WHEN THE DUST SETTLES

Dominance in back- to- back race seasons is quite a rare occurrence. Being the one with a target on your back is a highpressure position to be in, and as the rest of the pack snap at your heels, even the best can stumble. That couldn’t have been further from the case, though, at the opening round of the Enduro World Series in Lo Barnechea, Chile, where 2017 winners Sam Hill and Cécile Ravanel started this year the same way they finished the last.

Dodging the mechanical problems that plagued many of their rivals and showing unfaltering consistency across an hour’s worth of racing and two brutal days in the saddle, the pair finished half a minute clear of second- placed Martin Maes and Isabeau Courdurier. Imagine tackling deep dust and rocks at full speed, with minimal practice, on stages that are often in excess of 15 minutes long. That requires an insane level of focus, fitness and resilience to arm pump!

Richie Rude seemed to have no problems in that regard, and we saw him back to the form we know he’s capable of, taking two stage wins but being pushed down the results sheet by a flat tyre. A mention should also go to up- and- coming Brit Bex Baraona, who came across the line in fourth in the women’s. She’ll be one to keep an eye on this year as the EWS moves from the next round in Columbia to the new venue of Olargues, in south- west France.