Mark Kariya | October 11, 2016
2016 ISDE Day One Update From Spain: Despite losing last year’s overall individual winner Ryan Sipes at the last minute, Team USA’s World Trophy team is determined to carry the momentum from last year’s brilliant start to this year at the 91st International Six Days Enduro in Navarra, Spain.
2016 ISDE Day One Update From Spain
Taylor Robert and company are leading the ISDE in Spain after the first day of competition. Photo K
In fact, Kailub Russell and Taylor Robert started out the week by going 1-2 in the first special test of the day today, with Thad Duvall eighth and U.S. Junior World Trophy team member Steward Baylor 10th. Russell and Robert posted top 10 times in nearly every test, helping the U.S. to lead the FIM World Trophy team standings, unofficially, at the end of the first day over Italy and Spain.
Individually, Russell and Robert were 2-3 behind Italy’s Giacomo Redondi at the end of the day. Sipes’ replacement, Layne Michael, couldn’t get comfortable in the dusty, rocky terrain, his best effort a 26th overall in the sixth and final test of the day.
Defending champs Australia saw their hopes dashed when Josh Strang suffered an ankle injury and was unable to continue.
After riding almost all of last year’s Six Days with a separated shoulder, Steward Baylor seemed right at home in the conditions, his times in the first two tests carrying him into the top 10 overall. Along with Trevor Bollinger and Steward’s brother Grant, who crashed on one particularly dusty hill climb and lost nearly a minute, the American Junior World Trophy trio trails Sweden, Italy and Spain.
The Women’s World Trophy competition saw defending champs Australia take a hit when Jessica Gardiner reportedly had a mechanical issue but got back to the pits, fixed it and re-impounded.
As for the American women, first-timer Tarah Geiger and veterans Nicole Bradford and Rachel Gutish made it through fairly cleanly, though results weren’t known as this was written. However, Bradford noted, “I actually think we’re doing pretty well. We’re probably third, maybe fourth. All of us are getting along really well—Tarah’s hilarious—so it’s a good team; we mesh well and I think we’re all riding pretty good.”
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