Conolly took her first win of the season with a massive 40-second lead over Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) and won four out of five stages. The men's race was much closer: Booker was only leading by a few seconds with two stages to go, but was able to snatch his second win of the season with a strong final stage.
There were also clear winners in the junior category: Lacey Adams (Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team) and Melvin Almueis extended their overall lead with their victories in Loudenvielle.
Booker defeats Łukasik after a thrilling pentathlon
Just a few weeks ago, Daniel Booker took his first World Cup victory in Pietra Ligure (Italy) - and now he has impressively followed this up with the second triumph of his career at the UCI Enduro World Cup in Loudenvielle.
The Australian already made a clear statement on the opening stage "Nabias". The riders started with what was probably the toughest stage of the entire day: a 3.6-kilometre descent with a whopping 730 metres of depth - a real feat of strength for the arms, concentration and technique. Booker mastered the challenge with aplomb and finished two seconds ahead of Alex Rudeau, while Sławomir Łukasik, winner of the second World Cup in Poland, finished in fourth place.
However, the Pole made an impressive comeback in the second stage ("Privilege"): with a tremendous run, he took the lead in the overall standings by a wafer-thin margin of just 0.006 seconds. Booker finished fifth on this stage. Things remained extremely close on the third stage ("Six Pack"): there was just 5.2 seconds between the first and seventh-placed drivers - but the positions remained unchanged.
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The fourth stage ("Pourticou") then brought the decisive turning point. The extremely steep 1,100 metre descent became the key scene of the day: Łukasik was not able to cope optimally and dropped back to 11th place. Booker seized his chance and made up the time he had previously lost - giving him a comfortable seven-second lead going into the fifth and final stage.
Booker managed a faultless run on the final and most technically demanding stage of the entire race, securing overall victory. Łukasik, on the other hand, made a mistake, lost ten seconds and had to settle for third place. Alex Rudeau seized the opportunity and moved up to second place in the daily standings. Despite the setback, Łukasik still retains the leader's jersey in the overall series standings.
It's incredibly exciting to win here. I've never had outstanding results here, but I love the trails every year. Today went really well - even when I made mistakes, I still had speed. I was happy and the trails were in top condition. It was a great day, I really enjoyed riding. Things didn't go so well in Poland, but now I'm back - and hopefully we can stay in front! - Daniel Booker
Conolly becomes Queen of Loudenvielle-Peyragudes
Ella Conolly has extended her lead in the UCI Women's Enduro World Cup with a commanding victory in Loudenvielle. After narrowly losing out to Harriet Harnden (Aon Racing - Tourne Campervans) and Elly Hoskin in Pietra Ligure and Bielsko-Biała in Poland respectively, this time she took control of the race right from the start.
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She already made a clear statement on the first stage ("Nabias"): With a lead of 4.27 seconds on Morgane Charre and over 20 seconds on the rest of the field, she emphasised her ambitions early on. She didn't let up on the second stage either and increased the gap to Charre by a further five seconds. Nadina Ellecosta (Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team) placed a solid third and established herself as a strong contender in the battle for the podium.
Stage 3 - a short, technical section through the forest - suited Charre particularly well. She narrowly beat Conolly there, while there were less than four seconds between third and tenth place. On Stage 4 ("Pourticou"), Conolly was back on top form: she rode confidently to first place and, apart from Charre and Ellecosta, left the entire field more than a minute behind her.
In the final fifth stage, Conolly finally left nothing to chance. She completed the overall victory with another confident stage. Charre, who only finished fifth on this stage, was still able to secure second place in the overall standings. Winnifred Goldsbury, who finished the final stage in third place, also secured third place overall.
The race was fantastic - it was really cool to ride here in Loudenvielle in dry conditions. It was a big contrast to last year and also to the previous race in Poland. My race day went pretty smoothly. I started really fast, but had a small slip and a crash, so I rode a bit more calculated after that - smoother, but pushed everywhere I could.
I'm still leading the World Cup - that makes me really happy. - Ella Conolly
How the Germans fared
German fans had to do without Raphaela Richter at the women's race of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Loudenvielle. The top German rider is still suffering from a shoulder injury, which she sustained at the second round of the World Cup in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. In her absence, Helen Weber ensured a strong German result: the 23-year-old skied a focussed and flawless race and was the only German starter to finish in an excellent sixth place in the elite field.
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In the men's race, the focus was on Christian Textor (YT Mob), who went into the race as the most promising German starter. However, a technical defect dashed his hopes early on: he lost several minutes on the second stage due to a flat front wheel. In the end, he had to settle for 102nd place. The best German men's result was achieved by Frederik Matz from Freiburg, who rode a solid run to 46th place in the elite field.
Max Fuchs
Editor
