Graves and Chasson take their first Enduro World Series victories

Image 1 of 3

It was the most grueling, technical round of the Enduro World Series so far. The five stage, single day format, with almost 50 minutes of racing, and approximately 50km of riding, challenged racers on every level - even demanding serious consideration as to what to pack for a mostly self-sufficient race across both sides of Whistler Valley.

After eight hours in the saddle, Australia's Jared Graves (Yeti Fox Factory Racing), and France's Anne Caroline Chausson (Ibis), took the victories, marking the first time this year that either has stood atop the top step of the Enduro World Series. Graves' time was 47:57.18 and Chausson's was 55:24.14.

Belgium's Martin Maes (GT Factory Racing) continued his streak as the young untouchable, dominating the junior race and winning every stage to take another convincing victory with a total time of 50:25.292, seven minutes ahead of his nearest junior competitor, a time that would have put him amongst the top 10 of the men's finishers.

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

Nerves were high as riders dropped down the start ramp at 8:00 am Sunday morning - and the stakes were high, given that only 300 points separated the top five racers in the men's overall series. Overall series leader France's Jérôme Clementz (Cannondale Overmountain) took an early lead, winning the first two stages and the fourth.

Having won 12 of the 19 stages in the first four rounds of the Enduro World Series, Clementz and Graves were the pace-setters for the day. Graves went into stage 5 in second place, gunning for the win in the final descent. The fast and furious finale took riders from Top of the World down to the Whistler Plaza - a 10.63km, 1450m vertical, top-to-bottom link-up. Graves played the stage perfectly to eat up Clementz's commanding 21-second lead and take a well-deserved stage and race win.

"I can't believe it, I'm so happy," said Graves. "I wanted to win this one so bad and all day Jerome's just been one step ahead of me…I pretty much had a perfect run [in stage 5]. I knew the track well; I practiced most of that trail and I knew that's where you could make up a lot of time." Graves' day earned him a paycheck of $10,000, the highest prize purse seen in the discipline of enduro since the sport began.

France's Fabien Barel (Canyon Factory) had top four finishes in every stage, winning the third stage, but a five-minute penalty issued for accepting outside assistance during training effectively neutralized any advantage that may have been gained from use of a vehicle, dropping him to 49th position, and opening up the third step of today's podium for New Zealand's Jamie Nicoll, an unsponsored rider who will use his Crankworx prize money to support flights and entry into the final two rounds.

Chausson's comeback from injury in Punta Ala proved complete, with her win of four out of five stages to take her first Enduro World Series victory.

Tracy Moseley, who has dominated the women's series so far rode a solid race despite a few mechanicals, sitting third for most of the day, then edging out Cecile Ravanel (GT Skoda) on the final stage to secure second place overall. Ravanel who was carrying a small elbow injury was very happy with her day and third place result.

"I'm super happy to be back at the top," said Chausson. "I'm back [from an injury sustained in competition] and I'm in good shape. I liked the courses here. They were really tough, and they are really technical and physical trails." Chausson, who had to stop in stage four to remove her chain and carry on without the ability to pedal, won stages one, two and four and proved to be the ultimate contender throughout the day in Whistler. She ended her day by taking home a $5,000 cheque to complement her efforts.

Despite Sunday's freshly constituted podiums, the current oversall standings, with five out of seven races completed, remains the same, with France's Jérôme Clementz (Cannondale Overmountain) and Great Britain's Tracy Moseley (Trek Factory Racing) leading the men's and women's individual series, and Belgium's Martin Maes (GT Factory Racing) topping the junior division.

Enduro World Series Managing Director, Chris Ball, said, "It was truly an epic day and a true test for everybody. The course delivered, the Crankworx team put on an amazing event and the racers delivered. Feedback from the riders was incredible - they enjoyed every stage."

The Enduro World Series moves next, August 24-25, to Val d'Isere in France for a combined event that includes Round 6 of the Enduro World Series and the Enduro of Nations.

The Enduro of Nations is a team event that will crown the best national team. National teams will be comprised of the top three riders from each country currently in the EWS rankings.

Full Results

Brief Standings