The Dolomite Alps of northern Italy will provide a steep test for the 12 New Zealand riders competing in the first-ever UCI Enduro World Championships this weekend.
Perched between 2,500m and 3,500m above sea-level, the courses at Val Di Fasso in the Trentino region will provide a super-challenging contest at high altitude, not only the fitness during liaisons but ability to recover for the exacting downhill timed runs.
Enduro racing is a mix of downhill and cross-country, over timed stages like a motor rally. The cumulative time over five descents, which comprise 14.1kms and 2343m of descending, will determine the enduro winner, with eight stages for e-enduro.
All riders also complete up to 42kms of riding, including 1200m of climbing, as they liaise between the end of one downhill stage and the start of the next. The e-enduro will complete 53kms with three additional short stages that include charging.
“It will definitely be a real fitness test at high altitude,” said New Zealand’s world No 3 ranked Charles Murray. “Of course it will still be a technical challenge on the descents but the liaisons will be important at this altitude.”
The Specialized professional wrapped up third place overall in the UCI Enduro World Cup in the French Pyrenees last weekend.
“We had several weeks off until last weekend’s final World Cup but only a week to prepare for the world championships which is a challenge for us all.”
There are nine kiwis in the elite men including the Pivot Factory pair of Edward Masters and Matthew Walker, both highly experienced in both downhill and enduro racing.
At the other end of the spectrum is 20-year-old Joe Millington from Rotorua, fresh from a junior men’s podium at the world cup last weekend.
Other regular enduro riders include Europe-based Cantabrian Nils Heiniger, Nelson’s Brady Stone and Christchurch’s Dylan Waghorn, who was ninth in the national championships.
Two young riders to watch are national under-21 champion Lachie Ross from Upper Hutt and exciting Hawkes Bay gravity rider, Tyler Waite, the national downhill champion, fresh off competing in France last weekend.
Inaugural national women’s champion Rae Morrison, the experienced LIV Racing professional ranked 10th in the world, will bring the curtain down on her fulltime racing career at the world championships, while fellow Nelson rider George Swift is expected to be competitive in the e-enduro race.
There is interest in the entry of double junior downhill world champion, Erice van Leuven, who wrapped up the World Cup overall honours in France last weekend. The Commencal les Orres professional also has a strong background in enduro, having previously won a world cup in Australia in 2023.
Training on the course is set for Friday and racing on Saturday local time, with forecasts for extremely cold conditions.