Story: Noel Flatters | Editor - Enduro.Media
Images: © mjsmphotos courtesy Team Canada ISDE
November 6th, 2023

A Brutal Day in the Argentinian Desert

The 2023 International Six Days Enduro got underway today in San Juan, Argentina. Located near the base of the Andes, relatively close to the Chilean border, the region is an arid desert plain with low hills that quickly change to 6000m mountain peaks.

Team Canada ISDE is represented on the men’s World Trophy side this year by Phillip Chaine (KTM Canada), Owen McKill (Beta Racing Canada), Tyler Medaglia (Thor GasGas Racing), and Jared Stock (KTM Canada). The Canadian women’s World Trophy team consists of Natasha Lachapelle, Félicia Robichaud, and Emma Sharpless (KTM Canada).

After spending the previous week in San Juan getting acclimated, walking the special tests, and getting the bikes ready and into impound, today was go-time for the team. The big story of the day was the conditions. Brutal 40c heat, combined with technical transfers in between the special tests, turned what team member Jared Stock characterized as a “nothing crazy course” into what he said was “Miiiight have been top two of the hardest pushes I’ve ever had to do on a bike.” The impact of these technical transfer sections was magnified in three ways today. First, riders had to push hard in these tough conditions to even make the time cuts for the next tests. Stock noted that he and his teammates were arriving at test starts after riding hard with approximately six minutes to spare, on average, before cutoffs, allowing little margin for error or for rehydration and nutrition. Second, speeds through the transfers were slow, which meant that riders were not able to get any real cooling effects from generated wind. Third, riders were up on their pegs throughout the vast majority of the transfers resulting in them standing for close to 90% of the seven-hour day.

World Trophy Men

The Canadian men got off to a solid start in their 2023 ISDE campaign today. Led by Tyler Medaglia in P22, along with Owen McKill in P28,  Jared Stock in P32, and Phillipe Chaine in P37, the team finished up Day 1 in 8th overall just under a minute behind Team Argentina for 7th overall.

2023 Enduro world champion Josep Garcia (Spain - KTM Factory Racing) took P1 on day 1, with a 12.96 second win over Andrea Verona (Italy - GasGas Factory Racing) and a 1’12.84 lead over Dante Oliviera (USA - FMF KTM Factory Racing). Team USA leads the overall standings after Day 1, with a 1’55.20 edge over second place Great Britain and a 2’42.94 lead on third overall France.

WORLD TROPHY WOMEN

It was a particularly rough day for the Canadian women in San Juan with both Emma Sharpless and Natasha Lachapelle having to withdraw. Sharpless was taken down by a mechanical issue that developed after a fall and fuel leak, and Lachapelle fell victim to the heat. Félica Robichaud came in with a solid P15, but with ISDE rules adding the maximum time penalty of three hours each day per rider out of the race she’ll be racing for individual results for the remaining days.

Brandy Richards (USA - KTM) took a dominating P1 in the Women’s class with a 1’20.89 lead over second-place 16 year old Daniell McDonald (Australia - Yamaha JGR Ballads Offroad) and a 1’50.01 lead over Tayla Jones (Australia - Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing). Australia leads the Team classification after Day 1, with a slim 2.57 second lead over Team USA. France sits in third overall, 12’11.68 back.

Looking ahead to Day 2, the riders will be repeating the same course as today. The organization has shortened and simplified the transfer sections in response to the large number of DNFs that occurred today, and the temperatures are forecasted to be slightly lower tomorrow, which may help riders manage hydration and body temps.