A diary lives from adventures, impressions and experiences – the good ones as well as the less good ones. Only capturing the beautiful moments for eternity will Strive Diaries not fair. The athlete life of the Canyon Factory Enduro Team is full of ups and downs that we want to share with you. So we could write here without exception about the brilliant trails in Chile, but in this entry we also want to bring the setbacks closer to you.
Our trip to Chile was a trip into the unknown, in many ways. In addition to the logistical imponderables, we were particularly surprised by the incredibly dynamic mountain bike scene. Enduro is lived with devotion in Chile - many European countries could learn a lesson from that. The South American country definitely deserved to host the inaugural round of the 2014 Enduro World Series (EWS).
In order to make the most of our time in Chile, we arrived with a larger crew than usual. The preparation time for the first EWS race was fully planned with training sessions, film and photo shoots. You can look forward to the videos and pictures. After the shots were in the can, we settled into the warm-up race Montenbaik Enduro 2014 in La Parva for the first exchange of blows with the scene. The competition had not spent the last few months in hibernation either. Fabien Barel took fifth place and Ines Thoma even made it onto the podium as third.
Ludo May, our Swiss newcomer, was even more excited about the season after the race: “The trip to Chile is the first with my new team. It's great to have the CFET crew with manager and mechanics by my side. I feel part of a big family! Unfortunately, a small defect slowed me down at the race in La Parva, but I was able to ride some good stages. That makes me very confident for the Enduro World Series.” After debuting in the Anti-Grip Country we confidently traveled five hours south to Nevados de Chillan for the much-anticipated start of the EWS. Training days were on the program on Thursday and Friday. Two days of racing, each with three special stages, awaited us at the weekend. So we were fully utilized.
"I feel like part of a big family!"
Ines describes her excitement before the first EWS race as follows: “I think everyone is a bit nervous. Somehow you don't really know what's coming - although you've already driven 1000 races. It's still something different to be here. The routes are absolutely awesome, the weather is perfect and that's why I'm looking forward to it!”
The first stage already showed that not only the top favorites but also a number of newcomers can be expected this year. When Fabien crossed the finish line, however, everyone caught their breath. What happened?
Fabien on a day he will probably never forget: “I would never have dreamed what happened on the first day, on the first stage. I approached the first corner like a 15-year-old boy, ripping through the sand at full speed, drifting and then hopping down the lane. With blind faith I thought, nothing can happen to me. Even after 20 years of racing experience, I just can't control this excitement. Halfway I went over the handlebars at 40 km/h and landed headfirst in the sand. My back sprained in a way it certainly shouldn't and I slid down a five-meter embankment. After ten minutes I was back on the trail. I could hardly move. I managed to get back on my bike and cross the finish line. Then it was off to medical support. After a long check, I decided to tackle the second stage. Should I really have done that for a few points? Was the risk too high? Should I compete at all the next day? Was this how I imagined the first round to be? Many questions that will remain unanswered. I was just sure that I'm here to ride and I want to do my best. Just because you stumble doesn't mean you should stay down. My motto is: never give up!”
"Just because you stumble doesn't mean you should stay down. My motto is: never give up!”
On Sunday morning the final end for Fabien was certain. Not an easy decision, but absolutely the right one, as it turned out during the medical examination on the same day: fracture of a lumbar vertebra. Fabien was a hair's breadth away from a paraplegic. Biking was out of the question at first, the whole team agreed on that.
Meanwhile, Ludo celebrated a great debut in his first EWS race in Canyon Jersey with 13th place. Joe Barnes came in with good pace but a bit unlucky on 25th place and Ines was sixth in the women's race.
Joe describes his race like this: “In preparation, one highlight followed the next. With each practice lap we had more fun in the hills of Chile. On the first stage I felt very comfortable on the bike and took it easy. Then I was ready for the physically demanding stage two, which I finished in 11th place. So far so good. I was satisfied with the first day and knew that I could still do better on Sunday. The next day began with a flowing, fast and yet easy trail that I was able to tackle with all my heart. With a strong improvement, I climbed up the ranking before the last stage. This stage was then completely to my liking, similar to the trails in my native Scotland. My enthusiasm knew no bounds. After taking a rocky passage a little too hard, my front tire suddenly lost air. Soon it was completely flat and I still had half the distance to go. I did everything I could but had to let some colleagues pass and lost a lot of time to the competition. What a disappointment! With 25th place I saved a few points but that wasn't my goal. I can hardly wait for the next races and I just have to remember: Take it easy on the rocks.”
We look back on our trip with mixed feelings. It was all there: total enthusiasm for biking on the Chilean trails, restrained pride at the race results and the shock after Fabien's serious fall. Now we are on our way home and will collect ourselves until the BIKE Festival in Riva. Thank you for the many get well wishes for Fabien that have already reached us. We must now be patient until further investigations are carried out. We hope it's ours Fab will be fine again soon.