For the second week in a row, UCI / Warner Brothers Discovery are altering the schedule at a World Cup race weekend due to extreme weather. This time, it’s the Enduro World Cup’s. debut in Aletsch Arena, Switzerland that is being disrupted by changing forecasts.
Last week, UCI and WBD canceled the junior men’s and women’s downhill finals and move the elite races to earlier in the day in Les Gets, France due to forecasted heavy rain and possible flash floods. That decision, while unfortunate for the juniors, proved to be wise. The skies opened up for the elite men’s race. While that made for epic race viewing, the result could have been very different if organizers had stuck to the original schedule.
This week, the situation is much the same. While it doesn’t sound like the weather will be quite as severe as threatened in Les Gets, enduro races see athletes scattered across a much wider area than downhill. If weather went from bad to worse, safety of athletes, staff and volunteers could be in jeopardy. Especially with the stunning Aletsch Arena venue sending riders high up into the alpine for some stages.
New schedule: EDR Aletsch Arena
The new schedule moves Open racing at the penultimate Enduro World Cup from Friday to Saturday July 13. Elite Enduro and E-EDR racing will all take place on Sunday, July 14. That makes for a buys weekend for everyone. But, with Aletsch Arena promising stunning new tracks and incredible viewing, the delay should be worth the racing at this new EDR venue.
Enduro World Series’ full statement on Aletsch Arena schedule change.
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