It may have been just the second World Enduro Series of the year, but Petzen-Jamnica could be in the running for one of the toughest of the season.
The five-stage, 40-kilometer course was booked by the aptly named Thriller, a wild body and bike test that spanned more than 1000m of descent. The events began with the Pro Stage on Saturday night, where Jesse Melamed and Isabeau Courdurier took control of this race from the moment they left the starting gate.
Courdurier won the Pro Stage comfortably, meaning he would start all four stages on Sunday with a nearly ten-second lead over Morgane Charre in second place. The trend would continue on Sunday, with Courdurier only losing one stage victory, but never losing the lead in the race. He finished the day with an impressive 20-second lead, forcing Charre to settle for second place. Ella Conolly has backed her first-round victory with another podium, finishing third.
In the men’s race, it was a similar story, with Melamed maintaining the lead throughout the race, although Richie Rude and Eddie Masters won stage victories. Melamed’s lead was unbeatable and he finished the race with an impressive 14-second lead over second-placed Rude, while just one second behind him was Jack Moir. The reigning champion showed that he had returned to running pace after shoulder surgery during the off-season, constantly riding all day to complete the podium.
In the men’s under-21, Luke Meier-Smith added to his impressive winning streak with another that saw him crush the competition with a 35-second lead, while two Canadians, Jonathan Helly and Seth Sherlock finished second. and third place respectively. In the women’s race, Emmy Lan made the most dominant performance of the day, winning the competition by more than three minutes, ahead of Tina Smrdel and Lily.
The series is now moving to the Italian Dolomites for the third round in Val di Fassa, where EWS runners will be back in action in just one week.