June 2023

Climbing to the top of EDR racing in Val di Fassa, Italy

Breathtaking panoramas and natural, rocky trails - that's what the Italian Dolomites are known for. Last weekend the 5th Enduro World Cup 2023 took place in Canazei and although the week started with challenges, the RAAW // bc.bike team was able to achieve peak performances.

Inflamed tonsils and a feeling of weakness forced Torben to take a two day break while Helen and Joni prepared for a race that had it all and pushed the body to its limits. 1,400 meters of climbing and 3,000 meters of descending.

In training, the Dolomites showed their best side. Grippy forest soil, rocky sections and a nice choice of lines offered the perfect basis for a good race in Canazei.

Due to storm warnings, the organizer decided to postpone the training sessions to Friday and Saturday, which meant one more day for Torben to gather strength. Joni, who was on the stages at the same time, ended his training involuntarily with an unfortunate fall in the rock section, where he broke his wrist. We wish Joni a speedy recovery!

Sunday was a challenging day for Helen and Torben. Helen started a bit sluggish in the first stages, but found her racing mode from the third stage on and really took off. She fought her way up through the tough stages and finished in 20th place.

Torben, who was still not fully fit, also struggled to get out of bed on race day and started the race more defensively at first, knowing that a hard day lay ahead of him. The recovery of the last few days probably did him good, and from stage two he really started to push hard, taking 22nd place, his best stage result of the day. Torben also gave everything on the other stages and finished the race in a fantastic 28th place - his best result of the season! Congratulations to Helen and Torben!