Hill holds on despite EWS scare
A tough weekend for Sam Hill saw the West Aussie rider fall to as low as 128th, before pulling out all the stops to claw back precious championship points in the Enduro Wolrd Series’ penultimate round in Spain.
Hill front-flatted on the second stage of the first day, electing to nurse his bike to the finish rather than risking wrecking a wheel, which would have meant a DNF (frames and wheels that start the event must finish it).
He took a huge hit timewise, but a truly good-spirited gesture from Hill’s fiercest rival so far this year, Belgian GT rider Martin Maes, to help him repair the damage (above) kept him in the game.
“I came here with the goal of claiming the championship this weekend, but that’s out the window,” said a pragmatic Hill. “I’ve a dream run all year, but you can’t expect everything to be easy, can you?”
Maes, who lies second overall, helped Hill sort out the front flat, before resuming his duel with US rider Richie Rude (Yeti) for the overall win.
The big, fast and furious course suited the former American champ (above), but Maes made him work for it, the result not certain until the end of the second day. Maes won the final two stages against Rude, but fell short by seven seconds.
Hill, meanwhile, balanced aggression and speed, overcoming another early mechanical (bent pedal) to claw back to eleventh place.
“After stage 2 I was 128th,” he said. “It was a tough two days on this course for me anyway, but I dug as deep as I could. They say championships are won on your bad days… I hope next weekend is smoother!”
Graeme Mudd was the next best Aussie down in 58th place and David Ludenia in 168th, with both Giant’s Josh Carlson and Specialized’s Jared Graves out with injury and illness respectively.
Many riders sported stickers in support of Graves, who underwent open-brain surgery last week to remove a tumour and is now progressing well.
In the women’s race, Cecile Ravanel (below) simply moved the marker further forward, her EWS title already wrapped up. She won all but two stages on the way to a convincing victory over fellow Frenchwoman, Intense’s Isabeau Courdurier.
The series moves to its eighth and final round at Finale Ligure in Italy next weekend, with Hill holding a 440-point lead in the overall standings. Even if f Maes wins, Hill would only need to finish 47th or better to defend his 2017 crown.
