EWS Olargues & Petzen Jamnica Cancelled, Italian Rounds to Bring Season to a Close

Sep 8, 2020
by James Smurthwaite  
Ruaridh Cunningham pushed hard this week and the pieces all came together. Fourth here in Slovenia Austria.

The EWS has announced today that the Orlargues and Petzen Jamnica Rounds, which were originally scheduled to take place in October, have been cancelled and the rounds in Pietra Ligure (September 19/20) and Finale Ligure (September 26/27) will now bring the season to a close.

The EWS kicked off the international race season in Zermatt with a joint EWS and EWS-E race and it will now run a three round series that will be finished by the end of September. The decision to cancel the rounds in France and Austria / Slovenia was made in agreement with the local organising committees of each venue, where it was mutually decided that the two Italian rounds are a natural end point for the 2020 season.

Isabeau Courdurier navigates the tight street of Olargues on Stage 4.

Before the end of the month, Pietra Ligure will make its EWS debut with a pro-only round of the EWS and EWS-E then Finale Ligure will reclaim its place as the traditional season ender with a round of the EWS and the Rider Trophy. Neither of these rounds will count towards overall titles as these have already been postponed this year.

bigquotesWe’ve finished our season on the iconic coastal trails of Finale Ligure since the sport’s international launch in 2013. With the addition of a double EWS and EWS-E and a whole new trail network and community in Pietra Ligure, Liguria is going to provide some incredible racing later this month.

It’s with this positive spirit and support from our local and industry partners around the world that we have made the decision to wrap up a challenging year for everyone in what has become our spiritual home. We’ve shown that we can host international bike races in this era and learned a lot that has empowered us for 2021. A heartfelt thank you to everyone for the support and we look forward to four great bike races here in Pietra and Finale to round out 2020.—Chris Ball

Riders entered into the Montagnes du Caroux and Petzen Jamnica races will be contacted directly.

Posted In:
Racing and Events Coronavirus Enduro World Series


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83 Comments
  • 88 0
 Sam Hill can see into the future and made the right choice.
  • 70 0
 Sam Hill goes 88 miles an hour.
  • 26 4
 @glasvagas: Sam Hill is the new Chuck Norris.
  • 8 1
 @glasvagas: 1.21gigawatts of electricity!!!!!
  • 17 0
 @jimoxbox: 1.21 gigawatts is Sam Hill's Power Meter reading!
  • 23 0
 @glasvagas: he can stand faster than men can run.
  • 43 0
 It's a minor miracle we got any EWS races at all. At least the racers will get to enjoy nice weather and gelato.
  • 21 0
 Enduro Europe Couple
  • 11 1
 So they cancelled two rounds just for the sake of tradition? I mean they could´ve said it was due to Covid (especially true for France) and everybody would´ve understood that. But now I´m kind of confused, because the explanation is...interesting.
  • 2 0
 is politically correct..corporate appropriate.
  • 8 1
 They can pull off almost 3 solid weeks of racing for the TdF but can't run a couple of Enduro races?
Makes me wonder. Local conditions?
  • 17 0
 $$$$$$$
  • 8 0
 The TDF teams are in a bubble for 3 weeks with no outside contact. Impossible to do this with the EWS venue changes. One other note, the TDF Director came back with a positive test today and has been removed from the event so....
  • 6 0
 @mfoga: Boom. There's a *lot* of money in the TdF (for good reason - it's a legendary and spectacular world-wide phenomenon), and not so much in mountain bike Enduro. Shame, but we love a niche sport.
  • 3 0
 Also heading into winter as its far later in the year than usual so the two cancelled rounds may have been washed/snkwed out? Zermatt didn't exactly go as planned.
  • 9 1
 Where are all the worldwide government conspiracy comments? Those people all banned now?
  • 7 0
 Aaaaaand it's gone..
  • 4 0
 Now let see if the Sunn Epic Enduro (planned the day before the EWS, also in Olargues) will be maintained ...
  • 4 7
 I think EWS and DH races are relatively easy to manage.. Zermatt was easy to manage.. now.., I saw as an espectator an Ironman race that just took place in Les Sables D'Olonne.. that was irresponsible IMO...
  • 6 12
flag 5afety3rd (Sep 8, 2020 at 9:17) (Below Threshold)
 @Lagr1980: says someone who never managed a race
  • 14 2
 @5afety3rd: in COVID times... and my comment goes to answer on the consistency of cancelling this race and if the race the day before goes on or not.. and crowds, protocols etc.. P.S I didnt know my resume is on my pinkbike homepage !
  • 4 0
 Gutted that they've cancelled Olargues (with one r)
Let's see how many EWS riders decide try out the Epic enduro...
  • 2 0
 "Nous nous efforçons de maintenir le Sunn Epic Enduro dans un contexte difficile, le coté sportif doit l'emporter pour ne pas laisser les athlètes au bord du sentier... Comptez sur nous"

Fingers crossed ! I missed the first EWS in Olargues (as a spectator, it's my native village) due to a last minute hospitalization, and now this one... At least, the Epic Enduro would end well a whole season of frustration and hopes.
  • 1 0
 @Clemounet: I'm still hoping for our kids that their race is still going to happen. Anyway, Lamalou this Sunday ????
  • 3 0
 The petzen/jamnica EWS was the only proper race for me this season.. i was already so excited to finally get to race Frown
  • 2 0
 we were looking forward to see you and all other race at our trails.
  • 4 0
 Förbannade jävla helvete!!!!!
  • 5 2
 None of it should be happening
  • 1 1
 Maybe we will see in the 2 remaining races more racers riding both EWS and EWS-E to get more racing in and more sponsor exposure this season
  • 2 1
 Was it all because of covid? Or was as small part of it due to weather concerns?
  • 12 82
flag mildsauce91 (Sep 8, 2020 at 9:29) (Below Threshold)
 Neither. The Liberal Agenda. duh.
  • 25 14
 @mildsauce91: here we go..... Roll on November 4th, so the world doesn’t have to listen to these morons anymore.
  • 23 12
 @lev3000: pretty sure its sarcasm.

And while I'm very much not a Trump supporter, I would bet that he wins. In the USA, incumbents have a huge advantage, plus Kamala Harris is too polarizing and will hurt, not help, Biden. I'm saying this strictly from an analytical perspective, not a political one.
  • 17 7
 @hamncheez: I hope you’re wrong!
  • 25 1
 @lev3000: surely...SURELY, I thought, the sarcasm here is obvious.

but....don't call me Shurly
  • 1 0
 @mildsauce91: yeh sorry, missed that one. Bit battle weary maybe!?
  • 2 1
 @hamncheez: I hate to say it but I agree with you.
  • 7 0
 @lev3000: Haha, no worries. the comment was a little bait-y. sounded funnier in my head
  • 3 1
 @lev3000: if everyone that hates trump and Biden voted for a third candidate(COUGH Jo Jorgensen), that candidate would win in a landslide.

what's everyone waiting for?
  • 2 0
 @conoat: she's a great candidate
  • 1 2
 @conoat: IMO it's important that Biden wins by as much as possible, regardless if you're in a state that's gonna vote blue anyways. Trump is certainly planning on contesting the election, because if he loses he's open to prosecution and may spend the rest of his miserable life in prison. So, he has nothing to lose and would rather see civil war than leave office. Vote for whoever you want in 4 years, please vote Biden 2020.
  • 1 1
 @conoat: She literally just tweeted "get the federal government out of the ownership of lands". That would be a complete disaster for mountain bike trail access in the Western US if it ever happened, our sport would be over outside of private bike parks and resorts.
  • 2 0
 @dthomp325: No it wouldn't. Most land is wilderness and bans cycling. I visited Texas for work, and joked to my Texan coworkers who bike about how crappy Texas is because no mountains ( I live in Utah). After riding Spider mountain, in Austin, I had to eat my words. With only 400 feet of vert they build better trails than 90% of the trails in Utah. All the new trails in Utah are all IMBA, Gravity logic, government approved garbage. Private is better.
  • 2 0
 @hamncheez: Agreed. Super disappointed by new GL trails at Winter Park, total garbage and they closed one of the only tech trails on the mtn to put up a crappy GL flow trail. The work they did initially at WP years ago was so much better, wish they would bring that style back!
  • 1 1
 @hamncheez: Most federal land is NOT wilderness, most federal land is forest service and BLM land, which encompasses nearly all the trails in Moab, Sedona, and the rest of the rocky mountain states, even access to XC trails at ski resorts is only possible because it's leased fs land and the federal government enforces public access. You want to drop into Wasatch Crest or literally anywhere near Park City? That's only possible because the ski resorts leasing the fs land are required to provide public access.
  • 4 1
 That was quick
  • 2 0
 Ugh F 2020, I miss bike racing..
  • 1 0
 Maybe ews should just give it a miss and tell racers to return home see you in 2021
  • 4 2
 Proud of the mtb industry here. Shows we can make good decisions.
  • 1 0
 Should’ve brought the ews to Oklahoma or Florida n I guarantee you this would not have happened lol
  • 2 0
 Ha. Would have had to build some montañas though...
  • 1 0
 @MtbSince84: not really southern Oklahoma it’s perfect for mountain biking, it looks like Colorado n just so you know there’s like 3 double black diamond trails in South Beach Miami alone
  • 1 0
 @lalientoxc: No lack of white powder too. Prime conditions to hit some gnar.
  • 1 0
 @roma258: well I thought rednecks were more into meth bc it’s cheaper but if you’re interested in white powder that’s on you dude
  • 4 2
 No racing fine but it's O.K. to send our kids to school...WTF!!
  • 1 0
 thats a big WTF... we could just not send them to school, schools are full blast here in france, continuously, 5 days of the week.
  • 1 0
 @Lagr1980: thank f*ck, cos Covid didn't manage to kill us, but I might have done had schools remained close.
  • 3 2
 Why is the MTB sporting world struggling so much compared to other sports?
  • 10 1
 Due to the fact that its international? Traveling is certainly still a big concern for people.
  • 2 1
 International travel.
  • 13 0
 Money
  • 2 0
 Tour de France just announced a bunch of positive tests even though they are using a "bubble". Last EWS had positive tests. I think it shows this type of event with different locations on the calendar is not going to be possible for the foreseeable future, at least with the budgets mtb teams are working with. They might be OK if they could have all of the season's races in a single location and fully quarantine everyone involved, but that likely doesn't work for ews team budgets.
  • 1 0
 @jemscott: I think that @justanotherusername: has it right. These other competitions and sports have so much more money behind them in TV rights packages, massive sponsorship packages not only for the competition as a whole but for individual athletes/teams within competitions.

I know MTB is doing ok right now but how many riders are making a living from their racing in the world? I dont have any precise figures but from what i've heard/read maybe the top 20-30 riders in DH are making enough for a living, and maybe similar in enduro (please correct if wildly wrong), plus a few support team members across different teams. That is not a whole lot of people in the entire world making the money from attending mtb races, compared to the numbers in the Tour, or top football teams etc it would be almost insiginifcant.
  • 3 1
 @dthomp325: or.....OR.....hear me out here......we face the future that is unstoppable, rationally!? this disease will not be stopped. Ever. it will just have to more through all societies. millions will die. it is not an issue of if, just when. so perhaps ruining the worlds economy for no net difference isn't a great idea???
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: For roids and COVID...go figure...
  • 1 0
 @conoat: Yep!!!
  • 1 0
 It should not be called a "season" though.
  • 2 1
 Worst pandemic ever! Frown
  • 8 0
 I'll take this over ebola or bubonic plague.
  • 3 0
 Hello there! Now when you don't have to go to the school in person, you have time to read on Spanish flu and the medieval plague. It's quite creepy, enjoy!
  • 1 0
 @eugen-fried: Not to mention various cholera outbreaks. Yikes!
  • 1 0
 @BenPea think of it as the deadlier the disease, the less time the person has to be able to spread it to others, easier to contain, pinpoint, etc... its all relative..
  • 1 0
 @BenPea: We don't know yet. Ebola for example is much worse but doesn't spread as fast. Covid may lead to long term issues. We don't know what the mortality rate will be in a few years from now.
  • 1 0
 It definitely sucks Sycip 69er, but they reckon the Black Death plague in mid 1300's killed at least a third of people in Europe. Some would say there are politicians who are trying to beat that . . .
  • 1 1
 Give us Crankworx Fall Series!
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