Canadians enjoyed a phenomenal season on the Enduro World Series circuit in 2022. That made the three Team Canada squads (Pro men, u21 men and women) at the EWS Trophy of Nations favorites to podium over the weekend. Racing doesn’t always goes according to plan, though, and all three teams had rough days out on course.
Pro men: pre-race favourites race cut short
With EWS season winner Jesse Melamed and his Rocky Mountain Race Face teammate Remi Gauvin lining up alongside top-10 overall rider Rhys Verner, Team Canada was odds-on favourites to win the pro men’s Trophy of Nations event. That played out according to plan over the first race stage, which the Canadian’s won convincingly. The Canadian train came off the tracks on stage 2, though. Verner crashed and Gauvin lost a chain, ending the team’s run as favourites Finale.
Under-21 men and women
Canada’s under-21 women were similarly strong going into the Italian race weekend. Led by series-winner Emmy Lan, Team Canada’s Lily Boucher and Elly Hoskin and Lan won the opening stages. A series of mechanicals also forced the u21 women out of the race before the finish line.
Canada’s under-21 men managed to make it to the finish line to finish in sixth overall. Johnathan Helly, Emmett Hancock and Seth Sherlock
Trophy of Nations winners
With Canada out of contention, racing was wide open. New Zealand soared to the pro men’s title. France’s women lived up to the hype to take a convincing win the pro women’s race, led by Isabeau Cordurier and Morgane Charre who finished 1-2 in the 2022 series. The U.S.A. won both the under-21 men’s and women’s races in Finale Ligure, Italy.
Highlights: Bluegrass Trophy of Nations – FInale Ligure
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