After an unlucky first attempt at dealing with the new UCI Enduro World Cup qualifying system at round one in Tasmania’s Maydena Bike Park, Elliot Smith was hoping for better luck in Derby for round two. Things didn’t start out that great though. As the Enduro circus moved four hours northeast from Maydena to Derby so too did the enduro curse—rain. Three solid days of it.
Practice was a miserable affair and with no shuttle uplifts for round two, it was a long day out in the freezing wet conditions on the 46km course. Feeling the cold conditions and the long practice, Elliot made the hard decision to not ride stage six, conserving energy for the big day of racing on the following day.
Even with the top three finishers from round 1 now racing in the Pro event on Saturday, it wasn’t going to be easy taking the win and its permanent upgrade to the pro field. With the flatter Derby course, the pedal fitness was going to play a huge role and Elliot would be up against two very fit local Aussies, including an ex-Cross Country Eliminator World Champion!
“With my attempt at qualifying in Maydena falling short due to a crash, the pressure was very present leading into round two in Derby.
The goal remained the same, aim for first, be happy with second or third. My day started with a second on S1 which I was happy with, S2 ended with me sitting in third due to a few little awkward moments. S3 was Trouty, my favourite trail, I managed to sneak the stage win here, even with being held up by the e-biker that dropped a good 3 minutes before me. S4, S5, and S6 did not go as smoothly as the rest. With a ninth, fifth and fifth respectively.
I had been holding the lead until the last stage, which was coincidentally the one stage I hadn’t practiced due to a couple of different reasons. A communication breakdown on exactly how many stages were in the amateur race and the fact that living out of a damp and cold tent for two weeks had certainly taken its toll on me.
After losing the lead on the final stage, I fell back to second, still achieving my goal. I’d finally qualified for the elite race. Bring on Finale Ligure for the first of the Europe EDR rounds!
Overall I’m really happy with how I performed besides a few mistakes here and there, but the good stage results have me consistently in the top 60, which is right where I want to be! ” – Elliot Smith
Under the new UCI Enduro World Cup rules, Elliot is now eligible to race in the Pro event at round three in Finale, Italy in June. For now, it’s back to New Zealand and some serious training before jetting off to Europe for the second block of racing and an attempt and securing his place in the pro ranks.
