As the 2022 season rolls in, the Enduro World Series enters its tenth year as the global tour of enduro mountain bike racing. Featuring an 8-round race schedule around the globe with eight different venues, spanning five European countries, and once again returning to North America for three stops, the EWS is back with a fully fledged calendar for 2022.
Shimano and the EWS
Since the inception of the Enduro World Series in 2013, Shimano has been a big supporter of the organization. In 2020, Shimano stepped up to become the official drivetrain, brake, and e-bike partner of the Enduro World Series.
High-level competition is a key part of Shimano’s product development process. And although there is still a lot to learn from World Cup-level XC and DH events, Shimano’s MTB Sports Marketing Manager, Joe Lawill believes “the current demands of Enduro racing are the driving force of what is shaping MTB parts today. As our products evolve, it will be specifically driven by what is learned racing Enduro.”
Shimano has always valued top-level competition and with the help of EWS and EWS-E, mountain bikes are becoming more fun to ride and much more capable across varied terrain. Supporting a high-level series like the EWS and EWS-E are critical to the development of the sport.
2022 Race Schedule:
The Enduro World Series is finally back in full force for the 2022 season. EWS racing action will once again be hosted across the globe with five classic venues in European countries and the return of the legendary Whistler, Canada round. The EWS will make an exciting re-appearance in the US with two all-new venues in Burke, Vermont and Sugarloaf, Maine. With the covid-conservative schedules in the rear view, the 2022 race schedule is sure to bring some heated battles and excitement back to the world’s premier enduro racing series.
The Schedule:
June 4: EWS Tweed Valley, Innerleithen, GBR
June 18: EWS Petzen Jamnica, Petzen Jamnica, SLO
June 25: EWS Val Di Fassa, Canazei, ITA
August 6: EWS Whistler, Whistler, CAN
August 13: EWS Burke, Burke Vermont, USA
August 20: EWS Sugarloaf, Sugarloaf Maine, USA
September 17: EWS Crans-Montana, Crans-Montana, SUI
September 24: EWS Loudenvielle, Loudenvielle, FRA
EWS Riders and Teams to Watch:
YETI FOX Factory Team
- Richie Rude
- Bex Baraona
- Kasper Woolley
- Kate Lawence
Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team
- Jesse Melamed
- Remi Gauvin
- Andreane Lanthier Nadeau
Pivot Factory Racing
- Ed Masters
- Matt Walker
- Morgane Charre
Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team
- Robin Wallner
- Zakarias Johansen
- Cole Lucas
- Raphaela Richter
GT Factory Racing
- Wyn Masters
- Noga Korem
- Katy Winton
Giant Factory Offroad Team
- Mckay Vezina
- Youn Deniaud
E-Bikes and the EWS:
With the introduction of the EWS-E in 2020, the EWS hosted three rounds of e-bike racing in conjunction with the regular but abbreviated 2020 and 2021 race calendars. Moving into the 2022 season, the Enduro World Series will offer a five-round series for e-bikes, allowing riders to compete for the world title. Shimano will continue to support the EWS-E as the official e-bike partner of the 2022 race series.
This emerging race category will operate similarly in format to the regular EWS events, but with a few added challenges made possible by e-bike technology. To spice things up, these events will be held on separate trails from the regular EWS events in the same locations. The stages will include not only timed downhill sections, but also challenging technical climbing stages. To keep rider’s on their toes, liaisons will be tight, so battery power management throughout the day will also be an exciting new challenge for riders.
The basic Enduro format of climbing to the top of the stage and racing down is a perfect fit for e-bike racing, and the EWS-E will provide a great proving ground for future product development.
EWS-E Schedule:
June 2: EWS-E Tweed Valley, Innerleithen, GBR
June 16: EWS-E Petzen Jamnica, Petzen Jamnica, SLO
July 2: EWS-E Valberg, Valberg, FRA
September 15: EWS-E Crans-Montana, Crans-Montana, SUI
September 29: EWS-E Finale Ligure, Finale Ligure ITA
EWS-E Riders and Teams to Watch: Team announcements coming soon!
