Q&A Session with John Hauer of X-Fusion
Mtbr: What is the Punta Ala event and what makes it special?
John Hauer: The Punta Ala Superenduro marked the first round of the Enduro World Series. What made this Enduro event so special was that it would be the first time riders truly competed from every region of the world in a structured global series. It consisted of riders from DH, XC and Enduro specific backgrounds all hoping to make their mark on the Enduro scene. Some even said it was the deepest talent level of any off-road cycling race ever. There were a total of 14 previous world champions competing in Punta Ala and the media presence was in full force. Everybody wanted to see how round one of the EWS was going to shake out.
Mtbr: What were your goals and expectations coming in to the event? How did you prepare yourself and your equipment?
John Hauer: My personal goals not knowing much about how Enduro's are ran in Europe was to ride to the best of my ability and take in everything I could. Superenduro racing is tough and physical and the added hurdle of being in a foreign land makes it even tougher. I knew going into the event what the general terrain was going to be like due to many riders practicing weeks in advance and posting POV videos of the tracks. I chose to take my Specialized Stumpy Evo 29 which if doing it all over again would still be my bike of choice. Along with my ride I brought pretty much any replacement part you can think of along with an assortment of tires. I was definitely prepared with gear and was glad I brought as much as I did.
Mtbr: How did it go and what did you learn? Surprises and Disappointments?
John Hauer: Well... I was proud of how I rode, but there was definitely some disappointment. I crashed hard in stage 2 losing a lot of time and dropping me back severely in the overall results. I ended up 47th out of 400+ riders which is respectable but I had higher hopes and thought that it didn't reflect how well I was actually riding. I knew going into the race that you needed to be consistent and not make any mistakes but after a challenging stage 1 I was looking to make up time in stage 2 and came into a section a little hot. I lost my line, hit some rocks and got sent ass over tea kettle. That's racing though so I let it go and continued on to have strong 3rd and 4th stages.
Mtbr: What's in yours and Xfusion's future as far as Enduro events go?
John Hauer: X-Fusion will definitely maintain a presence in Enduro racing. It coincides with our product line and is a great driving factor in mid-travel bike development at the moment. X-Fusion plans to continue supporting this category and is proud to be the title sponsor of the Ashland Mountain Challenge Enduro being held on June 22nd in Ashland, OR. Our athletes like Manuel Ducci, Brian Lopes and Jeff Lenosky will continue to compete in these events and will be working closely with us on future development. As for myself, I trail ride everyday and Enduro embraces all-mountain trail riding turning it into a competitive event. Being the competitive person I am, I'll definitely still be competing in numerous Enduro events from the regional to international level. To sum it up, X-Fusion and my personal involvement with Enduro racing looks very bright.
Continue reading for John Hauer's Enduro World Series Punta Ala race report.
Lopes reviewing track footage while Hauer changes tires in preparation for the rain.
Editors Note: Enduro World Series Punta Ala race report by John Hauer with images and video by Gianluca Ricceri.
After a few hundred dollars in baggage fees, still slightly unsure on our preparation, Brian Lopes and I set off for Italy to compete in the inaugural Enduro World Series race. Enduro mania has been sweeping the globe and what better way to gain and understanding for it's popularity than to attend, compete in and experience the largest (and potentially most competitive ever) Enduro race to date first hand.
We arrived in the small town of Punta Ala, on the West coast of Italy, 6 days prior to the event. Quickly, we assembled our bikes and began riding, documenting and learning the special stages that would be raced the following weekend. With rapidly changing weather conditions and minimal time to ride the courses, watching pre-recorded helmet cam footage helped to learn the technical terrain. Bike preparation and maintenance were also crucial to success on race day. Durability of the bike played a big factor if you were going to have a good race. A flat or a mechanical meant you were out of contention.
Lopes and Hauer at stage 1 during practice.
Both of us opted to bring 29ers to Punta Ala. The long transfers between stages required an efficient bike to conserve energy while the stages themselves were rough, where the big wheels carried speed over the bigger holes. For the most part, my and Brian's set-ups were very similar. We relied on the 34mm platform X-Fusion Trace RL2 140mm forks up front. In the rear, Brian's Ibis Ripley ran the Microlite RL. Despite being a shock designed for XC racing, it was able to tackle even the chunkiest terrain in Punta Ala. On the back of my Specialized Stumpy 29 EVO, I went with our tried-and-true O2 RCX. Having a solid range of low-speed compression throughout the day allowed me to adjust the bike for varying sections of trail.
Keeping it upright on the Prologue's wet cobblestones.
Finally, after a week of preparation and getting adjusted it was time to race. The event kicked off Saturday night with a prologue stage through a local castle and town area. It was extremely nerve racking racing on the slick and wet cobblestones, but Brian and myself were able to get down relatively smoothly without losing any significant time before the real racing started. The prologue helped bring the racing to the local people and despite the weather being terrible, fans were still out in full force to see the action.
Lopes' Ibis Ripley waits for Race Day while Hauer gears down post prologue.
After the Saturday evening prologue, it was time to go to sleep and be well rested for the next day's efforts. Unfortunately the rain began to drop. Being two dudes from California, the sound of rain in a foreign land the night before we had to go throw ourselves down the rocky trails was less than ideal. We expected it though, and knew that everybody would be encountering the same struggles and uncertainty while racing.
The next morning, despite a night of continuous rain, the sun was out and shining bright. The organizers sent riders off in pairs every minute, beginning at 8:30 am. With an abundance of time to get to stage 1, the riders were able to socialize and take their time on making it to the start. Some riders (like Dan Atherton) even decided that walking up all the steep hills was a better idea to conserve energy, despite how awesome it made them look.
A short video of Brian Lopes and John Hauer in Punta Ala ( Tuscany, Italy ) for the first stage of the Enduro World Series.
Stage 1 was definitely the muddiest stage with the least amount of time to dry out. Lopes and I were happy to both make it down the hill without crashes or big mistakes but had moments in our runs where it all could have gone terribly wrong. It's crucial to be consistent in Enduro racing, so any stage that you clean can be looked at as a small success.
Stage 2 went well again for Lopes. He had another solid but conservative run, keeping himself in fighting chance for a strong overall finish. Unfortunately for myself, I let it hang out a bit too much in a rocky section and crashed hard. I collected myself and continued down the trail following the rider who had overtaken me. Despite crashing and giving away chances at a strong overall it was confidence inspiring to be able to sit on an established European rider's wheel down to the end of the stage.
On stage 3, Lopes had a terrific run putting him back inside the top 20 overall. I also had my best stage of the event placing 18th just a few tenths back from one of my childhood heros, Nico Vouilloz. After stage 3 it was definitely apparent that fatigue was settling in for some riders, as their results tapered off in stage 3 and 4.
Mid race check-in was time to review times and chill out.
Stage 4 was the shortest stage, and dropped all riders down to the beautiful Italian coast. Lopes had another strong finish, as did I, improving our overall rankings. Lopes reeled back a ton of competition to take 15th overall. He was the fastest rider on a 29er in Punta Ala and in the category subdivision by age he smoked his class! I finished 47th overall respectfully out of the 400+ with slight regret of my mistakes in stage 2. That's Enduro racing though at its purist. You must be consistent and smooth in all stages, without making time costly mistakes.
Post race dip in the Mediterranean.
To wrap up the weekend we checked results, cracked a beer and then took a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. We had succeeded in our mission to take in all we could of the growing cycling discipline: Enduro. Would we have done anything different? Sure! But that's for us to know for next time. What it comes down to is we had a damn good time on our bikes and that's what Enduro is all about.
Brian Lopes talks about his experience at first stage of Enduro World Series in Punta Ala. Also presented some new X Fusion products.
Photos courtesy of Gianluca Ricceri.
Mtbr: What is the Punta Ala event and what makes it special?
John Hauer: The Punta Ala Superenduro marked the first round of the Enduro World Series. What made this Enduro event so special was that it would be the first time riders truly competed from every region of the world in a structured global series. It consisted of riders from DH, XC and Enduro specific backgrounds all hoping to make their mark on the Enduro scene. Some even said it was the deepest talent level of any off-road cycling race ever. There were a total of 14 previous world champions competing in Punta Ala and the media presence was in full force. Everybody wanted to see how round one of the EWS was going to shake out.
Mtbr: What were your goals and expectations coming in to the event? How did you prepare yourself and your equipment?
John Hauer: My personal goals not knowing much about how Enduro's are ran in Europe was to ride to the best of my ability and take in everything I could. Superenduro racing is tough and physical and the added hurdle of being in a foreign land makes it even tougher. I knew going into the event what the general terrain was going to be like due to many riders practicing weeks in advance and posting POV videos of the tracks. I chose to take my Specialized Stumpy Evo 29 which if doing it all over again would still be my bike of choice. Along with my ride I brought pretty much any replacement part you can think of along with an assortment of tires. I was definitely prepared with gear and was glad I brought as much as I did.
Mtbr: How did it go and what did you learn? Surprises and Disappointments?
John Hauer: Well... I was proud of how I rode, but there was definitely some disappointment. I crashed hard in stage 2 losing a lot of time and dropping me back severely in the overall results. I ended up 47th out of 400+ riders which is respectable but I had higher hopes and thought that it didn't reflect how well I was actually riding. I knew going into the race that you needed to be consistent and not make any mistakes but after a challenging stage 1 I was looking to make up time in stage 2 and came into a section a little hot. I lost my line, hit some rocks and got sent ass over tea kettle. That's racing though so I let it go and continued on to have strong 3rd and 4th stages.
Mtbr: What's in yours and Xfusion's future as far as Enduro events go?
John Hauer: X-Fusion will definitely maintain a presence in Enduro racing. It coincides with our product line and is a great driving factor in mid-travel bike development at the moment. X-Fusion plans to continue supporting this category and is proud to be the title sponsor of the Ashland Mountain Challenge Enduro being held on June 22nd in Ashland, OR. Our athletes like Manuel Ducci, Brian Lopes and Jeff Lenosky will continue to compete in these events and will be working closely with us on future development. As for myself, I trail ride everyday and Enduro embraces all-mountain trail riding turning it into a competitive event. Being the competitive person I am, I'll definitely still be competing in numerous Enduro events from the regional to international level. To sum it up, X-Fusion and my personal involvement with Enduro racing looks very bright.
Continue reading for John Hauer's Enduro World Series Punta Ala race report.
Lopes reviewing track footage while Hauer changes tires in preparation for the rain.
Editors Note: Enduro World Series Punta Ala race report by John Hauer with images and video by Gianluca Ricceri.
After a few hundred dollars in baggage fees, still slightly unsure on our preparation, Brian Lopes and I set off for Italy to compete in the inaugural Enduro World Series race. Enduro mania has been sweeping the globe and what better way to gain and understanding for it's popularity than to attend, compete in and experience the largest (and potentially most competitive ever) Enduro race to date first hand.
We arrived in the small town of Punta Ala, on the West coast of Italy, 6 days prior to the event. Quickly, we assembled our bikes and began riding, documenting and learning the special stages that would be raced the following weekend. With rapidly changing weather conditions and minimal time to ride the courses, watching pre-recorded helmet cam footage helped to learn the technical terrain. Bike preparation and maintenance were also crucial to success on race day. Durability of the bike played a big factor if you were going to have a good race. A flat or a mechanical meant you were out of contention.
Lopes and Hauer at stage 1 during practice.
Both of us opted to bring 29ers to Punta Ala. The long transfers between stages required an efficient bike to conserve energy while the stages themselves were rough, where the big wheels carried speed over the bigger holes. For the most part, my and Brian's set-ups were very similar. We relied on the 34mm platform X-Fusion Trace RL2 140mm forks up front. In the rear, Brian's Ibis Ripley ran the Microlite RL. Despite being a shock designed for XC racing, it was able to tackle even the chunkiest terrain in Punta Ala. On the back of my Specialized Stumpy 29 EVO, I went with our tried-and-true O2 RCX. Having a solid range of low-speed compression throughout the day allowed me to adjust the bike for varying sections of trail.
Keeping it upright on the Prologue's wet cobblestones.
Finally, after a week of preparation and getting adjusted it was time to race. The event kicked off Saturday night with a prologue stage through a local castle and town area. It was extremely nerve racking racing on the slick and wet cobblestones, but Brian and myself were able to get down relatively smoothly without losing any significant time before the real racing started. The prologue helped bring the racing to the local people and despite the weather being terrible, fans were still out in full force to see the action.
Lopes' Ibis Ripley waits for Race Day while Hauer gears down post prologue.
After the Saturday evening prologue, it was time to go to sleep and be well rested for the next day's efforts. Unfortunately the rain began to drop. Being two dudes from California, the sound of rain in a foreign land the night before we had to go throw ourselves down the rocky trails was less than ideal. We expected it though, and knew that everybody would be encountering the same struggles and uncertainty while racing.
The next morning, despite a night of continuous rain, the sun was out and shining bright. The organizers sent riders off in pairs every minute, beginning at 8:30 am. With an abundance of time to get to stage 1, the riders were able to socialize and take their time on making it to the start. Some riders (like Dan Atherton) even decided that walking up all the steep hills was a better idea to conserve energy, despite how awesome it made them look.
A short video of Brian Lopes and John Hauer in Punta Ala ( Tuscany, Italy ) for the first stage of the Enduro World Series.
Stage 1 was definitely the muddiest stage with the least amount of time to dry out. Lopes and I were happy to both make it down the hill without crashes or big mistakes but had moments in our runs where it all could have gone terribly wrong. It's crucial to be consistent in Enduro racing, so any stage that you clean can be looked at as a small success.
Stage 2 went well again for Lopes. He had another solid but conservative run, keeping himself in fighting chance for a strong overall finish. Unfortunately for myself, I let it hang out a bit too much in a rocky section and crashed hard. I collected myself and continued down the trail following the rider who had overtaken me. Despite crashing and giving away chances at a strong overall it was confidence inspiring to be able to sit on an established European rider's wheel down to the end of the stage.
On stage 3, Lopes had a terrific run putting him back inside the top 20 overall. I also had my best stage of the event placing 18th just a few tenths back from one of my childhood heros, Nico Vouilloz. After stage 3 it was definitely apparent that fatigue was settling in for some riders, as their results tapered off in stage 3 and 4.
Mid race check-in was time to review times and chill out.
Stage 4 was the shortest stage, and dropped all riders down to the beautiful Italian coast. Lopes had another strong finish, as did I, improving our overall rankings. Lopes reeled back a ton of competition to take 15th overall. He was the fastest rider on a 29er in Punta Ala and in the category subdivision by age he smoked his class! I finished 47th overall respectfully out of the 400+ with slight regret of my mistakes in stage 2. That's Enduro racing though at its purist. You must be consistent and smooth in all stages, without making time costly mistakes.
Post race dip in the Mediterranean.
To wrap up the weekend we checked results, cracked a beer and then took a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. We had succeeded in our mission to take in all we could of the growing cycling discipline: Enduro. Would we have done anything different? Sure! But that's for us to know for next time. What it comes down to is we had a damn good time on our bikes and that's what Enduro is all about.
Brian Lopes talks about his experience at first stage of Enduro World Series in Punta Ala. Also presented some new X Fusion products.
Photos courtesy of Gianluca Ricceri.