For a born competitor like Alex Rudeau, this saying resonates, but recent successes weigh heavily, "It's complicated because I have a lot of pressure. I'm going to try to enjoy myself and we'll see." Indeed, for Alex, finding enjoyment during his race runs is a key element as it's in these moments that he can fully express his potential.
Louis Jeandel, on the rise, wants to consolidate his work by standing out from the highly competitive top 20 group and return to the top 10. "I know it's up to me to find what's missing to be in the top 10 and I really want it to work." As for Mathieu Ruffray, he is determined to prove his abilities after having to withdraw due to injury last weekend.
Before the World Enduro Cup summer break, the 5th round in Val Di Fassa is stirred everyone up. Although the Dolomites offer breathtaking landscapes, there is no room to enjoy the views. The highly physical and technical stages challenge the riders' resources and are hard on the equipment. There's even a two-minute sprint climb in "Infinity", while "Titans" is more technical than ever.
For the team, the end of this second block of races is a crucial moment that will set the pace of work until the end of August and attempt to again highlight the META V5, which has just been officially unveiled. Changes in the schedule due to the weather amplify the strategic aspect of the event. Our riders decide to conserve their physical effort and prioritise commitment in the long technical stages. With unexpected rides on Saturday, freshness will be a decisive factor.
On Friday, Louis's META V5 was equipped with a data acquisition system. He benefited from the support of the engineers in Andorra to set up a new shock absorber adjusted internally by our on-site technicians in order to better respond to recent changes in his riding. Meanwhile, the pressure experienced by Alex continues to get the upper hand. He confides in the team during the evening debriefing: "I understood after this first day that I needed to mobilise again. I'm going to refocus on factual elements.”
Race day started badly for Mathieu Ruffray who couldn't find the pace in the first stage and had to put a foot down in the power stage. At the same time, Alex and Louis headed to the start of the first stage, very focused.
Our leader even scored the fastest time on this one. The day starts well for him. Stage 2, with the infamous never-ending climb, left its mark and Alex placed 4th overall, 18 sec behind. "When you see you're losing seconds on the relaunch when you're already at full throttle, it's hard.” He was in the race, true to the established strategy, and once again took the fastest time on stage 3, moving back into 3rd overall. On stage 4, he suffered a chain jump. "At that point, adrenaline takes over. We were uphill, I jumped off the bike and there, on the flat, I told myself just to go for it." The tension lasts until the last stage. Alex was 2nd overall and continued to battle with the best in the discipline, also capable of riding very fast on the last downhill. He pushed to the end and finishes 2nd!
Louis pulled off a remarkable performance, placing 16th, 12th, 11th, and 13th in stages 2 to 5. He could have easily reached the top 15. His solid position in stage 2, which demanded intense pedalling effort, was a testament to his training results.
The day was more severe for Mathieu, who was not satisfied with a top 20. "I just lacked the watts, but actually, when you lack power, you lack everything. I tried to rally myself at the start of the stages, telling myself that it's okay, give it everything,'but I just couldn't hold onto the bike and it was dangerous. Even though I suffered from the beginning of the day, I wanted to give it all to finish. It's still a lot of riding, especially under these conditions, but I was really struggling." - Math Ruffray
These moments of tension and emotions are part of racing. The morning debriefing was very positive, very enriching, "We have once again learned a lot from this race and we will continue to improve. The aspects are very diverse, it's very stimulating. Above all, it's the human aspect that makes the difference, and for that we have an exceptional group." - Lisa Quet, Team Manager. The work we have put in since the end of 2021 for this Enduro Project is bearing fruit; these results are exceptional. "It's incredible to be here when the team is only 2 years old." Alex Rudeau. We again had excellent feedback from the riders on the META V5, particularly regarding the comfort and confidence it provided. This momentum drives us to have even more commitment in the discipline.
Alex is now 65 points away from the podium. It's an additional challenge to reach that podium. However, it remains possible since there are still two rounds left, particularly in France, where we know that the supportive crowd will only enhance our riders' performance. The team will be complete again with the return of Guillaume Larbeyou (currently recuperating). This will be an opportunity for him, Math' and Louis to take revenge on this second part of the season, even though we already know that they will have been positively impacted by these difficult experiences.
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