Big news out of the Enduro World Series team today with the announcement of the 2021 race calendar. As well as there being brand new venues added to the 2021 event calendar, the EWS will also be returning to Derby, Tasmania, for round two of the series. How good is that! Derby has of course hosted two EWS events in the past, and it’s also been voted the Specialized Trail of the Year twice, proving its popularity with riders, spectators and locals.
Additionally, the e-MTB off-shoot of the Enduro World Series, the EWS-E, is set to expand to five rounds for 2021. We’re intrigued to see how this series evolves, and also to see which EWS competitors decide to make the jump to e-Racing given the huge uptake in e-MTBs over the past few years. There’ll no doubt be more brands wanting to get in on the racing action.
Anywho, here’s the official release from the lovely folks at the Enduro World Series – get excited!
Enduro World Series Unveils 2021 Calendar
The Enduro World Series (EWS) is excited to announce its 2021 calendar – featuring brand new venues, reimagined classics and an expanded EWS-E series.
The season will get underway in New Zealand in March, visiting Nelson for the first time in the series’ history. Situated on the Northern tip of the South Island, this small city is famous for clocking up the most sunshine hours in the country, but also its steep, natural and burly trails.
Round two heads back to the inimitable Derby, Tasmania. This tiny town has embraced mountain biking and in just a few years created one of the most iconic riding destinations in all of Australia. It’ll be the third time the series has visited Derby and with good reason – their ever expanding trail network has twice been voted the Specialized Trail of the Year.
For round three it’s back to one of the UK’s most famous venues, the Tweed Valley in Scotland. After a six year hiatus the series will return to the hallowed trails of Innerleithen and the surrounding hills, which for the last three decades have acted as the proving grounds for some of the biggest names in the sport. The Tweed Valley will also act as the first round of the 2020 EWSE Series, putting e-bikes through their paces on some of Britain’s most challenging terrain.
The second round of EWS-E will head back to Valberg in France, to take on the region’s infamous grey earth in the Southern Alps.
Val Di Fassa in Italy will play host to EWS round four. This stunning venue nestled high in the Italian Dolomites became an instant rider favourite when it first appeared on the calendar in 2019, featuring long, physical stages amongst some of Europe’s most dramatic terrain.
It’s across the pond to the USA for round six, for the series’ second visit to Burke Mountain in Vermont. Serving up some classic East Coast riding, Burke’s trails will make their EWS debut later this season when they host round six. Famed for its raw and technical terrain, Burke will offer up a challenge to even the most experienced of racers.
And for the first time in the series history, there will be a second USA stop, as round seven heads to the West Coast and one of California’s most talked about mountain bike destinations, Northstar. The resort’s dry and rocky trails pushed riders to the limit when they were featured in the 2019 calendar – and in 2020 they’ll expand the offering to e-bikes to form round three of the EWS-E Series.
The EWS-E then heads back to Europe for the penultimate round in that most dramatic of settings, beneath the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland.
For the final round of the EWS the series will crown its series champions in the sport’s spiritual home of France for the first time. Loudenvielle in the Vallee Du Louron in the South West of the country offers up a slice of classic French enduro – steep and natural trails and of course, some of those infamous French switchbacks.
And whilst the series champions may be decided in France, there’s still one of the largest events of the year to go – the Trophy of Nations in Finale Ligure, Italy. This celebration of the sport sees Industry, Rider and Nation trophies up for grabs at the biggest race of the year, all set against the stunning backdrop of the Italian Riviera. It’s also the location for the final EWS-E round, and where the very first EWS-E Champions will be decided.
Chris Ball, Managing Director of the Enduro World Series, said: “We’re all really excited by the 2021 calendar – it’s a great mix of established and new venues. “We’re especially excited to offer two USA rounds for the first time and expand the EWSE to five rounds.”
About Shimano Enduro Tasmania
The Shimano Enduro Tasmania was a ground breaking event when it first visited Derby in Tasmania’s North East in early 2017. Helping to create the juggernaut that the Blue Derby project is, both the 2017 and the 2019 return received the highest acclaim winning the Specialized Trail of the Year award.
Race Director, Ian Harwood from Event Management Solutions Australia has thanked the Tasmanian Government and Events Tasmania for their continued support in showcasing the state to the world. “Without the support of Events Tasmania, we would not be able to showcase the best riders in the world, taking on the best trails in the world”.
The 2019 edition of Shimano Enduro Tasmania saw in excess of 5000 spectators cheering the riders on. In 2021 the schedule will be expanded into a more inclusive multi day festival with a dedicated EWS Kids event, Ebike events with the Derb-E and an expanded line up of entertainment.
“As part of our on-going commitment to support and grow cycling our region Shimano Australia proud to help bring the world’s best riders back to the trails of Derby in 2021. After a fantastic event in 2019 we are looking forward to an even bigger party in Derby next time around. Bring your bike, bring your mates and come down and make some noise”, Toby Shingleton, Shimano.
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