Trophy of Nations, the last EWS race of the year in Finale Ligure nations saw the the United States at the top which followed by Sweden and Canada in the Men’s category. In that female category it was French domination, while in the U21 men the Italians had to surrender to the New Zealanders who took the win. Complete Results. [Press Release] – For the first time in the history of the sport UCI jerseys and medals were on offer – and their prestige was reflected in the intensity of the racing on display on Finale’s iconic trails. As riders worked together in teams of three with their fellow country men and women, the sport was turned on its head as personal ambitions were shed in pursuit of national pride. Heartbreak for Team France Five stages high in the Ligurian hills stood between the racers and the podium, and 24 different nationalities battled it out in front of thousands of fans who lined the track to cheer on their home nations. In the men’s competition, the much hyped French Team’s hopes were dashed when Florian Nicolai (Canyon Factory Racing) flatted on the very first stage. Richie Rude led the USA men to victory Team USA put the hammer down straight from the start gate, and the theme was continued throughout the race – they proved untouchable. The winning team of Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Racing), Shawn Neer ((Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Racing) and Cody Kelley rode into the finish arena to a hero’s welcome securing their place in the history books. Team Sweden put up a valiant fight, with Robin Wallner (Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team) Zakarias Blom Johansen (Cube Action Team) and Alexander Kangas rewarded with second place. The podium was completed by Team Canada in third place, featuring Jesse Melamed (Rocky Mountain/Race Face Enduro Team), Remi Gauvin (Rocky Mountain/Race Face Enduro Team) and Rhys Verner (Kona Factory Racing). The perfect end to Isabeau Courdurier’s perfect season In the women’s race the times were tighter – going into the fifth and final stage of the day Team Great Britain led Team France by just under six seconds. However the combination of Isabeau Courdurier (Intense Mavic Cycles), Morgane Charre and Melanie Pugin proved too strong for the Brits, and Katy Winton (Trek Factory Racing), Bex Baraona (Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team) and Becky Cook (Orbea Enduro Team) had to settle for second place. Team Canada was comprised of Miranda Miller (Kona Factory Racing), Andreane Lanthier Nadeau (Rocky Mountain/Race Face Enduro Team) and Jennifer McHugh who rode consistently for some well deserved bronze medals. In the U21 competition Team New Zealand blew away the competition, with the combination of Brady Stone, John Richardson (BBCL NZ Arapi Enduro Team) and Nils Heiniger proving unstoppable. Team Italy, (Hannes Alber, Simone Pelissero, Matteo Saccon) delighted their home crowd with a second place finish, with Canada in third after fielding a team of Kasper Woolley, Jacob Tooke and Evan Wall. Team Great Britain was triumphant in the U21 Women – with Harriet Harnden, Ellen Flewitt and Polly Henderson leading from stage one and holding it throughout the race. Team USA (Anna Newkirk, Lauren Bingham and Isabella Naughton) finished in second. There was also an Industry Trophy on offer – with some of the biggest brands in mountain biking out to prove they were the fastest in the business. In the men’s competition Julbo Eyewear fielded an unbeatable team of Jerome Clementz, Fabien Barel and Francois Bailly Maitre. In second place was Ibis Cycles, featuring Lewis Buchanan, Niklas Wallner and Evan Geankoplis. E*13 Urge BP Enduro Team took third with their team of Clement Benoit, Theo Dumas and Baptiste Gaillot. In the women’s Industry Trophy it was the aptly named Les Trois Baguettes (Julie Duvert, Estelle Charles and Morgane Jonnier) who took the win ahead of the Vittoria Team Girls (Alessia Missiaggia, Francesca Luccini, Virginia Cancellieri). In the mixed category Tribe Rocky France-Urge BP scooped the win with their team of Levy Batista, Charlotte Rey and Irenee Menjou. Second place went to Marin Bikes who fielded a team of Matt Jones, Morgane Such and Jonny Ashelford with Team Lapierre in third – Nico Vouilloz, Chloe Gallean and Yannick Pontal.

Subtitles available! Click on the CC (closed caption) button below the video. In Between The Races is a series of videos, brought to you by Shimano, that follows the lives and the thoughts of the athletes when they are outside of the tape. In these videos you’ll get to know the riders and how they deal with racing back to back races; what goes through their minds, what are they doing when the spotlight is dimmed, when the pressure is off? How do they maintain their levels of performance? Or how do they turn things around? In this episode, we follow Greg Callaghan of the Cube Action Team from the aftermath of the Val di Fassa round to the start ramp of the race in Les Orres. For Callaghan the season to this point wasn’t what he hoped it would be, with a 15th and a 21st place in the first two rounds of the Enduro World Series and a forced DNS at the Madeira leg of the season due to a foot injury. The Irishman returned to racing in Canazei, but without the results he aimed for. It was to be expected, coming of a serious injury, but disappointing nonetheless. So the time in between the races in Italy and France was one for re-calibration and reflection. We join the Enduro pro in these tough times and see him search for cooling, the best bed and a better feeling on a brand new bike.