Despite the uncertainty of the pandemic, our riders are eager to return to racing. After all, racing is in the DNA of the Orbea FOX Enduro Team. The fierce team of athletes is reentering the race season with new teammates, revived enthusiasm and more motivation than ever.
This marks our fourth season in the top Enduro category at the international level, with Primoz Strancar continuing to lead the team. “At the competitive level, we will fight to conquer all the podiums without forgetting that we represent a sport on the rise. Our performance can drive the growth of MTB.”
Sexteto de lujo
Damien Oton and Vid Persak will once again lead the team in the Enduro World Series, with Laura Charles joining their efforts. As one of the Orbea FOX Enduro Team’s greatest bets for the upcoming season, Laura fits perfectly with the philosophy of our team’s objective. “It’s a new challenge, and I’m sure that this experience will help me improve in every way. On my part, I want to contribute to the team and qualify for a Top 5. That would be incredible,” she stated with regards to goals this season.
“It’s a new challenge, and I’m sure that this experience will help me improve in every way. On my part, I want to contribute to the team and qualify for a Top 5. That would be incredible,”
– LAURA CHARLES
Another new face, whose appearance debuted on the Pinkbike Academy, is Evan Wall, a 21-year-old Canadian who won the opportunity of a lifetime on the mountain bike reality series. After his successful victory on the show, and thanks to the partnership between Pinkbike Academy and Orbea, Evan joins the five other riders on the Orbea FOX Enduro Team and rounds out the National Rider trio alongside Edgar Carballo and Gabriel Torralba. “I am focused on training programs that will help me gain confidence and improve my technique. This is the basis for having a great season,” said Evan of his pre-season plans.
“I am focused on training programs that will help me gain confidence and improve my technique. This is the basis for having a great season”
– EVAN WALL
These six riders will go all-out on June 23 when the 2021 EWS lands in Canazei, Italy for its first stop. Damien, Vid and Laura will participate in the full 2021 race schedule; Evan will participate in all the 2021 Canadian and US races; and Gabi and Edgar will hold down the European calendar.
To give them the best chance of claiming the podium at every race throughout the season, the team will start the season with another ace up their sleeves: the Orbea Rallon, our seamless competition-ready bike for riding at the highest level and designed to shave a few seconds off the clock. Although the Rallon is their official bike for racing, all riders will have other Orbea models at their disposal — from road to mountain — to ensure their training is at the top of their game. And we certainly can’t forget about the Wild FS, our electric MTB ebike that will also be competing in the EWS-E for the second year in a row.
Unconditional support
This year, the Orbea FOX Enduro Team continues its relationship with all the incredible brands from last season while also welcoming Bluegrass Eagle, who will supply the team with helmets. Stated team manager Primoz Strancar: “Bluegrass Eagle’s support allows us to maintain our team structure and zero in on our goals that wouldn’t be possible without their support. The confidence they express in the work we’ve done is encouraging. We want to thank the support we’ve received from our main sponsor, FOX, and from all the other brands: Race Face, Fizik, Maxxis, CrankBrothers, Galfer and Vaude.”
We also are fortunate to continue working with Kike Abelleira on content, and we welcome Sandro Szukat as the head of our video team, who will spearhead even more innovative video campaigns and content throughout the year.
With the excitement of the 2021 Enduro World Series season also comes the uncertainty of the pandemic. The competitive spirit of the Orbea FOX Enduro Team is not above the health and safety of everyone involved with the team, and promoting responsible cycling will play a big part in the team’s season.