2025 Race Talk

Danny locked on the inside lines in the top section is insane.

What in the actual fuck? 

That super floaty stepdown at 1:05ish, my word...

Behind the scenes from the course build in La Thuile:

Val di Fassa EDR World Cup practice highlights package:

Its amazing they can ride at the pace day after day and stay in one piece... very rad!

We know how that Snowshoe whale tail ended up.

Black Shore, Châtel.  That corner's still raw and unmarked after all these years.

I hope the bike park has a game camera there to catch anyone sending their meat off that.  

Val di Fassa day 1 report:

Home favourite Nadine Ellecosta (Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Racing) and Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) hold the overnight leads in the UCI Enduro World Cup after a gruelling day of action in Val di Fassa – Trentino (Italy).

Ellecosta leads a three-way fight in the Women’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup - with a single second separating the Italian from Simona Kuchyňková (Cube Action Team) and Ella Conolly.

Łukasik was also put under pressure in the Men’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup and the overall series leader has a five-second lead heading into a daunting second day.

Meanwhile, series challenger Daniel Booker saw his hopes of glory in Val di Fassa – Trentino ended when a rock punctured his tyre and damaged the rim during a demanding third stage of the day.

Lacey Adams (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) has a healthy lead in the Women Junior UCI World Cup after a dominant day which saw the Australian win every stage.

Meanwhile, Men’s Junior UCI World Cup overall leader Melvin Almueis battled to take a slender overnight lead in that category.

Val di Fassa – Trentino has become a home for enduro events and held the first ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Championships last year.

The beautiful setting of the Dolomites – UNESCO World Heritage site are hosting seven stages over two days – consisting of a 60.1-kilometres course featuring 3,057m of descent and 3,316m of pedal ascent.

The opening day’s course consisted of 23.4 kilometres with three testing stages. The Pecedac and Fassa and Furious set the scene at 1-kilometre and 1.4-kilometre long respectively. Concluding the day was the 9.90 stage (3.5km with 37m ascent and 621m descent).

A tough climb at altitude started the day’s final stage which was followed by a steep and physically demanding descent.

ELLECOSTA DELIGHTS HOME FANS TO TAKE LEAD INTO DAY TWO

The Dolomites was the scene of an enthralling day of action in the Women’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup action.

German rider Raphaela Richter got her weekend off to a perfect start by winning the opening stage in the women’s category. Richter finished fourth in the opening round at Pietra Ligure, Finale Outdoor Region (Italy) before missing the subsequent rounds.

However, Richter returned to the series with a bang as her time of 2:30.3 was an impressive 1.9 seconds faster than home rider Ellecosta.

The second stage contained a short but technical wooded section which prevented riders finding their flow and including a section requiring pedalling at the bottom.

Overall series leader Conolly won the previous two rounds and was looking to extend her overall lead further.The British rider showed her power in the second stage to win the sector by 2.9 seconds ahead of Ellecosta and Kuchyňková (was a close third).

The longest stage of the day saw an intense battle for the overnight lead with Kuchyňková winning the sector - finishing just 0.47 of a second faster than Ellecosta and Conolly was third.

Italian home favourite Ellecosta has the overnight lead but is just 0.8 ahead of Kuchyňková and Conolly is also poised just one second behind the leader.

“It was so awesome,” said Ellecosta. “I had a really good day out there. I had so much fun in this race. The love all the trails. “I know that tomorrow is going to be a bigger day. I’m already keen for it. I’ll go home for some rest, eating and sleeping and then hopefully I can recharge the batteries for tomorrow. “Tomorrow is going to be really hard, really physical, there are some really long stages, but I’m looking forward to it.”

ŁUKASIK REMAINS CONSISTENT TO TOP OVERNIGHT STANDINGS

After four UCI Enduro World Cup rounds the Men Elite riders descended on Val di Fassa – Trentino looking to show their strength in the Dolomites terrain.

Australian Jack Moir (YT Mob) sat fifth overall after a consistent start to the season but missed the round due to injury.

After testing himself in downhill action in recent weeks Richard Rude Jr (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) returned to Enduro bike action.The American was pushing at the top of a close leaderboard during an intense opening stage but had to settle for second as Australian Booker went three seconds faster.

Meanwhile, Men’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup series leader Łukasik was fourth on the opening stage. However, the Polish rider cut his deficit to win the second stage by 0.7 of a second from Rude Jr as Booker placed third.

Łukasik then stamped his authority on the longest stage of the day to win the sector by 2.7 seconds ahead of Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity) and Rude Jr in third (5.02 seconds back).

A flat tyre and broken wheel for Booker after hitting a rock on the third stage ended his overall chances going into the second day.

Consistent riding throughout the day by Łukasik gives him a 5.2-second overall lead ahead of Rude Jr and Murray is 9.9 seconds back.

“It was pretty fun,” said Łukasik. “It was really good conditions and I felt like I could push way faster and harder on each stage. “I tried to keep the flow, it was a really good day. I’m looking forward to tomorrow when I expect it to be harder with two big stages.”

ADAMS AND ALMUEIS TAKE JUNIOR LEADS INTO SECOND DAY

Adams dominated the Women’s Junior category at both Loudenvielle – Peyragudes (France) and Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria)

The Australian was in a determined mood once again as she took an early lead on the opening stage. However, she was pushed all the way on the one-kilometre stage by French rider Lucile Metge who was just 0.4 seconds behind and American Chloe Bear (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) was also in close contention.

Adams then blew her rivals away in the second stage to continue her winning run and extend her overall lead over Metge to 2.5 seconds, while Bear had cemented her third place. The Australian also triumphed on the toughest stage of the day with her time over the 3.5-kilometre stage 12 seconds quicker than Metge.

Coming into tomorrow’s stages Adams has a healthy 14-second lead over Metge, while Bear sits 33 seconds back.

“It was a short first stage to start off and it was perfect conditions out there,” said Adams. “The second stage was a bit longer, but the conditions were amazing and it was super fun.“The third stage was pretty long, I was pretty fatigued halfway through but I just kept pushing through. I’m stoked to be leading.”

Meanwhile, Almueis has work to do in the Men’s Junior UCI World Cup category to extend his overnight advantage tomorrow.

Swiss rider Noé Forlin was a surprise early leader after posting an impressive time of 2:14 on the short opening stage. However, series leader Almueis was in close pursuit and sat just 0.4 of a second back.

Forlin then dominated his opposition in the second stage with his time five seconds faster than his opposition. Almueis finished fourth on the stage following a close competition for the top three positions.

However, mistakes on the final stage for Forlin saw him finish 14th on the sector and drop down the overall. Almueis took advantage winning the 3.5-kilometre stage by just 0.7 of a second from Maks Struna and Canadian Rhys Blair was third (6.9 seconds back).

Competition is tight going into the second day as Almueis has a 3.6-second overall lead ahead of Serbian rider Struna and the pair of Blair and Áron Babó are nicely placed 10 seconds back on overall.

“Today was a really good day for me in dry conditions,” said Almueis. “Yesterday during practice I didn’t like the first stage, but today was a very good result. The second stage was quite difficult for me with many pedalling at the bottom of the stage. “The third stage I tried to do my best and managed to finish second. Tomorrow, let’s see what we can do.”

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series continues on Sunday when the UCI Enduro World Cup competitors will take to the hills surrounding Val di Fassa – Trentino once again. With four stages and a course length of 36.7 kilometres all could change and everything is still up for grabs.

Maximum rear tire violence.

Its so weird they don't post these to the main sites.  It only came up as a recommended video.  Anywho decent video recap. 

@Between The Tape is back with another post-race analysis from Val di Sole. Some cool insights into how the race unfolded and what could have been for a lot of racers on a track that saw more separation between riders than the rounds before. Getting excited for La Thuile this coming week! 

https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/simulated-racer-where-was-race-won-and-lost-val-di-sole-analysis 

Final results and report from the Val di Fassa EDR World Cup:

29th June 2025 - UCI Enduro World Cup leaders Ella Conolly and Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) increased their overall margins by taking victories in Val di Fassa – Trentino. Both riders overcame searing temperatures and intense battles with their rivals to take honours after two days of racing in Italy.

 
Meanwhile, overnight leaders Lacey Adams (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Melvin Almueis overcame pressure from their opponents to clinch honours in the junior events.
 
The gruelling setting of the Dolomites – UNESCO World Heritage site resulted in thrills, spills and mechanicals for enduro competitors across the weekend.
 
Riders took on seven stages over two days – consisting of a 60.1-kilometres course featuring 3,057m of descent and 3,316m of ascent. The first three stages on day one resulted in close racing, with little to separate the riders heading into a long second day.
 
While the opening day posed some unknown and new stages the second day included four firm favourites on the enduro circuit - Titans, Glühwein, Tutti Frutti and Ciasates. The 36.7-kilometre course, also longer than the previous day, started with the three-kilometre Titans stage.
 
With line selection difficult a technical test faced riders on the stage, which included a steep descent in the Dolomites. Stage five (Gluewhwin) provided a more physical test with just 150 metres of descending in the 1.2-kilometre stage.
 
Another firm favourite came in the form of Tutti Frutti with riders facing a sandy descent and slated rocks before a steep climb to the finish. Finally, the day finished with the deciding 1.4-kilometre stage of Ciasates, which saw riders throwing caution to the wind and carrying speed over the roots.

CONOLLY FINDS RYTHM TO WIN ELITE WOMEN’S CATEGORY

The Women’s Elite UCI Enduro World Cup was finely poised following the opening day as Nadine Ellecosta (Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Racing) had a slender lead over Simona Kuchyňková (CUBE Action Team) and Conolly – as all three riders were separated by a second.

After struggling to find her rhythm the previous day, Conolly hit back on the opening stage of the day - winning Titans by 7.7 seconds and taking the overall lead.

Overnight leader Ellecosta crashed twice and lost 19 seconds on the stage to Conolly and also lost precious seconds to Kuchyňková.

Frustrated by her mishaps in the opening stage, Ellecosta hit back going quickest on the short Gluhwein stage but only pulling back a second on rivals Kuchyňková and Conolly.

The notorious Tutti Frutti stage proved pivotal to the weekend of racing as an impressive ride by Conolly saw her go 11 seconds faster than runner-up Ellecosta.

Meanwhile, a slow puncture for Kuchyňková saw the Serbian rider place fourth on the stage and lose 25 seconds on the leader.

Ellecosta also suffered a dent to her wheel at beginning of Tutti Frutti, but was able to keep the air in her tyre for the remaining stage.

British rider Conolly wrapped up the overall victory by winning the final stage, while home rider Ellecosta was second and Kuchyňková third on the weekend standings.

“I’m really happy to win here,” said Conolly. “It’s really cool to win in a place where I’ve not been on the podium before. It’s nice to finally have a good race here.”

“On day one I was struggling. There’s not a lot of flow on the trails, so you have to generate speed all the time. I was trying to be patient and carry speed, but obviously it wasn’t attacking enough. “I wasn’t that happy with my riding after day one. I watched some videos last night and saw how riders were attacking and sprinting out of every corner.”

“Every stage today I feel like I found that intensity which has been really nice. It has been super-hot and we’re at altitude so the sun feels really intense as well. Between every stage I was trying to stay on top of eating and drinking.”

ŁUKASIK MAINTAINS PRESSURE AS RIVALS FAULTER

Overall Men’s Elite UCI World Cup series leader Łukasik had a healthy five-second lead following the previous day’s shorter stages over Richard Rude Jr (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team).

Daniel Booker saw his hopes of overall ended the previous day when a rock punctured his tyre and damaged the rim during a demanding third stage. However, the Australian bounced back with a slender victory in the second day’s opening stage - Titans. 

Rude Jr finished second and clawed back over a second on leader Łukasik. The American increased the pressure on the series leader by winning the Gluhwein stage and reducing his overall deficit to Łukasik to 1.6 seconds heading into the final two stages.

Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity) held third overall and had an 11-second buffer over Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team).

The notorious Tutti Frutti high up in the Dolomites had a big impact in the weekend’s final standings. Third place overall Murray suffered a puncture at the top of the stage resulting in a long ride on a flat tyre resulting in him losing 33 seconds on the stage and a frantic ride back to the pits.

Canadian rider Melamed took full advantage winning the stage and pulling himself into the final podium position. Rude suffered a similar fate on Tutti Frutti puncturing and losing 12.9 seconds on the stage and finishing six seconds behind Łukasik.

Honours in the final stage went to Dutch rider Tristan Botteram (Simplon Trailblazers) who mastered the gruelling Ciasates stage.

A third-place finish on the stage for Łukasik secured him the overall victory. Despite crashing on the final stage Rude finished second overall 13.8 seconds back and Melamed completed the podium positions.

“I was super-happy after the first day,” said Łukasik. “I felt that I could push really hard and it was a smooth day. I then struggled to sleep and I was really tired in the morning. I tried to push as hard as the day before, but it was really hard with the heat and also the track was sketchy at times.”

“I had fun riding so I tried to stay smooth and had good momentum through the whole day. The altitude wasn’t the big issue, the bigger issue was the heat and it was a really hard day.”

ALMUEIS AND ADAMS SURVIVE SCARES IN JUNIOR CATEGORIES

Men’s Junior UCI World Cup overall leader Almueis held a slender overnight lead after an intense first day of riding.

Serbian rider Maks Struna sat just 3.6 seconds back from the leader overall after the first day and looked to overturn his deficit on the longer stages. Struna turned the tables on his rival gaining 3.3 seconds on his way to winning the opening stage of the day (Titans).

Gluhwein provided a close contest between the top riders but Struna again took victory to take the overall lead.

However, disaster struck for the leader on the notorious Tutti Frutti stage with Struna losing almost two minutes on his rivals and his overall challenge was over.

Frenchman Almueis regained the overall lead by winning the stage by 9.7 seconds ahead of Hungarian Áron Babó. 

Almueis had a commanding 21-second lead over Babó heading into the final stage of the weekend and Canadian Rhys Blair held third.

Overall leader Almueis also triumphed in the final stage to secure victory. A strong second day for Babó secured his second position overall and Blair took third.

“It was a really hot conditions, today with the weather,” said Almueis. “I’m really happy to win in Val di Fassa – Trentino, the guys behind me were really fast. I kept pushing on these two days and I’m really happy because it’s really hard.”

In the Women’s Junior UCI Enduro World Cup overnight leader Adams had a healthy lead of 14 seconds heading into Sunday.

French rider Lucile Metge was her closest challenger and increased the pressure by winning her first stage of the weekend at Titans.

As Adams struggled to find her form from the previous day, American Chloe Bear (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) took a slender win on the subsequent Gluhwein stage and Metge pulled back to eight seconds behind overall leader Adams.

Tutti Frutti turned the race on its head as Metge triumphed by 7.6 seconds and was just 0.4 of a second behind Adams overall going into the final stage.

On the final stage Adams did enough to win the stage by a second and the overall from a valiant Metge.

“I’m super stoked,” said Adams.“It was definitely a hard day on the bike. I had a bit of a slow start on stage four and five, but got the flow on the last two stages, so I was pretty happy with that.”

“It was a bit of a slow start, but I brought it back which was nice. The trails were in an awesome condition. There was a couple of loose sections on Tutti Frutti, it was pretty dry out there. The last stage was really fun, rough on my hands but fun.”

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series gravity events continue next weekend at the alpine ski town of La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta (Italy) when downhill and enduro riders will take to the slopes in search of glory.

I remember riding the lift up in the weeks leading up to to WC, looking over at that thing and thinking WTF?!

Oh sick. I'm going to Chatel in August. Will do my best not to send it off that corner. Or will make sure to get footage if I do. Lol

I've long wondered why jrs are only in gravity racing but the delineation is u23 for xc and road.  

In case anyone wants to see the whole NW Cup Whitefish track:

Race recap action from Val di Fassa:

Day 1

Day 2

Poor dog in the first race day shot, is like, fuck my life, with the chainsaw guy.

Any insights on what's up with Ella Svegby? No updates from her or the team since she joined TFR. Never showed up in any of their off season videos either. 

Yeah , fuck chainsaws at races. 
Fight me.

😋

Was at a race spectating and some goon was ripping a chainsaw with ear defenders on, someone walked up, pulled them off his head and said if I’ve got to listen to that then so have you!

She was registered for the Tennessee National on BikeReg on 1/19 but is not in the final results. She doesn't have any results from after MSA '24 on Roots&Rain either. So maybe injured between January and March? But she doesn't have anything on her Instagram since then either. 

@WynMasters do you know if she's hurt? Or if there's a private/family issue that's understandable too and we don't need to know details. It's just strange to not hear anything about a member of a WC elite team. 

No issue man, it’s quality whenever I’m racing to hear one. Ripping it while holding your dog on a short lead so it can’t get away from the noise is more the issue here. Maybe choose one option & leave the other at home? 🤷‍♂️

I'm sure I'll get hate for this, but I'm not sure a dh race is the place to bring your dog. I've had enough issues with trail dogs (I feel pretty strongly that most dogs shouldn't come along for the ride and aren't as great on the trail as their owners say they are) and not sure massive crowds full of yelling, screaming people is the place to bring your dog. 

Elite XC fitness takes longer to ascend to. The combo of cardiovascular & sport specific muscle development for that sport really doesn't peak until you've been training as an adult for longer. I may be misguided scientifically, but if anything women mature faster than men, so you'd think women's XC would be U21. 
DH...piss & vinegar are bleeding out a fellas pores at 19 🙃

Nah...either bring your dog & be a dog owner.  Or bring a chainsaw & be a nutter.  

Ok, let’s do this thing!

I had Rob Warner ripping on my Husqvarna 550XP at the Snowshoe World Cup!!