Sam Hill Wins - Enduro World Series, Valberg Race Day 2

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From one great champion to the next. It was a real treat to watch these two battle it out this weekend as Nico Vouilloz announced he will be stepping back from full time racing after the EWS finals in Finale Ligure. -Lee Trumpore
Sam Hill, what can we say? This was the first enduro he properly focused all his energy on and he came out on top. Is this a sign of what we can expect next year? He's having fun riding and racing and has been loving all the tracks this year, and that's what it is really all about at the end of the day isn't it? -Sven Martin
This looks about as DH as it gets. Just with single crown forks. 180mm travel is more than he had when he won so many World Champs many years ago. What a privilege to watch Sam and Nico battle it out this weekend. -Sven Martin
Cecile Ravanel launching into the finish arena. It felt much like a DH race with a drop and big turn right into the race village. The spectators triple-deep lining the track. -Sven Martin
Isabeau with three stage wins and second overall today. It's good to see someone able to rise to the challenge of Cecile. -Sven Martin
Jesse Melamed. Seven stages, seven crashes. Winning the stage he never crashed on. All this and still on the podium. I feel there is still more to expect from him. When it all clicks, he may find himself on the top step. -Sven Martin
Florian Nicolai loves steep tracks with lots of tight turns. He thrives on awkwardness. His riding today bumped him up a few spots to 4th place taking the final stage win to sweeten the weekend's racing. -Sven Martin
Ines Thoma has had some ups and down this year but feels it's all starting to feel normal again. She snuck past Anita today into the final slot on the podium. -Sven Martin
Under 21 winner, Adrien Daily, is now virtually tied in the overall rankings with Sebastien Claquin, so it will be winner-take-all in Finale in a few weeks time. -Lee Trumpore
Sebastien Claquin sends it into the last corner of Stage 8, taking 2nd place in U21 and forcing a showdown for the title in a few weeks time. -Lee Trumpore
Big landscapes on stage six today which felt a little more like yesterday's stages. -Sven Martin
Bex Baraona with her best EWS result in her first full EWS season. Even managing a third place in a stage today. Fifth for the weekend. -Sven Martin
Jerome Clementz started the weekend off well with a second. One or two mistakes, a crash and riding too cautiously on a stage saw him slip back a little into 11th. It's so tight and competitive at the top you have to be full-on every stage. -Sven Martin
Food for 500. This is just part of about a six course meal put on for all riders, mechanics, family and volunteers. Quite amazing what they pull off and what is included by the organizers in these events. Bravo. -Sven Martin
Mckay Vezna, top finisher among the Giant boys. Boosting into 15th place. Not a bad result for the young rider who was given a chance to join the factory team this year. -Sven Martin
Interesting day for KrunkShox. He started the day off well, the only one to carry enough speed out of a rutted-out, off-camber, boggy corner to style it out in his race run, but it was all down hill from there though. A ripped off derailleur and a missed start followed by a broken chain ended his day. He did soldier on and completed all stages however. -Sven Martin
Julie Duvert took the win in the Junior Women's category by almost 30 seconds. Good enough for a Top 10 in the Elite Women, too. -Sven Martin
Martin Maes taking it to 11 on one of the sketchiest sections the whole week and taking the stage win along with it on stage five. He charged where other cruised cautiously. Once he finds out how to ride all the stages on these multi-day events, he will surely win an event. Let's not forget he still classifies as a Junior this year and next. -Sven Martin
Big hike a bike up to stage six. -Sven Martin
Richie Rude with a stage win today but seventh overall. The series title must be starting to weigh on him. He only has to finish Top 36 in Finale in two weeks to take the title. What a year he has had. -Sven Martin
Marco Osbourne with one of his best EWS finishes in 14th. Taking two Top 10 stage finishes along the way. -Sven Martin
Nico Vouilloz so close to a win. Finale will be his final race as a full time racer. At forty years old, he will give it one final push to go out with a win. It's going to be a tight one in Italy. -Sven Martin
Francois Bailly-Maitre ending the weekend with a third and a fifth bringing him to 8th overall. The French fans appreciating every bit of racing out here today. -Sven Martin
Oton had a less-than-ideal weekend with a 13th. He held on to second in the year overall though and he will be wanting to keep that in Finale. Foot out, flat out. -Sven Martin
Sam calling home with the good news. I'm sure his win has put a smile on many faces across the world today. -Sven Martin
Elliot Trabac took third in Under 21 men to make it an all-French sweep of the podium. -Lee Trumpore
Justin Leov is gradually returning to the form of last season, with several Top 10 stages and a 12th overall. -Lee Trumpore
The block pass didn't work but somehow they both managed to ride it out. Rubbing is racing. -Lee Trumpore
Isabeau Courdurier had to settle for another second place this weekend despite winning three stages. -Lee Trumpore
Cecile Ravanel has been almost unstoppable this year, winning again in Valberg and taking the EWS overall title with one race to spare. -Lee Trumpore
Greg Callaghan started his weekend with his first stage win of the season but a few costly mistakes pushed him back from third to sixth on Sunday. -Lee Trumpore
Anita Gehrig started the day in third, but lost time on the second two stages dropping her back to 4th overall. -Lee Trumpore
The depth of talent on the Rocky Mountain team is incredible. Alexandre Cure makes it three riders in the Top 10 this weekend. -Lee Trumpore
Florian Nicolai has flawless style on a bike, even when his line choice is a little less so. 4th place today for the flying Frenchman. -Lee Trumpore
Run what ya brung, and at the EWS this means carrying your own spares. Yoann Barelli takes no chances. -Lee Trumpore
Mud spikes and damp loam, it just doesn't get any better than this. -Lee Trumpore
Flat pedals and drifting inside lines to first place. Sam Hill at his absolute finest. -Lee Trumpore
Nico Lau didn't win the stage, but he certainly won this corner. Unfortunately the rest of his day also went a bit sideways as he fell from 5th to 9th on Sunday. -Lee Trumpore
Bottoms up. -Sven Martin
6 crashes on 8 stages for Jesse Melamed and somehow he still managed to finish third. -Lee Trumpore
Nico Vouilloz lives just across the valley and was by far the biggest attraction among the local fans. -Lee Trumpore
Sam Hill has cracked a few cases of victory champagne in his career, but that feeling never gets old. -Lee Trumpore
Almost three generations here...in a racing sense. That's a wrap from an incredible race in Valberg, France. -Sven Martin
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Description

Two generations of racing royalty do battle in France. Sam Hill edges out Nicolas Vouilloz at the 7th round of the EWS today in Valberg. Cecile Ravanel earns another women's victory and seals up the 2016 overall while Adrien Dailly takes a Junior victory.

Sven Martin and Lee Trumpore duck the flying roost and bring us the emotional story.

Valberg EWS Final Results

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