With day three marking the halfway point in this year’s race, the 500 competitors from twenty-six nations embarked on a new course known as the Monchique Route. Taking them deep into southern Portugal’s highest mountain range, added rain, missing track marking and stray fencing wire in the course ensured demanding conditions and a testing day for all.
The United States came strong on day three as they sought to find a weakness in RecoveR8 Team Australia. After three special tests, they were pressuring their Australian rivals with three riders making up the top-four overall positions.
However, at the end of the seventh and final test Australian Daniel Sanders, despite being pulled from his bike at one stage after being grabbed by wire on the course, had fought his way back to the top to win the day overall to again be the fastest rider in ISDE 2019.
Daniel Sanders
“Unfortunately I got caught up in the opening test with some fencing and also a fall, so I lost a little bit of time there. But after that I found good speed and came back to win the day. I think the conditions being so smooth didn’t really suit us today, but tomorrow we are back out on the same tests and they will be rougher so hopefully that plays into our skillset more and we can get some time back from the USA”.
But with strength in numbers, the United States’ Taylor Robert, Kailub Russell and Ryan Sipes all slotted inside the top-six to lead as a team by 1min12s.
Kailub Russell – USA
“The weather has been a bit crazy – it wasn’t quite raining hard, but still made things slippery. It’s been hard to hit the lines you want on the tests. But as a team we’ve come good today. We’ve come strong at the right time and with all of us having solid results it’s put us into the overall lead. We’ll sleep well tonight and fight again tomorrow.”
Behind the top two there was no change in third position with Italy holding strong. While they have extended their lead over Finland in fourth, they slip to seven minutes behind the USA.
Previously sitting fourth, Great Britain’s hopes of a podium result ended on day three with Joe Wootton exiting the race. Finland moved up to fourth with France fifth and Germany sixth. Host nation Portugal are now eighth, with seventh-placed Sweden in their sights.
2019 ISDE Day Three World Trophy Classification Overall
- USA
- Australia +1min12.41s
- Italy +7min00.40s
- Finland +11min09.15s
- France +15min40.33s
- Germany +23min05.85s
- Sweden +23min235.00s
- Portugal +27min05.71s
- Belgium +37min25.21s
- Spain +43min43.96s
2019 ISDE Day 3 Junior World Trophy
While RecoveR8 Team Australia did not have the best day at the office in the FIM World Trophy category, it also was not the best day for their FIM Junior World Trophy team-mates.
Although still holding onto the provisional class lead, Australia lost nearly two minutes to the United States who took a confidence-boosting victory on day three. Team USA now look to close the 1min20s deficit to their rivals.
France upped their pace in the difficult conditions to place second on the day, closing in on Italy who hold third overall. With eighteen seconds separating the duo, it is all to play for regards a place on the podium.
Great Britain are fifth, while Spain are clear of Portugal in sixth.
2019 ISDE Day 3 Junior World Trophy Classification
- Australia
- USA +1min20.92s
- Italy +4min12.45s
- France +4min30.72s
- GB +10min59.70s
- Spain +13min52.43s
- Portugal +40min56.31s
- Belgium +46min38.29s
- Chile +50min25.21s
- Canada +66min02.21s
Women’s
The FIM Women’s World Trophy saw the leader-board change drastically behind leaders the United States. Closest rivals Germany endured a difficult day dropping from second to fifth in the standings.
RecoveR8 Team Australia took victory on day three by seven-seconds over the United States, moving them up to second overall. However, losing team member Mackenzie Tricker due to illness means any further issues for the defending champions could prove disastrous.
Great Britain keep a chasing Spain at bay, but now find themselves in medal contention with third. Sweden complete the top-six.
Tayla Jones – Australia
“I’ve been trying to tough out a finger injury for the last few days,” explained Australian Tayla Jones – Husqvarna. “I’m glad to be on the hard-packed special tests today. We’ve done well today in the results, but losing Makenzie makes things tricky. All is not lost yet, but we can’t afford any more problems from here on out.”
2019 ISDE Day 3 Women’s World Trophy Classification
- USA
- Australia +1min07.21s
- GB +10min34.02s
- Spain +13min49.44s
- Germany +15min30.43s
Enduro 1
After a troubled opening test where wire cost him to lose almost a minute, Enduro 1 category leader Josep Garcia – KTM of Spain showed his class by charging back to secure his third victory of the week.
The win sees Garcia extend his lead to nearly three-minutes over Ryan Sipes. The Spaniard is protesting his time lost while caught up in the wire on course.
Italian Junior Andrea Verona – TM continues to impress. Third on day three, he sits just ten seconds behind Sipes in the standings.
Australian Luke Styke – Yamaha is fourth, with his Junior team-mate Lyndon Snodgrass – KTM fifth.
2019 ISDE Day 3 Enduro 1 Individual Classification Overall
- Josep Garcia KTM Spain
- Ryan Sipes KTM USA
- Andrea Verona TM Italy
- Luke Styke Yamaha Australia
- Lyndon Snodgrass KTM Australia
- Eero Remes Yamaha Finland
- Theo Espienasse Sherco France
- Matteo Cavallo Sherco Italy
- Thomas Oldrati Honda Italy
- Roni Kytonen Husqvarna Finland
Enduro 2
Delivering a winning ride on day three, Taylor Robert controls the proceedings in the Enduro 2 class. Battling hard with teammate Russell, Robert holds a thirty-seven second cushion over his countryman.
Italy’s Davide Guarneri – Honda remains third, while Australian Fraser Higlett – Husqvarna is top Junior in fourth, followed by the United States’ Junior Ben Kelley – KTM in fifth.
2019 ISDE Day 3 Enduro 2 Individual Classification Overall
- Taylor Robert KTM USA
- Kailub Russell KTM USA
- Davide Guarnoni Honda Italy
- Fraser Higlett Husqvarna Australia
- Ben Kelley KTM USA
- Josh Green Yamaha Australia
- Grant Baylor KTM USA
- Antoine Magain KTM Belgium
- Erik Willems Husqvarna Belgium
- Eemil Pohjola TM Finale
Enduro 3
There was no change in the Enduro 3 class with Daniel Sanders securing his third consecutive win.
Sanders topped the category by forty-eight seconds over Great Britain’s Danny McCanney. Although over five-minutes behind Sanders, McCanney holds second in class, building his advantage over Italy’s Rudi Moroni to 1min7s.
With both the United States’ Steward Baylor – KTM and Great Britain’s Alex Snow – Gas Gas close behind Moroni in fourth and fifth respectively, there’s still a lot to be decided in the remaining days.
2019 ISDE Day 3 Enduro 3 Individual Classification Overall
- Daniel Sanders Husqvarna Australia
- Daniel McCanney TM GBR
- Rudy Moroni KTM Italy
- Steward Baylor KTM USA
- Alex Snow GasGas GBR
- Angus Heidecke KTM DEU
- Anthony Geslin Beta France
- David Abgrall Beta France
- Matteo Pavoni Beta Italy
- Oskar Ljungstrom Husqvarna Sweden
Women’s
While collectively Germany had a day to forget in the FIM Women’s World Trophy class, team leader Maria Franke – KTM enjoyed a winning result in the Enduro Women’s classification.
In what was a fierce battle with United States’ Brandy Richards and Australia’s Tayla Jones, Franke took the win by just four-seconds. That result helps Franke close the gap to overall leader Richards to 17-seconds.
Tayla Jones remains third overall, with Briton Jane Daniels in fourth.
2019 ISDE Day 3 Women’s Individual Classification Overall
- Brandy Richards KTM USA
- Maria Franke KTM DEU
- Tayla Jones Husqvarna Australia
- Jane Daniels Husqvarna GBR
- Jessica Gardiner Yamaha Australia
Day four of the FIM ISDE will see competitors battle another loop of the two hundred and sixty-six-kilometre-long Monchique Route.
Source: MCNews.com.au
