DENIAUD SCORES STAGE WIN, TOP-10 OVERALL AT EWS ROUND 7

Following the double-header rounds at Loudenvielle, France a week prior, the seventh round of this year’s EWS featured another new venue. Held on the high alpine slopes of Switzerland’s Valais region, Round 7 at Crans-Montana challenged riders with a mix of bike park tracks and surrounding terrain with steep, technical trails. The event took place over two days, with an opening Pro Stage on Saturday. Four more stages and some tough transfers on Sunday made for a grueling day two.

Riding his Reign Advanced Pro 29 team bike, Deniaud was on top of his game over two days of racing on the challenging terrain at Crans-Montana, finishing top-10 in three of the five stages. The French rider got off to a strong start in the Pro Stage, finishing 6th, just 6 seconds behind stage winner Richie Rude. His breakthrough ride came on Stage 3, held on a 2.87km track with a 543m descent. Wearing his Giant Line shoes and a special limited edition “Teal Camo” team kit from apparel sponsor Cuore, Deniaud stormed to the stage win.
 
“I rode really well this weekend, taking the win on Stage 3 and two additional top-10 stages,” Deniaud said. “I liked the Swiss terrain, and it felt good to get seventh overall. I’m still searching for the podium though at the next round in Finale Ligure this coming week.”
 
Deniaud’s teammate Mckay Vezina also had a good showing in Switzerland, finishing 16th overall. It was the Canadian rider’s top result so far this year. “I feel like I finally flipped the switch and rode to my true potential here in Crans-Montana,” said Vezina, who also rode the Reign Advanced Pro 29 and Line shoes. “The tracks were awesome, and it felt good to get a top-10 stage result on Stage 3.”

E-BIKE ENDURO WORLD SERIES
 
The first round of the EWS-E series was also held at the Crans-Montana venue, and Giant Factory Off-Road Team rider Josh Carlson put in a strong ride to earn two top-10 stage finishes and 13th overall.
 
“It felt fantastic to be back and racing at my first ever EWS-E event,” said Carlson, who is also a two-time E-XC national champion (2020-21) in Australia. “I’m really happy with how the new Reign E+ performed. I was able to push it to its limit, and it really delivered. Finishing in the top-10 in some stages and being so close to the front of the race was promising and leaves me feeling confident heading to the next round in Finale Ligure.”