Pinkbike Primer: Everything You Need to Know Ahead of the First 2021 EWS Double-Header in Italy

The Enduro World Series will kick off this season with two back-to-back rounds in the mountain village of Canazei, nestled in the Dolomites. The EWS is largely back for a full season this year, though some of the COVID changes remain in place, with the EWS staying entirely in Europe and largely in Italy. The first block of the EWS season will include four races between two Italian venues, Val di Fassa and La Thuile.

As we haven't had a full EWS season since 2019, it's hard to know what to expect at these first two rounds. Some riders will have used the extra time to train hard and come back to racing stronger than ever, while others will have struggled with the break from the standard season structure. This trip to the high alpine will be an exciting chance to see which riders are coming into 2021 swinging.

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The Venue

Canazei is a picturesque ski town in the high-altitude Val di Fassa valley. The town itself has about 2,000 inhabitants and is one of Italy's main ski destinations, with lift access for both skiing and, of course, mountain biking. When the EWS first visited Canazei in 2019, racers found a bit of everything, with tight, rocky sections, loose dirt, wide-open bike park trails, woods, and steeps.

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The Format

The two races will take place Wednesday and Saturday on largely the same course, the difference being that the final stage of both Wednesday and Saturday will be raced an additional time Friday as a Pro-only prologue stage. The prologue will be included as part of Saturday's race. Thus, riders will practice the four stages Tuesday, race those four stages Wednesday, take a day off Thursday, practice and race one of those stages again as the prologue Friday, and race the remaining stages (including the prologue stage again) Saturday.

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The Stages

TITANS: 2.71km / 636m descent

The all-new Titans was introduced for the EWS in 2019. At that point, it hadn't seen bikes yet so was about as raw as could be. Now, we expect it to be ridden in a bit more and a bit higher-speed, but it will still feature some very tricky turns and off-camber sections, giving riders a plenty difficult Queen stage. Riders will hit Titans first on both Wednesday and Saturday, as Stage 1 for the first race and Stage 2 for the second (following the prologue Friday).

CIASATES: 1.24km / 218m descent

Ciasates was used as Stage 2 in 2019 and is almost entirely in the woods. The trail features lots of tight switchbacks, some pedally spots, and some awkward steeps, so although it's the shortest stage, there's potential for riders to lose significant time if they can't find a flow. Ciasates will be Stage 2 Wednesday and Stage 3 Saturday.

ANIMAL HOUSE: 3.41km / 473m descent

Animal House is new to the bike park and is the only stage this year that was not raced in 2019. It's a handbuilt, technical trail that includes some steeps with some choppy sections and steeps. As it hasn't been around long, we'll have to wait until after this weekend for a full video of this one. Animal House will be the penultimate stage for each race.

TUTTI FRUTTI: 6.55km / 980m descent

Tutti Frutti is the most iconic trail of the region, and with good reason. It's more than 6km long with nearly a kilometer of vertical descent, taking riders from the high alpine down into the woods. As the final stage for both races (Stage 4 Wednesday and Stage 5 Saturday) and the pro-only stage for Friday's prologue (Stage 1), racers will know Tutti Frutti quite well by the end of the week.

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The Weather

Friday, June 25 - Practice and Prologue
Partial sunshine with a thunderstorm // 17°C // 51% probability of precipitation // wind 6km/h

Saturday, June 26 - Race 2
Partly sunny // 17°C // 25% probablility of precipitation // wind 6km/h

Sunday, June 27 - Ride Day
Partly sunny and cooler; a thunderstorm around in the afternoon // 7°C // 40% probablilty of precipitation // wind 4km/h

Weather forecast as of Monday, June 21.

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Start List

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Val di Fassa 2019

What happened here last time? Well, it was definitely exciting. With temperatures pushing 30 degrees celsius and a brand new venue to figure out, the cards seemed stacked against many of the riders. The long day was heavy in mechanicals and injuries, but some riders put down stellar performances,

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Pinkbike Predictions

Richie Rude has been very, very strong at EWS races in the last few years, and I expect him to continue that. He won here in 2019 and has shown up strongly so far in 2021 with wins at three competitive US enduros, so we know he has it in him to pull off another win. Behind him, Jesse Melamed was on fire in 2020 and will likely come into 2021 wanting redemption for the last time he was in Val di Fassa, when he broke his ankle. He also has been busy this off-season, and in between putting out vlog episodes, I bet he has found time for some solid training. To finish out the men's predictions, I'm picking Sam Hill for third place for obvious reasons. Sam Hill's longevity and versatility in the sport make him a podium threat at all times.

In the women's field, I think the last couple of years have represented a changing of the guard, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and pick someone who hasn't (yet) won an EWS race. Andreane Lanthier Nadeau has been steadily picking up speed over the last few years and established herself firmly on the podium in 2019. Throughout lockdown, she seems to have made the most of things and has been working hard on her riding. I firmly believe she has the speed to win, and if that doesn't happen at this race, I bet she'll make it happen sometime this year. Next up, Morgane Charre will be giving ALN some serious competition, especially after her win at EWS Finale Ligure in September 2020. This will be her first mostly-non-COVID season with Pivot Factory Racing, and it will be a good chance for her to keep showing us what she can do. Rounding out the podium, Isabeau Courdurier is never one to forget. She has clearly been one of the most dominant enduro racers of the last few years. However, she said recently that she has been struggling since losing her father at the beginning of May, and this first race back will likely be an emotional one for her since he was a strong supporter at races.

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Fantasy League

It's that time again! Pick your riders for a chance to win prizes. We recommending finalizing your team before the first round to make sure you start the season with some points.

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Racing and Events Enduro Racing Pinkbike Primer Enduro World Series EWS Val Di Fassa 2021