Team CRC take on Vittoria EWS-E Tweed Valley 2021

Team CRC took on the final round of the EWS-E this week at the famous Tweed Valley, Scotland. Sam Hill, Kelan Grant and Nigel Page all took on the brutal three loop, 14 stage, 57km course which was made even more difficult by the Scottish weather.

Sam fights back to an impressive 3rd place

Sam took part in his first EWS-E competition at Tweed Valley. Riding the new Nukeproof MegaWatt, Sam won seven out of 14 stages finishing an impressive third overall. Speaking with Sam after the event he said "I had no expectations going into the race", which was described by the race organisers as one of the most challenging in EWS-E history.

Sam started off on the back foot after stage one, finishing 22nd on a difficult up-hill power stage. When asked about how the first power stage went, Sam told us "I was nervous going into that first stage, finding it hard to concentrate on what lines I should of been taking."

"Plan was to go as far as I could and if I lost grip I would have walked to the next spot that was safe to get going again."

After that difficult start Sam managed to regain back some of his lost time by winning stages 7,8 and 9 then going on to win the last four stages. Finishing 1min 11secs behind winner Nicolas Vouilloz in an impressive first EWS-E round from the legendary Australian.

"I definitely didn't find it any easier," said Sam when speaking about riding an E-bike. "The heavier bike with the more weight beats the upper body up more than your used too," describing the difference of riding an e-bike at the season ending EWS-E as just as hard if not harder than riding his normal Nukeproof Mega.

"Having to only change the battery 2/3 times across the three loops allowed me to ride in the higher boost/trail setting… and as the day went on I felt more comfortable and learnt what the bike was about and capable of."

Difficult day out for Nigel Page

Team Chain Reaction Manager Nigel Page had a tough day on the (up)hill, saying: "I'm really happy to get round without quitting." Nigel finished 15th overall across the 14 stage race which involved a colossal 3450 meters of climbing and a brutal first power stage up the hollowed trails of Innerleithen.

"The weather wasn't kind to us today. I was expecting a nice day out on the e-bikes. I'm glad I completed it as I thought I wasn't going to, I had a bit of a crash this morning and hurt my leg."

Nigel went on to praise his team after the race, "Big up to Kelan and Sam they did amazing….it was cool to ride round with the lads (which) was a brilliant day."

Speaking about the new Nukeproof Megawatt, Nigel spoke of how e-bikes could be the next big thing, "I really think the future is going to be E-Bikes…I love riding the (Nukeproof) MegaWatt." The Nukeproof Megawatt combines the geometry of the Nuekproof Mega frame with the power of electricity to create the ultimate enduro machine.

Chain issues and crashes for Kelan Grant

In the wet and windy conditions of Tweed Valley, Kelan managed an impressive sixth overall after suffering crashes and a snapped chain at the beginning of the day. Finishing strong after the poor start Kelan pulled out an impressive set of results in the final few stages finishing second on three stages and third on three stages whilst onboard the Nukeproof MegaWatt.

"I had a really good finish to the day, start of the day didn't really go to plan, I had a snapped chain and a crash," leaving Kelan in near enough last place after the first two stages however his determination and skills allowed him to crawl his way back up to sixth overall for the final round of the EWS-E 2021.

Speaking about the weather, Kelan seemed to enjoy the wetter conditions: "No I loved it… it made for a challenge and making the loops a lot lot harder but we are well used to it."

EWS-E returns next year with opening round at Tweed Valley.

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