The Enduro World Series (EWS) today launches a revised 2021 event calendar that will see racing consolidated into two distinct blocks based in Europe.
The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic mean the EWS has decided to defer both the Whistler round and the Trophy of Nations until 2022.
Scheduled to take place in August, Whistler is always a fan and rider favourite on the EWS calendar. However, with the ongoing uncertainties around travel and other restrictions, an early decision has been made to consolidate the EWS’ racing season in Europe for this year. Crankworx has agreed this is the best decision This will allow riders and teams to base themselves in one area for the summer, helping to manage budgets and also negate the effects of any travel restrictions or quarantine periods.
With the possibility that not all nations will be able to attend, alongside a wish to avoid team racing, the decision has also been reached to press pause on the Trophy of Nations for 2021. While it may be one of the biggest weekends on the calendar, it has been decided to focus on delivering a solid, fair and safe EWS and EWS-E season. The Nations event will return in 2022 when riders can once again represent their home nations and race as teams between the tapes.
In its place will be a race that will showcase Finale Outdoor Region’s iconic trails like you’ve never seen them before. The Bluegrass Finale EWS-E presented by Vittoria will represent one of the biggest EWS-E races to date, taking in huge days on the bike with record numbers of climbing and descending over the weekend of September 18-19. The following weeked the series will move just a few miles along the Italian coastline for Vittoria EWS Pietra Ligure on September 25-26. The season will then conclude in style in Scotland the following weekend with the Vittoria EWS and EWS-E Tweed Valley.
A spokesperson for the EWS said: “Both Whistler and the Trophy of Nations will be sorely missed this year, but we fully expect both to be back next year when we can enjoy them to their full potential. We feel confident in the 2021 calendar, and with nine rounds of the EWS and four EWS-E races it’s our biggest season of racing to date.”
