She Might as Well Win
Fri 18th Aug, 2017 @ 9:30 am
Cécile Ravanel sweeps every stage on route to sixth 2017 Enduro World Series victory
Reigning Enduro World Champion Cécile Ravanel calls the Crankworx Whistler round of the EWS “the best event of the year.” It’s fitting, therefore, that she won every single stage on her way to the overall win.
“Stage 1 was pretty hard,” explained the Commencal Vallnord Enduro Team rider. “But I got many seconds advantage, and then I rode without pressure. This is the best way.”
Ravanel says she feels the pressure of the Whistler event when she comes to Crankworx, partially because of the brutal nature of the courses — and partially because it’s hard to rest and prepare for the event when you’d like to be riding in the bike park.
She gapped the competition early, taking a 25-second lead over Isabeau Courdurier on Stage 1. And then she never looked back. Her Whistler win wrapped up the 2017 Enduro World Series overall championship.
The series champ says she never changes her bike setup, so, as she has for the 2017 season, her Commencal was set up with a SRAM X01 Eagle™ drivetrain, SRAM X01 Eagle™ drivetrain, SRAM Guide Ultimate brakes, a RockShox Lyrik RCT3 fork, RockShox Super Deluxe Coil RT Remote shock and a RockShox Reverb 1x remote seatpost.
The men’s event was a nail-biter all the way to the finish in Whistler village. Sam Hill took an early and commanding lead, but local hero Jesse Melamed fought back on Stage 2, nearly evening the score. The Whistler rider kept clawing back time on Hill, and eventually took the race win. Hill’s 2nd place finish extended his lead in the series standings with just one round remaining.
The former UCI Downhill World Champ’s Nukeproof bike was equipped with a SRAM X01 Eagle™ drivetrain, new SRAM Code RSC brakes, a RockShox Lyrik RCT3 fork, RockShox Super Deluxe RCT shock and a RockShox Reverb Stealth 1x remote seatpost.
– Photos by Sven Martin
