It didn't take Jesse Melamed long to return to the podium.
The 2022 Enduro World Series (EWS) overall champion rode his way to third during the second stop of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Blue Derby, Tasmania. Melamed was in fine form back on April Fool's Day, completing the course in a time of 26 minutes, 17.83 seconds.
American Richie Rude, who finished second in last year's EWS standings, came out on top (25:52.86), while Sławomir Łukasik of Poland took second place (26:00.45).
Rhys Verner of Squamish was the next-fastest Canadian in a time of 26:35.82, good enough for 13th.
"I’m really happy to put it on the podium this weekend, it was hard work," said Melamed on his Instagram account after the event. "Thankful for the team effort. Through the rough stuff last weekend and the success this weekend, the team was dialled.
"[Thanks to] Tara Lazarski for keeping my head up and looking forward, and Adam Trottier for calmly keeping everything running perfect. Benj Lafouk, Dim Tordo and Jose Borges bringing good vibes in their own pursuit of performance too. It was a fun block of racing down under and I’m looking forward to the rest!"
Melamed and Verner also participated in the Enduro World Cup's March 26 season opener. Verner was the top Canadian in Maydena, Tasmania, racing to fourth (29:19.78). Melamed had a tougher outing and finished 19th (30:01.77).
Three Aussies swept the hardware that day: Luke Meier-Smith (28:55.21), Daniel Booker (29:01.04) and Connor Fearon (29:14.45).
