Pole Voima charges into 3rd – EWS E-series Tweed Valley
The opening round of the 2022 Enduro World Series was a big deal. Taking place on the legendary trails of the Tweed Valley in Scotland, the riders faced 13 stages on a three-looped course with 2800 meters of climbing across 65kms.
Joe and Leigh have been training for this day ever since they decided to focus entirely on the EWS E-Series races for the 2022 season. With their Voima racebikes charged and ready to roll, they both set out onto the course.
It was evident early on in the first loop that the competition was seriously high. Stacked with big-name and legendary riders, Joe and Leigh had their work cut out with strong competition all around. By stage 4 (the first of two “Power” uphill timed stages) both Leigh and Joe were looking strong (Joe beat Leigh by 1.18 seconds on this stage)
Rolling back into the pits for the first battery change, the ranking results confirmed our thoughts – Leigh was leading the overall race! After a quick battery swap, a trip to the SRAM Tech Team guys for a gear index, and a replacement chainring bolt, Leigh and Joe were ready to set off for Loop 2.
Bolstered on by the unexpected overall ranking lead, Leigh hit stage 5 with renewed vigor and took a stage win by 1.240 seconds. Fatigue had started to set in for the boys by stage 6. Waning concentration led to a tumble for Leigh, which dropped him back to second place on the overall rankings.
After stage 8, Leigh and Joe headed back into the pits for their second battery change (although both riders had more than two bars of battery left). Another trip to the SRAM Tech Team guys to straighten a front rotor and then back to the start ramp for the final stages of Loop 3.
Fatigue had really set in by now and both Joe and Leigh had to dig deep to keep the momentum going. By stage 10 Leigh had dropped to 4th place in the overall rankings. Joe pushed hard and was rewarded with his best position of the day on the second “Power” stage, beating Leigh by 15 places with 7 seconds between them.
Things weren’t to go Joe’s way much longer though, unfortunately. A problem with his rear derailleur left him without any gear control on the final stage, dropping him back to 23rd. Leigh, still in 4th place, pedaled hard all the way to the finish on the final stage and crossed the line in third place overall for the day! Our first podium at an Enduro World Series race to date!
Such great results from the guys on the opening round of the EWS E-Series. We are looking forward to seeing what they have in store for the next four rounds! It’s fair to say that the Voima is fast and ready to win races!
Be sure to follow Joe and Leigh throughout the 2022 race season. You can catch them on their social media channels. Joe also has recently started a YouTube channel – make sure to subscribe.
