A second consecutive Canadian Open Enduro triumph will help Jesse Melamed get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth.
Melamed is weathering a down season, at least by his own lofty benchmarks. The former Enduro World Series (EWS) overall champ has placed no higher than fifth at each World Cup race so far and has uncharacteristically doubted his own instincts. Sometimes he's crashed outright, and other times he's been too slow out of the gate.
None of those things happened on Sunday, however, as Melamed reminded everyone of who he is and what he can do. 38 minutes and one second is all he needed to journey through five demanding stages and win gold.
Remi Gauvin overcame a blown tire to seize silver (39:02.93) after earning bronze last year. Lief Rodgers clocked in third (39:15.22).
When asked to rate his performance, Melamed said: "Honestly, pretty close to 10 out of 10. I had a plan to ride steady and not blow any corners because it's so loose out there, and I stuck to that—as hard as it was. It's nice when you aren't constantly making mistakes.
"Just because you know a 17-minute stage doesn't make it any easier. They had a couple new tracks in there too—stuff I've never ridden before, which is really amazing. Even on that last stage, I was getting a bit loose because I forgot where I was going, so it's great to have some fresh-cut stuff in Whistler that challenges me like the World Cup does."
Ella Conolly was the class of the elite women's field (43:19.27) as Noga Korem held down the runner-up spot (44:29.45). Third-placer Florencia Espiñeira Herreros distinguished themself as well (45:13.05), fresh off an E-Bike World Cup (E-EDR) overall title.
"I just felt really comfortable today," said Conolly, who also got second in dual slalom. "Whistler always provides huge courses, especially from Top of the World, so that's the most memorable and challenging thing all in one."
'Always good to race at home'
In 2023's Canadian Open Enduro, Sea to Sky riders filled both the men's and women's elite podiums. Three of those half-dozen medallists—Melamed, Gauvin and Espiñeira—rose to the occasion again.
Things nearly didn't unfold that way. Gauvin flirted with the idea of withdrawing after his tire went flat at the Top of the World, but the competitor in him refused to give up. He forged on, made necessary repairs when able and was proud of his fight back into silver-medal position.
"It's hard to beat Jesse, I'll say that, but it's super fun racing with him," quipped Gauvin. "We practiced all day together [on Saturday]. Always good to race at home—I wish we did more of it, honestly. This year's Crankworx was unreal."
In turn, Melamed praised his former Rocky Mountain Race Face (RMRF) teammate.
"It's just great to be able to share this sport with one of my best friends, Remi," he said. "I almost wanted him to win…it's tough because obviously I'm here to win, but it's great to see him get second."
Meanwhile, Espiñeira demonstrated their ability to thrive in multiple disciplines.
"It's a big change for me to be racing the normal bike after my main season was on the e-bike," she commented. "Maybe my performance could be a bit better, but still I felt my pace was strong. It's obviously special for me to be racing in Whistler because I have a big support crew: all my friends, which are like my family here."
'Physical and blown-out'
Elly Hoskin upgraded her silver medal from last year to the colour everybody wants most (45:40.31). No other U21 woman could match her speed, though runner-up Geza Rodgers provided a feisty challenge (47:10.46). Rounding out the podium was Hannah Gillcrist (47:41.79).
"Feels really good to finally get gold here in Whistler," Hoskin said. "It's such an iconic venue to finally tame: so physical and blown-out. It's really nice to come home and get away with it…Top of the World is always memorable and challenging, but it's always a classic and one of my favourite stages of all time."
Geza, like Gauvin, faced an unwelcome mechanical issue. She banged up her derailleur on Stage Two, but was able to fix it with help from her team before managing a smooth effort the rest of the way.
"Sometimes I get a bit in my head about [mechanicals], but I just have to remember that it can always be fixed and it's not the end of the world," said Geza. "There's still a bunch more stages to go and time to make up."
Nor was the contest a cakewalk for Lief, Geza's older brother.
"I was struggling a lot with my hands and my arms," Lief revealed. "They were getting really pumped up on a lot of stages because they were so long…but I still was able to hold on."
Hoskin's fellow Squamolian Jacob Quist did well to capture bronze among U21 men (40:19.47) and nearly overtook eventual second-place athlete Joe Millington (40:19.35). Nicolas Brochet stood above them both (39:58.54).
Sebastien Harrisson needed a rerun and was happy to get one, for he wound up third (42:29.44). The Pemberton native shared the U17 boys' podium with victorious Jonte Tummon (41:44.95) and Nash Jamieson, who received silver (42:26.46).
Other champions included Keely Bathurst (U17 girls), Sion Gwynn (amateur men), Tereza Natrová (amateur ladies), Shane Gayton (masters men) and Melissa Newell (masters women).
"I went pretty conservative for the most part," stated Gwynn. "A few mistakes: I had one big crash on Stage Three and then a flat on Stage Five, but managed to hold enough air to take a win. It's all about mindset: don't overthink it, don't override the tracks, just have fun out there and flow."
Check out the full results here.
