[Racing] Harnden and Rude win EWS Burke

Trek Factory Racing’s Harriet Harnden made it two EWS wins in back-to-back weekends by taking the win in the USA at EWS Burke – round five of the Enduro World Series 2022. And home-nation hero Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Racing) resisted the pressure from resurgent Canyon-Collective rider Jack Moir to demolish the pro men’s field in the final two stages of the race to emerge as victor in front of his family and friends.

The UK’s Harnden started Sunday in fourth place after ceding nearly eight seconds to her hard-charging compatriot Ella Conolly (Canyon Enduro) in the Pro Stage on Saturday afternoon. However, the XC and CX star wasted no time in stamping her authority on the race on Sunday morning – winning the super-physical stage two by more than 17s over fellow Briton Bex Baraona and taking 22 seconds out of Conolly to take a race lead that she wouldn’t lose all day. Harnden would take two more stages during the day with a significant 10s win on the Queen’s Stage leaving her in a commanding position carrying a lead of more than 35s into the final stage. And after winning last weekend in Whistler, Canada, Harnden made it four EWS career wins by finishing the final stage in second to take the overall by 32 seconds from France’s Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing). Britain’s Bex Baraona (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) came in third.

In the EWS Men, it was 2021 series champ Jack Moir who set the bar sky high by winning the first four stages in front of a hugely-vocal Burke Mountain crowd in the eastern US state of Vermont. Times were tight though and Moir, who struggled to find his usual form at the start of the 2022 season, went into the final two stages of the race with just a 5s lead over a consistently-fast Richie Rude. Whistler winner and series leader Jesse Melamed (Rocky Mountain Race Face) had three second places on stages and one third but couldn’t really challenge Rude and Moir’s dominance. In the end, Rude was too strong for anyone though. The Yeti rider, who lives just four hours away in the State of Connecticut, clawed back five seconds on Moir on both the Queen’s Stage – S5 – and the final stage to finish the race as victor in front of a massively-vocal crowd that included his 90-year-old grandmother and parents.

Full EWS Burke results are here

In the U21 Women it was a win for Italy’s Sophia Riva ahead of Paz Gallo Fuentes of Chile and the USA’s Lauren Bingham.

In the U21 Men, Australian Luke-Meier Smith (Propain Factory Racing) posted an overall time that would have left him ninth in the senior men’s field. Second was his countryman Ryan Gilchrist and Whistler second-place finisher Canadian Emmett Hancock was third.

In the Master Women 35+ it was Dane Sandra Thomsen who took the win from Melissa Newell of New Zealand and the USA’s Kristine Contentoangell.

Master 35+ Men was a French 1-2. With Franck Strack taking a convincing win some 90 seconds ahead of Karim Amour (BH Enduro Racing Team). Mads Weidemann of Denmark was just under six seconds back in third.

Team of the Day were Pivot Factory Racing followed by Yeti/Fox Factory Racing and Commencal Enduro project.

Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) hangs on to the 2022 EWS series lead as does Canada’s Jesse Melamed.

In the team series rankings, Pivot increase their lead over Rocky Mountain Race Face and Yeti/Factory Racing.

www.enduroworldseries.com