26 March, 2018

ORBEA ENDURO TEAM:OUR TURN AT THE EWS!

The first eight rounds of the Enduro World Series faced our bikers from the Orbea Enduro Team off against their competitors in 6 races covering 34 km of special segments and 5,300 m negative elevation change and 38 km of links with a 2,900 m climb, in which Becky Cook was the top qualifier, managing a fantastic 10th place in the overall at the end of the competition.

The Brit started off the first day of competition finishing the first three special segments in tenth place, the same position that she would hold at the close of the Enduro World Series weekend, with a total time a little more than 6 minutes behind the first place rider. Bravo!

Reigning Spanish enduro champion Gabriel Torralba ended the first day of competition in 66th place, improving his times the next day with a total time of 1h 02’ 59” and 56th place, which positioned  him as the top Spaniard in the entire competition at the end of the first series of the EWS.

Less lucky was the young rider Javier San Román, who after a tumble and a breakdown on the first day of competition saw his goals cut short in the Orbea Enduro Team’s shot at the elite segment. In spite of everything, Javier was able to soak up the very best enduro atmosphere and enjoy a learning experience at a top-level competition, both on and off the tracks.

After their debut, our bikers will take a break for a few days to gather their strength for the next EWS series, which will be held this weekend in Colombia on March 31-April 1.Specifically, our bikers head into the first wooded area in Alcaldia de Manizales,  and finish off the competition with an urban circuit though the town of Manizales.

Ready for more Enduro?

Preview

Lo Barnechea (Santiago, Chile) is hosting the first competition in the Enduro World Series: a mountainous area full of rocks, dust and adrenalin-boosting slopes where the Orbea Enduro Team will once again give it all they’ve got.

The first red-letter date on the Orbea Enduro Team calendar is already here: the first race in the Enduro World Series, which will be held this weekend in Lo Barnechea, north east of Santiago.

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for so eagerly since we kicked off the project at the team presentation in Mallabia last December. The goal for the EWS inaugural event will be to finish as high as possible in the rankings, but it won't be easy. We’re facing off against the best bikers in the world and on top of that, one of the most demanding terrains on the circuit: a range that can only be described as hostile, rocky, lunar and dusty, with breathtaking slopes. We’re talking about the Andes!

Chile is hosting for the third time a race in the top level international enduro competition, a category that is becoming more and more popular in this country, as confirmed by our Orbea dealer in Chile, Cristian Lathrop, of Rock & Road Cycling.

There, they live this event with the pride of being one of the world capitals in this discipline. And there’s no wonder why, judging from the magical landscape of the country, with 4,200 km of Andes mountains that literally make it possible to have ‘mountains anywhere in the country,’ as well as many installations oriented towards enduro. Other international events of great prestige, such as the Andes Pacifico or CTM Enduro Race, are more examples of the Chilean passion for this discipline.

This is the first time that the EWS visit the capital city of Santiago, and great support is expected from the public: around 10,000 fans, which is an excellent figure for an enduro event.

Maximum motivation

The Orbea Enduro Team returns to the Enduro World Series with 4 international-level bikers and highly motivated, in spite of the fact that race. His teammates Becky Cook, Gabriel Torralba and Javier San Román will lay it all out to make up for his absence and dedicate a good result to him. Since the stage last January in Le Boulou, all four members of the Orbea Enduro Team and the team’s technical staff have formed a tight-knit group.

The good vibes are also justified by the latest results obtained by our riders: Gabriel earned a victory in the Scratch and Sub-23 category at the Aragón Enduro Championship, where Javier came in 2nd place. Gabriel also came out on top in the sub-23 category in the first race of the Spanish Enduro Open (third place in Scratch).

To tackle this first race of the EWS, the team will rely on our enduro beast: the Rallon R5, a machine that continues to win the hearts of the media around the world. With it, the intrepid bikers of the Orbea Enduro Team will need to fight their way through a total of 6 races with 34 km of special segments and5,300 m of negative elevation change, as well as38 km of links with a climb of 2,900 m.

Over this abrupt course, they will make the most of the work they did on the suspensions (a 160 mm Fox 36 Float Factory fork, combined with a Fox DHX2 Factory shock), working shoulder to shoulder with the technicians from Fox during the preparatory stage last January. And to deal with the large collection of rocks that await them in Lo Barnechea, the Orbea Enduro Team riders will benefit from the “Protective Rim Strip” technology developed by ENVE, which eliminates the probability of flat tires. The only thing our bikers will need to worry about is pulverizing race times. But according to the locals, this will not be easy.“Be careful with the range; it spares no one.”

POC will also help ensure the safety and better performance of our riders with top-quality gear and protection, in addition to Rotor, Maxxis, Galfer, CrankBrothersSelle Italia and Clif Bar.

To keep up on all the news on this first enduro competition, stay tuned to the social networks of the Orbea Enduro Team (Facebook / Instagram) and keep an eye on orbea.com. The Enduro World Series is here!