Sunday was a wild ride for the Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team. The Enduro World Series returned to home turf for the first time since 2019 and all eyes were on the home team to put down some big results. After two physical days of racing, team walked away with a win from Jesse Melamed, the top team award, two podium finishes and just missed out on a third.
We caught up with Melamed, who landed his second EWS win and moved into the series lead, Remi Gauvin who earned his first Whistler EWS podium, and Andréane Lanthier Nadeau, who led the women’s race until the final stage before a series of mechanical struggles and a tough battle through injury ended in a still-impressive fifth-place finish.
Jesse Melamed – 1st Pro Men
CanadianMTB: Congrats on a big win at home! This is your second EWS win in Whistler. Does the second time feel just as good?
Jesse Melmed: I would say they’re similar. Doing it the first time was just a huge relief. This one felt really good because as soon as I got home from Europe it was on my mind. I couldn’t not think about it. I wouldn’t say I was stressed but I every day I was focused on it. To win is a really proud moment for myself.
It felt good to see I’d won because I’d flatted earlier and my wheel was on the verge of not holding up. Every checkpoint I passed on the last stage, I was just thinking “Ok, I’ve made it this far, now I’ve made it this far and it’s still together,” and I was getting progressively more stoked. I crossed the finish line and figured it had to be enough. I didn’t see Richie [Rude, who flatted on the last stage] out there, but I still thought it was enough.
You didn’t see Rude when you passed him on course?
No, I have no idea what happened, or where it happened.
How does it feel to be on the podium with Remi?
Oh, it’s so cool. We’ve been at this together for a long while. I’m really bummed for ALN because it could have been the three of us. But she was riding a good race anyways, so she knows she can do it. But yeah, Remi and I have been through a lot. To get him on the podium and to be there with him is going to be so cool.
Is there more pressure riding at home?
I tried to tell myself there wouldn’t be pressure because it was going to be really fun with everyone cheering. But then the first two stages were so intense. Everyone was cheering so loud that I had to pedal…
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