I’m winning this enduro stuff so I’ve played a cool calm collected in that last one in the top [Music] [Applause] Cecille set up white stage free with her passion and won the stage by over forty seconds her overnight lead ahead a visible car derriere was night comfortably over a minute and a half at Easton bottle was shaping up behind the leaders as Casey brown and Melanie pooja were slugging it off refered Sam Hill finished a day with a narrow win just 4/10 of a second ahead of Eddie masters whilst local hero feet per sock was a further free tense back with a sensational ride which delighted the home fans the hills lead was not a slender 9.8 seconds from Mays with a torturous 45 kilometres of racing awaiting the riders in the morning day two started with a rider favor on the perfectly cultivated lomi turns of the ridge I just want to know something new about you [Music] you’re like loadings like rotting in the clouds and every corner has like a hole you coming in and out of agency saying I had a little crush on the top just way more roots sticking out now not that one it’s tough redemption is never ending at the moment tell me something behind the system so it’s very good for me my goal is I don’t like very much this kind of pride I don’t feel ready the floor [Music] let’s do an awesome no man I’m doing here you know it’s even better with the crowd out there and they are cheering and they are firing me up [Music] I feel really good on the stage didn’t make any mistake Lucia when the SAMCRO’s are finished buying as well and that way it turned out to be worthwhile hell is sustained an ankle injury in the last test day one and if it was a genuine weakness then Mays pounced on her and took seven seconds from the LZ on stage for the Reyes was nigh on uncharacteristically Cecilia Vanel dropped the stage one with victory going to Isabelle court area that one provided some useful breathing space between her and Pooja and after stage four it was time for yet another EWS first in 2018 a 25-minute liaison through a mineshaft Stage five also known as lost goat was to be the shortest of the Reyes and featured the smallest vertical drop of dated [Music] I know what happened just my front front tire slip is a pretty short stage and it’s quite some downhill so I think hello some but it happens [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I’m just trying to enjoy myself and I’m enjoying myself [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Peter crash ended up better than to the stage more funny you know my faster who is many line in the aquifer you know I’m not holding back just wanna get that win and you know I gotta keep pushing for it [Music] [Applause] [Music] a lot better like our tax a big long Spears no I mean what 15 years to a minutes to you okay poor dane for me it’s gonna be long at Stage four had seen sassy Ravenel caught unawares and Stage five saw her back to her scintillating best her lead Nikon like to over one minute and forty seconds in the man’s racetracks weary Cunningham conferred in a stage almost clearly having a good day Hales leading overall was cut again to a night tempered of one point six seconds could the champ hold on or was May’s weird for a second every WS victory set to continue it was all to play for as it began the lengthy liaison back to pet sin’ the frailer looks set to deliver [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] reaction cycles Martin Mears crossed a line at the bottom of stage sex huffing through one everything other than his final bid secured the win but put Sam Hill under pressure and it only seems to bring out the very best in him the champ found nearly nine seconds on the Belgian on stage six to lock up his third win of the season I’m not that we’re keeping kind but he went two seconds quicker than he predicted at the end of stage six Robin Wallner secured a third-place finish ahead of the impressive Cunningham vade Park was welcomed home in a credible fifth place and the women’s race is sirivennela took her fifth stage of the weekend by some margin to win the race by two and a half minutes from Isabel Cordle yer kisi Brian secured a podium appearance with a final stage push Aniston was fifth was Kitty Winton pulled all the Gaillard to finish an impressive six place after her troubles on day one [Music] the amore WSS season we see on the enduro bike again yeah I’ll be back I’ll be back later in the season big distances this weekend as well how did you find that you know I just I had my music speaker in my bum bag and I cruised it was fine it was just like listen to a playlist and it tracks a certain crowd to like people hang out it’s a party out there there wasn’t mad at all I kind of settled in with the 4th of May before or fifth going up for the last stage but I sort of knew in the back of my head that it was like the main stage of the day pull lay some good points on Damien in the overall as well yeah pretty happy with that two podiums in eight years good enough for me you hurt yourself early on the weekend in practice so another risk you’ve had the right through the pain barrier really yeah hope it won’t be the same in that you know I’m quite tired of enjoying myself during the practice I was looking for a wall to save some points and I’m really happy to be second tonight she sail another race another one you must be really happy yeah I’m a peer it was really tough weekend after practice I say oh my god it’s impossible for me to finish this race because my training is not the best I did more news and Andros the halfway point a year you’ve yet to lose a race at what point are we allowed to start talking about the perfect season okay that’ll do you I will see you there then Martin second place today happy without another second place I think it’s my eighth second place it’s a bit disappointing I was really going for the win no I was feeling fast I couldn’t have gone faster so that’s what I mean you totally deserved it and he’s a he’s a champion tough battle and race with mountain ace yeah really happy to put it all together on the last stage and come away with the win I tried not to rush it and just carry speed and I don’t know I feel good on on the long runs like that so I felt confident back at the start last year presumably you’d have bitten someone’s hand or for a free wins out of four at the halfway point looking forward the second half the year yeah definitely I think all the we’ve got coming up for the rest of the season together really good three wins out of four races couldn’t couldn’t ask for much more and so at the halfway point of the season that championship looks like this Sam Hill leads a man’s courtesy of that trio of wins Robin Wallner and DME not on roomie in the lock to gallon second whilst Martin Mears continues to recoup points after that DNF in Columbia winning four races in a row will tend to do wonders for your championship aspirations and Cecile Ravenel is setting pretty at the top lekars with a flawless 1600 points zaboo criteria as yet to finish lower than second while skitty wenton salvaged points helped to keep her in third [Applause] Canyon factory and Giro team maintain their steely grip of the teams championship ahead of Ibis cycles and urea steam whilst for the first time in 2018 chain reaction cycles maverick are now up and little free and so there we have it then at the end of racing at Rome for we have reached the halfway point of our season and what better way to celebrate that then with a pair of wins from Cecilia Avenel and Sam Hill the seal is still perfect for the year and Sam has won three or four rounds can anyone stop them in the second half of the season tune in next time from the Tweel Utley to find out [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music]