EWS.4 '19 DOMINATION
IN THE DOLOMITES
EWS VAL DI FASSA
DOMINATING FOUR OUT OF FIVE STAGES, RICHIE RUDE WAS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH AT EWS 4 VAL DI FASSA, ITALY. STAGE 1 FOUND RUDE SHAKING HIS HANDS OUT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SECOND BIGGEST VERTICAL DROP OF RACE DAY. LOOKING BACK AT THE CLOCK, HE HAD 6.84 SECONDS OVER THE DEFENDING TITLEHOLDER, SAM HILL.
Stage by stage, Rude held off the field with strong form and unbridled speed. On the queen stage – the crux stage of every race - Rude held no mercy. Named “Tutti Frutti” the 6.5-kilometer stage sliced through the Dolomites, dropping nearly 1000m and filled with steep, technical terrain. This is where races are won or lost. When the final racer crossed the line, Rude sealed his victory with an 18.96-second lead over Hill. Richie Rude is back.
Shawn Neer nipped at Rude’s heels all throughout practice. On race day, Neer only got faster throughout the day with a fifth place on Stage 4 and 16th on the queen stage. Neer finished with a top EWS placement at a European venue to date – 18th place overall.
With EWS No.5 next weekend, the Yeti / FOX Factory Team looks to carry this momentum to Les Orres for two big days of racing in the Hautes-Alpes region of South Eastern France. Stay tuned – we’re just getting started.
