The Emerald Enduro near Wicklow in Ireland is a new addition to the Enduro World Series calendar. In the run-up to the race, the organizers make big fan appeals on the radio and in newspapers and even point out the easiest ways to make noise on the course. The fans do indeed answer the organizers' call in droves - but not only because of them: one of the co-favourites is Greg Callaghan, a young Irishman working for the Cube Action Team, who grew up in nearby Dublin and therefore not far from the tracks on the 381-metre-high Carrick Mountain. The enthusiastic fans want to see him and cheer him on to success.

Although there is huge pressure on Callaghan, he stands up to it from the very first meter. The 23-year-old took three stage wins and recorded a fourth-best time on stage four, his worst. An incredibly consistent performance that earned Callaghan victory, 15 seconds ahead of New Zealander Justin Leov. Trek rider Leov himself also delivered a very consistent race, setting the fastest times on the third and fourth stages. The fastest time on the sixth stage and third place went to the American Richie Rude.
After a total of six hours of total riding time and just under 30 minutes of racing time, every rider is greeted loudly by the Irish fans as they cross the finish line. Greg Callaghan's arrival, however, becomes a crazy folk festival and he is celebrated like a hero.

Wildhaber's quick comeback
Although not first, René Wildhaber, who had to miss the first World Series race due to injury, is still a winner. Although Wildhaber was able to get back on his bike a month ago, the resulting training deficit was just as difficult for him to assess as how his hand would react to the high load. Wildhaber is therefore approaching the race in Ireland with caution. After feeling his way through the first downhill stage, the Swiss Trek rider steadily improved, bringing him up to seventh place in the end. An excellent result even under normal conditions, it is all the more remarkable when the suboptimal circumstances are taken into account. In addition, the pressure to perform in the Enduro World Series has increased even further this season. Wildhaber can still climb onto the podium: Together with his colleagues from the Trek Factory Racing Enduro Team, he wins the team classification.

While Ludo May and Gusti Wildhaber, the next Swiss enduro hopefuls after René Wildhaber, are recovering from their injuries, a new name is trying to gain a foothold in the circus. We are talking about Rudolf Biedermann, who is contesting his first World Series race in Ireland. Although Biedermann is not satisfied due to his riding errors and two crashes, his 39th place is remarkable and a solid basis for moving forward.

A tie in the women's race
After the Frenchwoman Anne Caroline Chausson won the first race, the British rider Tracy Moseley drew level on the extremely physically demanding stages in Ireland and swapped places with Chausson. Although Moseley says she doesn't particularly like the drift-heavy routes, she rides to best times in all but one stage. With her clear victory, she draws level with Chausson in the points classification, but thanks to the fact that her victory is more recent, she takes the overall lead.

Until fourth place, nothing changes in the order of the race in New Zealand. As there, Cecile Ravanel and Anneke Beerten take third and fourth place. Anita Gehrig makes a big leap forward. Chausson's Ibis team colleague achieved one of her best results with seventh place, despite stomach problems in the run-up to the race. Carolin Gehrig also rides one of her best races and is in eighth place for a long time. However, during a crash on stage five, the handlebars on her bike twisted, costing her valuable seconds and the jump into the top ten. Nevertheless, she is not unhappy with twelfth place, especially knowing that her form is improving and the next race is coming up soon.

BMC rider Lorraine Truong finished just ahead of Carolin Gehrig in eleventh place. Although the Romande loses some ground in the overall classification as a result, she is still in a good eighth place. Anita and Carolin Gehrig improve to eleventh and fifteenth place respectively.

Ireland - surprisingly super
Nobody could have guessed what awaited the riders near the small Irish town of Wicklow. Some athletes expected that important organizational processes might not work as usual - wrongly so. The organizers have already done a good job with the signage. This extends from the race area to the parking lot, washing areas, race office and catering facilities. The friendliness and helpfulness of the Irish should be emphasized, thanks to which you feel very welcome as a rider. The spectators put the dot on the "i". This is because the number of fans is one of the largest in the history of the Enduro World Series and extends to the seven downhill stages. The World Series participants are even cheered on during the transfer stages, which is not something you are used to at other races in the series.

www.enduroworldseries.com

Results 2nd round Enduro World Series, Wicklow/Ireland
Men
1.	Greg Callaghan (IRL)	Cube Action Team	27.43,82
2.	Justin Leov (NZL)	Trek Factory Racing Team	+00.15,91
3.	Richie Rude (USA)	Yeti Factory Race Team	+00.23,32
4.	Martin Maes (BEL)	GT Factory Racing Team	+00.18,40
5.	Florian Nicolai (FRA)	Rocky Mountain Urge BP Rally Team	+00.31,54
6.	Damien Oton (FRA)	Devinci/Alltricks.com Enduro Racing	+00.48,76
7.	René Wildhaber (SUI)	Trek Factory Racing Team	+00.54,20
8.	Jérôme Clementz (FRA)	Cannondale Overmountain Team	+00.56,67
9.	Jesse Melamed (CAN)	Rocky Mountain Urge BP Rally Team	+00.57,42
10.	Dan Atherton (GBR)	GT Factory Racing Team	+01.01,62
39.	Rudolf Biedermann (SUI)	Scott SR Suntour Enduro Team	+02.28,07
44.	Florian Golay (SUI)	BMC Factory Trailcrew	+02.38,99
72.	Jonas Bähler (SUI)	www.one80-shop.ch/Norco/Dtswiss/Bliss/Oakley	+03.28,20
93.	Balz Weber (SUI)	Ride Magazine - Devinci Bikes	+04.11,64
107.	Ismaël Muller (SUI)	Magic Downhill - Transition	+05.04,17
108.	Timothee Oppliger (SUI)	www.one80-shop.ch/Norco/Dtswiss/Bliss/Oakley	+05.08,74
116.	Alois von Wurstemberger (SUI)	www.one80-shop.ch/Norco/Dtswiss/Bliss/Oakley	+05.37,34
Women
1.	Tracy Moseley (GBR)	Trek Factory Racing Team	32.17,57
2.	Anne Caroline Chaussson (FRA)	Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team	+00.28,47
3.	Cecile Ravanel (FRA)	Commençal Vallnord Enduro	+00.48,45
4.	Anneke Beerten (NED)	Specialized Factory Racing Team	+01.30,95
5.	Isabeau Courdurier (FRA)	Rocky Mountain Urge BP Rally Team	+01.56,20
6.	Meggie Bichard (GBR)	Specialized NZ/Trail Addiction	+02.26,34
7.	Anita Gehrig (SUI)	Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team	+02.44,10
8.	Carrie Poole (GBR)	Flare Clothing Co./ Bike Rehab	+03.00,87
9.	Katy Winton (GBR)	Endura Bergamont Factory Team	+03.04,22
10.	Raewyn Morrison (NZL)		+03.15,40
11.	Lorraine Truong (SUI)	BMC Factory Trailcrew	+03.18,93
12.	Carolin Gehrig (SUI)	Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team	+03.18,95