The challenge for the third round of the EWS is unlike any other in elite mountain bike racing. With back-to-back races the athletes had just two days to recover after Ireland's gruelling race before practice kicked off here in Scotland. Most of the top riders put in around 150km last weekend over the three days of racing and practice - this week there are looking at more than 200km this week if they want to do more than one lap of each stage... This is where the fitness counts. The big question this week is who has the conditioning to thrive on the face of that sort of punishment?
Welcome to Peebles.
On the Wednesday night after the first day of practice the local cycle clubs held a coaching night for local kids with some of the EWS pros.
Pete (bottom left) is one of the local trail fairies, he and Mark (top left), they have dug stage five fresh for this race and it's a beauty. Between the forestry and the network of volunteers they have an incredible network of trails in these forests.
Familar sights in the Scottish borders.
With long liaison stages through the small villages, many riders could be seen at the local cafes relaxing, refueling, and most importantly drying out.
Trailforks.comAbout the Photographers Matt Wragg • Age: 32 • Years Shooting: 3 Maybe best-known as a long-standing member of Pinkbike's European editorial team, Matt is also a successful commercial photographer. As the first English-speaking photographer to follow and document the nascent European enduro scene, he was shooting enduro well before it became a marketing buzzword or a shade of blue. Today he is still one of the few photographers to make his living following the discipline and has built up an enviable client list that includes many of the top teams and brands in the world. Dave Trumpore • Age: 35 • Years Shooting: 4 Dave spent the bulk of the past 17 years racing professionally before realizing that despite qualifying for the random World Cup final here and there, the next generation was just way too fast and way more talented. Upon hanging up his racing boots in 2010, it would be a few years until Dave picked up a camera and started shooting the odd race here and there as a way to stay in touch with all the friends he had made over the years, and the rest as they say is history. In just a few years time his photos have graced the pages of just about every MTB magazine and major media outlet, while his commercial client list includes a who's who of the cycling industry, and he is lucky enough to shoot regularly with some of the best riders on the planet. Currently at Pinkbike, Dave shoots the Downhill WC and the Enduro World Series as well as contributing to the occasional editorial story.
Keep it up pb...
Big thanks to all photographes, editors and the whole crews
And what's with the "poor, hard working photographer-samaritan giving pb free content, boo-hoo" theme? It's a job like any other, you get paid for it thanks to us spending our money on stuff advertised here. It's not like you are the only hard worker in the world either. I can bet @jrocksdh works his arse off to fund his hobby just like we all do. And chances are he'll get sacked if he doesn't care about quality. Nobody here is trying to devalue your job (quite the opposite, they allow themselves to criticise because they know you're a true pro), so please have some respect for others as well. I don't really think you have much to complain about regarding your job, it being your passion and all, but if you don't like it (one might get that impression sometimes), why not find something nicer to do? No sarcasm here, you might even find a new spark of love for photography if you treat yourself less seriously.