Day 5 of the 2024 FIM International Six Days of Enduro was one that Team Canada was eager to get to. With Cross Tests 1/4, and Enduro Tests 1/2 all taking place at the summit of a mountain and featuring steep rocky terrain it was one that most of the riders felt would be best suited to their styles of racing. The one caveat to this was based on weather conditions. The team had initially walked the test on Tuesday the week before the race, and conditions were… somewhat epic…

The summit was socked in with rain, some fog, and very high winds. Incredibly high winds. The grass and rock tracks were quite ‘low traction’ in the rain, but the team was hoping for better conditions on race day. This hope was amplified when we went back to re-walk a portion of those tests on the Sunday before racing started, as we saw sun and warm temperatures that had dried the course in combination with the excellent drainage of the soil up on the mountain.

Come race day, though, that sunny warm day was immediately forgotten as we arrived at the tests in some epically terrible weather. As we drove up the gravel track to the summit we couldn’t even make out the enormous wind turbines directly next to the starts and finishes of the tests due to thick fog. Temperatures were down below 5c, and were made worse by rain and high winds. Traction had disappeared and we watched team support vehicles sliding and getting stuck on the steep grassy hillside at the Tech control.

As the first racers got to Cross test 1 we could hardly make them out as they came around the corner I was initially shooting up towards. From there, the thick fog remained in place for most riders resulting in very limited visibility. Things eventually got so bad that the Race Director was forced to cancel the second Enduro test for rider safety. Unfortunately that didn’t help Canada’s Tyler Medaglia (GDR Honda Racing) who crashed in the early moments of Enduro test 1, shattered his elbow, and was forced to abandon the race.

The final day of the 2024 FIM International Six Days of Enduro will be remembered for two things: Josep Garcia winning the overall on home soil/mud and the ATROCIOUS weather conditions…

This was one of the toughest days of shooting I’ve ever experienced, and it was a battle all day long to just keep my equipment working. For the riders, it was a win to be able to even finish this final MX test. Bikes were literally stuck upright in the mud throughout the day resulting in heartbreaking abandonments in the final minute of what had been a very difficult week of racing. Fortunately, all the remaining Team Canada riders were able to make it to the finish. Enjoy these shots of the carnage!