Next Wednesday, Jan 28th, at 5pm, fingers will be poised over mouse buttons across the land as the TweedLove round of the Enduro World Series goes on sale. Once again, you have the chance to race against top professional athletes in the EWS, part of the two-week Bike Festival which takes place in the Tweed Valley. The Bike Festival is between the 17th and the 31st of May; the EWS runs on the 30th – 31st May.
Here’s the full release:
Entries for the TweedLove round of the Enduro World Series go live online on January 28th at 5pm GMT. TweedLove Bike Festival hosts the biggest race of the series, and last year was the fastest selling event. Demand for this year’s race is expected to be massive, as it is one of the few events in Europe where amateur racers can compete against some of the best professional athletes in the world.
Team entries have been announced and some of the fastest riders in the world are heading towards the Tweed Valley. Defending world champions Jared Graves and Tracy Moseley will be facing competition from Jerome Clements and Fabien Barel who were both injured last year, as well as Greg Minnaar, Anne Caroline Chausson and Cecile Ravenel to name a few. There are several Tweed Valley locals who are hoping for a podium finish, including Gary Forrest, Katy Winton, Ruaridh Cunningham and Crawford Carrick Anderson.
600 places are available for the UK’s most important enduro race of the year. This includes 200 E2 places – it’s likely these will race over the same trails as the E1 category riders but with less transition timing pressures, allowing amateur riders to take part in a world class event but without needing the same level of fitness as the professional athletes.
A wildcard scheme is also in place, where 20 riders will have the chance of a place if they miss out in the online entries. Online entries are allocated on a first come first served basis, but as demand is so high, disappointment is inevitable for some. Riders wishing to apply for a wild card place should refer to the TweedLove event website for details.
Neil Dalgleish, TweedLove director, says “we are so pleased that the EWS has come back to the Tweed Valley –our trails really are world class and we’re working hard to put on a fantastic event. We are also delighted that there are some local riders now signed with global teams and who will be competing with the best in the world for the EWS title. It’s going to be a thrilling series – we can’t wait to see how the racing pans out.”
In 2014, the TweedLove EWS event was received as a great success with thousands of vistors watching the action and riding the trails for themselves. “We hope the event will be even bigger this year,” says Dalgleish, “and it’s our amazing community of volunteers who make all this possible. We’re going to need more help than ever, and we’re very keen for people to get in touch if they’d like to join the team. It’s a great chance to be part of one of the most exciting bike events in the world!”
Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “Scotland is the perfect stage for cycling events and in Tweedlove we have an exciting programme set against the stunning backdrop of the Tweed Valley. The return of the ‘Enduro World Series’ will see amateur racers compete on the same track as some of the sport’s best athletes in what promises to be an action-packed event.”
