EWS Whistler 2022 top five talking points

05 August 2022

Excitement is building here in Whistler as eyes turn to the twists and turns that will combine to make the fourth round of the 2022 EWS the rich spectacle we’ve come to expect.

We’ve had a six-week break since the thrilling action at Val di Fassa in the Italian Dolomites so we’ve pulled together a few of the top talking points to get you in the mood for what’s about to go down here in Canada.
 

1. The big one: Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) is back in action after a horrific foot injury suffered during her first ever E-bike race at EWS-E Valberg at the start of July. The EWS series leader caught a sharp branch that pierced her shoe and went into her foot. The 28-year-old had surgery to remove the stick which fortunately missed any bones or tendons. During the shakedown on Thursday, she said she’d be doing her best with the form she had.
   
   “I’m just happy to be back here and riding. I had some troubles to say the least the past month so I’m just happy to be back here and on my bike,” she said. 
   
   Isabeau before the injury at EWS-E Valberg in July
   
   Laughing she added: “I am racing and actually not for fun! No, I’m kidding, I just will try my best with the form at the moment. It’s not the best one after a month like that. My foot is healthy, I am feeling OK riding and confident enough to race. I’ll for sure give it a go.” Good luck Isabeau.
    
2. We’re back in Whistler. We’re here as ever as part of the fabulous Crankworx festival following a two-year Covid hiatus. It’s still the best bike park in the world and one of mountain biking’s ancestral homes. It’s also one of the EWS series’s ever presents. The course switches between the bike park itself, Creekside and Blackcomb.
    
3. Rocky Mountain Race Face’s Jesse Melamed is racing at home. Will that turn out to be a poison chalice or will he find an extra gear with the power of home support ? He trails series leader Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Team) by just 80 points after three rounds. Will the roar of the partisan Whistler crowd help him close that down? We can’t wait to find out.
   
   
   Jesse racing to second spot at Val di Fassa
    
4. The top of the Pro Stage - which is also the final stage five  - is named 1199 after the number of points Canadian DH legend Stevie Smith scored on his way to securing the 2013 UCI World Cup title. Tragically Stevie died in May 2016 after a motorcycle accident in his home town of Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. He is sorely missed.
   
    Stevie in qualifying at the 2009 World Cup in Fort William, Scotland – pic by Douglas Cook 
    
5. The Trophy of Nations is looming at the end of this three-race block of North American racing. The Trophy of Nations is a team event where three riders race together representing their nation to take the coveted title home. The all-important selection will be made after EWS Sugarloaf. So no pressure then.

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