Episode 28: Stateside Part 2: Sugarloaf - Cunningham returns!

An old wooden door creeks open... nervously you peer into the darkness behind... look closer... what's that?! BANG! IT'S THE 2022 EWS-E AND EWS RACE SEASON!  After nearly eight months of waiting it is FINALLY here! The Vittoria EWS Tweed Valley 2021 was consigned to the history books as one of the most talked-about EWS races in history but all that is now itself history and Ruaridh Cunningham and Ric McLaughlin are back to talk all things '22.  What rounds are they most excited about? Who are they backing and, perhaps most importantly, how much action are they going to serve you up and where?! Ric talks us through the EWS' exciting new video model, Ruaridh pontificates on weird cockpit set ups and redesigning the EWS Tweed Valley course. There's also talk surrounding the new Santa Cruz Megatower V2, motorhome insulation foam and the motion picture film Deep Impact. A video version of this podcast is available at: https://www.youtube.com/c/EnduroWorldSeries1 

The Specialized EWS-E Crans-Montana and EWS Crans-Montana were full of drama from start to finish with big name racers crashing left, right and centre and their opponents lining up to take advantage. Ruaridh Cunningham and Ric McLaughlin are back together to relive a hectic week in Switzerland on what would be some of the years best stages.  Travis Pastrana is one of the most decorated extreme sports athletes of all-time and has blazed a trail through several different sports raising the bar ever higher for others to follow. And then he met Ruaridh, one fateful night in California... Also in this episode; the Yeti 160E launch, surprise packages and vans not falling through ceilings.  You can re-watch all the action from EWS Crans-Montana, RIGHT HERE!  You can re-watch all the action from Specialized EWS-E Crans-Montana, RIGHT HERE! 

This week it's the second part of our USA road trip as we get to know the people behind the 2022 Enduro World Series rounds. In Episode 28 it's the turn of Adam Craig (general all-round MTB legend) and John Tauses who is the Carrabassett Valley Trail Manager. Both of them are deeply rooted in mountain biking in Maine and have been driving forces behind bringing the 2022 series to Sugarloaf.  For those who complained that there wasn't enough Ruaridh last week then fear not! Cunningham returns for this one. He's partnered alongside our very own Finlay Anderson as the four discuss what promises to be a historic back-to-back East Coast block of racing next season.  If you want to find out more about the new venues then check out our EWS Destination Spotlight pieces, available here.  Or, if you fancy experiencing the Enduro World Series first hand and are good at waggling a camera, then why not apply to join us in our new Creator role which you can apply for here.

In this weeks episode we're going on the road and beginning to look ahead to the 2022 race season. The EWS team are just back from a site visit to our two brand-new US rounds in Burke, VT and Sugarloaf, ME. Our very own Finlay Anderson sat down with one of the driving forces behind the first of those races, a man who has ran race teams, fostered some world-class young talent and pushed extremely hard to bring the Enduro World Series to his home trails - Knight Ide.  WE'RE HIRING! If you want to come and work for the Enduro World Series here's how you can apply for our new Creator position. Also, as mentioned in the show, you can watch Steve Jones' assault on the Bluegrass EWS-E Finale Ligure here.

The (liquid) dust has now settled, the power washers have been put away and the riding kit is dripping in the garage... the 2021 EWS-E and Enduro World Series is in the books. After a failed attempt to broadcast from the road, Ruaridh and Ric are back however with plenty to discuss and debate. Over the course of the next few episodes we're going to be looking at the second block of racing, the busiest in Enduro World Series history with nine races in just five weeks! Who were the big winners, who were the losers and what were the stories behind them?  Also, EWS Travel has just launched an all-new MTB trip that has been years in the making. For more details about our brand new H+I Adventures EWS Travel Scotland package, CLICK HERE.   

It's happened. It's finally happened... someone has let us record the podcast in a brewery! This week, Ruaridh and Ric report in from Tempest Brewing Co. where the team are hard at work producing something special for the Vittoria EWS-E/EWS Tweed Valley.  An exciting block of racing lies ahead with six races taking place in just three weeks including the return of EWS-E and two brand-new venues! With the van (nearly) packed, the EWS team are off to France for the Michelin EWS Loudenvielle. We haven't raced in France since EWS Montagnes du Caroux back in 2019 and with French riders dominating the top-20's it feels like one of the most hotly-anticipated races in a long time. To add some spice to the mix, the boys take a look at the newly-crowned French national champions and how that changes things.  Also, who are we backing to be the big disruptors this season and where/how will they do it?! And seagulls. And beer.  A video version of this podcast will be available in a couple of days. For those who missed the video version of Episode 24, CHECK IT OUT HERE. 

With the white hot heat of battle set to rejoin in just a couple of weeks time, Ruaridh Cunningham and Ric McLaughlin look ahead to the Vittoria EWS-E Tweed Valley and how the former is getting on with designing his first race course.  What do the pro's look for in a race course? How tough should e-bike liaisons be and for the first time in its history the podcast gets interrupted by a man wanting to buy a coffee! To be fair, that is because we moved to our new home-from-home at No1 Peebles Road coffee shop. A heartfelt thanks to Craig and the team for taking us in and allowing us to talk nonsense for a prolonged period of time in their premises.    For the first time, this podcast is also available in video over on the Enduro World Series YouTube channel. 

One of our favourite things about enduro racing is that pretty much any mountain biker can have a crack at it. But, as we all know, there is no such thing as 'the average mountain biker' and with that in mind, Ric has been down the enduro library (we're fairly certain that no such place exists) to compile a list of unlikely racers to have strapped on some transponders and hurled themselves at the stages. What do we mean by 'unlikely'? We have a Hollywood A-lister, several Olympians, an F1 ace, some big mountain snow stars and an extremely well-qualified motocross racer to hint at just a few.  Also in this episode: some big news about our first video podcast, rubber dinghies and Ruaridh's (rumoured) male modelling. 

We may well be between two epic blocks of Enduro World Series racing but there's still plenty going on! EWS regulars have been in action at Red Bull Hardline, the world's most extreme DH race. It just so happens that Ruaridh has won that race so he was more than up for providing an insight into what success in North Wales demands.  We discuss the latest developments with our Race Labs Pro Race Plate, hop around the planet for an EWS Gold Qualifier round-up and announce some new limited edition merch now available in our webstore.  And on top of all this... we answer YOUR questions! Or at least, do our best to answer your questions anyway...  To volunteer and get closer to the action than anyone else at Vittoria EWS Tweed Valley CLICK HERE.

To use the parlance of our times, it's been a minute! Ruaridh and Ric have returned from nearly a month on the road with the opening four rounds of the Enduro World Series 2021 now in the history books.  There's been a lot to talk about too... the Pro Women's championship has (as we predicted) really caught fire with no fewer than three different winners plus heartbreak for a certain Canadian. The Pro Stage cometh! What difference did a single stage of racing with championship points up for grabs the evening before the full course make? There was also the (already) epic saga of Richie Rude vs. Jack Moir, what was eating Sam Hill and GOOD FRIENDS OF THE PODCAST Charlie Murray and Zak Johansen's debut podiums!  Also discussed: the Santa Cruz Megatower, church pews, collapsing roofs, Rain Man and cheese.  For all our regular listeners, apologies for the lack of episodes during the last few weeks. The double rounds were hectic and with so much time spent visiting local pharmacies to get tested and travelling we never got a chance to sit down and record a podcast. Hopefully we can back into our regular weekly routine now.  For all the video action from the first four rounds of the season, check out GMBN.  Keep up to date with all the latest action and news from the Enduro World Series here.