Italy’s Superenduro is one of the most popular gravity events on the European continent, offering high-level competition to racers from around the world. Registration for the 11th consecutive season is now open, and this year’s event will cover a variety of new tracks. The four races that make up the series often leapfrog locations with the Enduro World Series events in Italy, with one series showing the other where to shred. This year there will not be any overlap between the two series, and every event will take place on the Apennine mountain spine that stretches the length of the Italian peninsula. That’s right, no trips to the Alps in 2019.
This first round kicks off just over the western ridge from Finale, in Pietra Ligure, followed by two other seaside stops in Punta Ala and Lerici. The final round in Abetone will be held on the same ski slopes as several popular downhill races, providing a true test of riders’ tilted-gradient skills. Both Pietra Ligure and Abetone are EWS-qualifier events.
A few major changes are in order for the coming season. First off, racers in the rapidly growing women’s categories will receive a discounted entry fee, whether they are registering online or on-site. This change is part of series promoter Enrico Guala’s push to support women racing in Italy. The second major change, and a hotly contested one, is that riders will only be allowed to pre-ride each track once, on the day prior to the race. This pre-riding shift was made to align the Superenduro’s rules and procedures with those of other similarly prestigious races.
Guala says, “this is a big change and brings a proper revolution in the way riders and teams will need to face every single race and the entire season altogether. However, we strongly believe that this change will increase the level of participation and the quality of the spectacle.”
I’ll be covering each round of the Superenduro, and strapping on a number for some of the events. Stay tuned for more stories from between the tape.
Registration and more info can be found here.
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Feb 21, 2019
Feb 22, 2019