First Enduro World Series Race Brings Together MTB Legends, May 18-19

Incredible talent lined up for the first ever Enduro World Series race in Punta Ala, this weekend! Between the specialists of the discipline, and the legends of gravity racing, who will come out on top? Get with the build-up to the event below, and be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to the 2013 Enduro World Series to become an instant EWS expert.

8am GMT, May 16, 2013, (10am CEST/ 1am PDT) Edinburgh, UK - The first race of the highly anticipated Enduro World Series kicks off at 18:30 (CEST) tonight, (48 hours before the Prologue opening stage time trial takes place in Punta Ala’s medieval town centre), with a press conference featuring the giants of mountain biking - Greg Minnaar, defending DH World Champion at his Enduro debut, Enduro specialist Jerome Clementz, two time Italian Champion Andrea Bruno, gravity living legend Nicolas Vouilloz, USA specialist Curtis Keene and BMX and MTB multichampion, Anne Caroline Chausson.

Presented by Chris Ball, Managing Director of Enduro World Series, Enrico Guala and Franco Monchiero, Superenduro founders, and Thomas Daddi, President of the local organization, I-MTB, the athlete panel signifies the historic nature of the Enduro World Series.

“Having multiple world champion title-holders sitting all together at the table is an incredible thing,” says Guala. “Having them fighting over the following days in a format that is totally new for some of them is even more interesting.”

The field of riders for the inaugural Enduro World Series race is almost twice the number hosted in Punta Ala for previous SuperEnduro races. Most of the new attendees are international riders and include powerful contenders from every discipline of mountain biking, including Tracy Moseley, Cecile Ravanel, Emmeline Ragot, Anka Martin, Anneke Beerten, Pauline Dieffenthaler, and Anne Caroline Chausson in the women’s category, and Fabien Barel, Sam Blenkinsop, Steve Peat, Dan Atherton, Brian Lopes, and Cedric Gracia amongst the legend-packed male field.

Says Guala, “We’re making history. Our aim is to see the highest level of racing combined with great riding and the atmosphere that enduro provides. Ultimately, our success will be measured by the smiles on the riders’ faces at the end of the event. They’re going to be very tired after such a long race but the quality of trails and the surroundings will help to overcome the fatigue.”

The top fifteen riders will start every minute from 8:30am CEST on Sunday, May 19, and the awards will take place 17:30 CEST on Sunday, May 19.

For those unable to attend the first race of series in person, www.enduroworldseries.com has developed a mobile site that enables fans to stay up to speed with all the action, with instagram and twitter live updates, video highlights, a results feed, events schedule and breaking news.

From Punta Ala, the Enduro World Series will move to the French Alps, Whistler, Canada, and Colorado, USA, before returning to Finale Ligure, Italy, October 19-20 for seventh and final leg of the series and the crowning of the inaugural Enduro World Champion.

About the Enduro World Series

The Enduro World Series was created in October 2012 with the aim of uniting the world's mountain bike Enduro racing community. The Enduro World Series links the largest mountain bike Enduro events in the world with the best trails possible and exists to deliver the best racing, most relaxed atmosphere and rider-focused organization possible. The team behind the Enduro World Series has one goal - to globally develop and progress the discipline of Enduro for the riders, the sport and the industry. With the shared experience of Italian Super Enduro, French Enduro Series, Crankworx and World Cup racing, the Enduro World Series will offer international competitions unlike any before it.

The Enduro Mountain Bike Association’s (EMBA) Board of Directors is supported by an industry Advisory Board, to reflect and respond to the riding community, that includes Santa Cruz Bicycles’ Rob Roskopp, SRAM’s Jeremiah Boobar, Fox Shox’ Mark Fitzsimmons and riders Tracy Moseley, Jerome Clementz and Curtis Keene.

For more information, follow the Enduro World Series on facebook www.facebook.com/EnduroWorldSeries or email Chris Ball, Managing Director: chris@enduroworldseries.com