The island of Madeira, which belongs to Portugal, is the venue for the third race of the Enduro World Series - and what a race it is. Wild downhill stages in changing terrain and a climate that is hard to find anywhere else - a real challenge even for the world's best riders.

Cube rider Greg Callaghan is already on course for the podium after the first day, not with the best, but with consistent stage results. The extremely challenging stages leave most riders with considerable fluctuations in the stage classification. On the second day of the race, the Irishman was able to improve, while his rivals lost ground. His third victory in the World Series thus becomes a reality.

GT driver Martin Maes finished second, just five seconds behind the winner after 49 minutes of added race time. Another 15 seconds behind is Damien Oton (Devinci - FRA) in third place. The best Swiss rider was Maxime Chapuis in 37th place, a remarkable result considering that a week earlier he didn't even know whether he would be able to start. Chapuis suffered an open wound in a training crash, which was treated but was far from healed before the race. Gusti Wildhaber finished 52nd, Ludo May 64th and Jonas Bähler 77th.

Expected victory - surprising podium finish

While no clear favorite can be named in the men's race, Cecile Ravanel is always considered the top favorite. The Frenchwoman battled her way through the race just as dominantly: Seven out of nine possible stage wins go to the Commencal rider, which means her second win of the season. Around a minute behind, her compatriot Isabeau Coudurier took second place.

The surprise of the weekend was Noga Korem from Israel. The former cross-country rider got her first taste of enduro racing last year and is already well out in front this season. In Madeira, she is in the lead after the first day of racing. She also kept her nerve and her lines in the difficult terrain on the second day - the third place at the end was her reward.

The two Swiss twin sisters Anita and Carolin Gehrig make a promising start to the race. They come out of the first stage in third and fifth place. However, Anita made some riding errors on the second section, rounded off with a heavy fall. Thanks to damage limitation, she was able to finish in eighth place. Carolin didn't get going on the second day and slipped from fifth to seventh. Not what she had hoped for, but in view of the difficult tracks, it could have ended in a wild crash.

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