Aussies stand top of the podium in the French Pyrenees

Ryan Gilchrist and Bailey Christie have claimed their respective overall titles at the Enduro World Series held in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes. 

In the Men’s Under-21 event, there was drama a plenty with West Australian Bailey Christie (Theory Racing) hanging on to the overall lead by a thread heading into the final roun in the French Pyranees 

The weather was causing carnage with high winds on the high mountain leading Stage 3 to get cancelled. And once the first riders started to drop in, it was clear that the outcomes would be even harder to predict. 

The normally consistent Christie would find himself in a struggle over the four stages as it looked as though he had thrown the title away. 

The Australian champion would finish 25^th in Loudenvill- Peyragudes, enough to claim the overall by two points ahead of American Jt Fisher.

A fourth in the final round would see Tasmania’s Sascha Kim (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) ascend to the third place overall. 

Challenging conditions meant that parts of the course were closer to mud baths than perfectly groomed trails for the E Enduro race, but with all eight stages given the green light, the field was faced with 47km of demanding riding and almost 2,900m of descent. 

The men’s was closely contested between Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team); the Australian going into the final race holding a 119-point lead. 

Mistakes from Borges on Stage 5 saw him throw away any advantages he’d gained on Gilchrist, with the Australian leading by almost 13 seconds with only three stages left. 

Trouble on stage 7 from Gilchrist saw Borges leapfrog his title rival for the first time in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes. The overall series would go down to the final stage, although the Portuguese rider would ultimately need the Australian to DNF to have the best chance of seizing the series. 

Despite a difficult day at the office, it was the Australian who ultimately came out on top on the day and in the overall series.

Ryan Gilchrist claimed his first overall E Enduro title.

"It’s been a very special season. Finishing it off with the lead is the icing on the cake. It’s been a very special year, a very special programme that the Yeti Shimano EP Racing Team has been very heavily invested in from the beginning," the New South Wales rider said.
 
"I think that’s my mindset whenever I have races like this – I’ve already done the hard work and now it’s time to execute. We executed today and we put the bike on the top step – I’m very proud. 
 
"The conditions were treacherous. It was a pretty nasty race to finish on. I was very happy that I was going into it with a lead. 

"I’ve had some pretty rough times in Loudenvielle in the past, but I think I’ve crushed those demons a little bit. 

"The overall was the goal and we got it. World Championships next week – I’m very excited.” 

Both Christie and Gilchrist turn their attention to next week’s UCI Mountain Bike Enduro & E-enduro World Championships. 

Main Photo: Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series / Connell Allardyce