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What a weekend for enduro racing it was. The Enduro World Series reconvened in one of the most beautiful venues of the year – Italy’s Val di Fassa, deep in the Dolomites – for the next stop of racing. The weekend was marked by some exciting racing, some big crashes, notable absences, and the comeback of Richie Rude.
Rude was suspended last season alongside Jared Graves for a UCI doping infraction after testing positive for the prohibited substances Higenamine and Oxilofrine. He served an 8-month suspension from racing. Rude dominated the EWS early in his career, winning the overall title in 2015 and 2016.
In Val di Fassa, Rude dominated four out the five stages to take the overall men’s win ahead of Sam Hill and Florian Nicolai. Isabeau Courdurier won the women’s race, topping Andreane Lanthier Nadeau and Noga Korem.
Former leader Martin Maes was noticeably absent from the racing after testing positive for a banned substance he allegedly received from an official race doctor to treat an infection at the Rotorua EWS race. He is currently serving a 90-day suspension and plans to race in Whistler. His wins from Rotorua and Tasmania were nullified.
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Favorite Jesse Melamed went down in a brutal crash during the race, hitting a tree and injuring his hand and ankle.
