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The final race of the 2019 Enduro World Series took place in Zermatt, Switzerland. With stunning alpine scenery and the Matterhorn in the background, photographers were spoiled for shots. After a long season the final race was going to be a test held on one day over 5 stages. To add to the difficulty many stages were expected to start in the alpine and riders would be dealing with thin air and high altitudes.

Matt was feeling confident on the bike after a great weekend at Red Bull Hardline. Changing from huge jumps in the Welsh forests to tight technical corners in the Swiss mountains shows what an adaptable all round rider Matt is.

Friday – Training

Training started off with a train ride through the mountains and a gondola to the top of stage 1 where the riders saw what to expect for the rest of the weekend. Alpine single track with lots of exposed rocks and tight switchbacks was going to require commitment and late braking.

Stage 2 started at a slightly lower elevation and therefore had more vegetation, trees and roots. Matt was enjoying the varied terrain and feeling good back on his Firebird 29er Enduro rig.

Stages 3 and 4 kept the rocky feel with more alpine trails. Matt was looking at lines for speed and safety. With sharp square edge rocks everywhere the weekend would test the equipment just as much as riders and preventing punctures was going to be important for a high placed finish.

Stage 5 was the last of the year and the Queen stage. At 770m descent the longest stage of the weekend headed from the alpine back into Zermatt finishing in the car free town. With training complete, Matt's mind turned to recovery and refueling to be ready to charge on race day.

Although injured Eddie is still traveling to the events. Supporting the team and continuing his media duties by taking over the EWS Instagram. Filming the riders on the stages, getting interviews and entertaining the viewers Eddie was in his element.

Saturday – Race Day

Stage 1 started well for Matt. A 6th place finish showed he was on the pace but like all riders he found the stage physical and breathless. Pushing hard at the start he went into the red and due to the altitude and thin air didn’t recover until long after the stage finish.

A mistake on the next stage saw Matt lose close to 15 second to the leader. Settling back into his flow Matt made back some time on stage 3 with another 6th place finish where he gained time on the open fast rocky section.

A clean ride where Matt conserved energy and focused on carrying speed gave him a 10th place finish on stage 4 and moved back inside the top 10 for the day. With the long Queen stage to come and having already raced hard for close to 30 minutes Matt and all the other riders were down to their last reserves of energy.

The last stage of the 2019 Enduro World Series had an old-school feel to it. A variety of terrain, speeds and gradients tested every aspect of the riders ability. Matt was pumped up to finish on a high and charged out the start. Settling into the run he was feeling good, using some technical skills to get around the tightest of corners using endo turns on his front wheel. Matt finished the stage 9th securing a great 8th place for the round and his fifth top ten in a row!  

With the season done and dusted Matt finished in a fantastic 8th, rewarding his consistent speed and top 10 finishes throughout his first full EWS season. Despite Eddie missing two rounds due to his injury he finished just behind Matt in 9th. A great placing but left everyone wondering what could have been.

"Red Bull Hardline isn’t an event for the fainthearted. Hailed as one of the toughest downhill mountain bike races in the world, the event returns to the hills of Dyfi Valley in the north of Wales for its sixth edition."

World Cup Downhill racing might be over for 2019, but that doesn't mean the racing action is over. This year marks the sixth year for what is frequently referred to as the world's toughest downhill mountain bike race. Taking place in Dyfi Valley, Wales, the Red Bull Hardline course features over 15 seconds of air time, jumps as large as 65 feet in length, and requiring a minimum speed of 40 miles per hour to clear.

Pivot Factory Racing's Barnard Kerr and Matt Walker were among those racing in this invite only event. This would mark Matt Walker's first Red Bull Hardline event, while Barnard was looking to become the first repeat winner in history. This is no easy task when coming off of injury, and racing against some of the fastest riders in the world.

Qualifying

The week started off super dry for timed practice, and Bernard put down the quickest time which made him quietly confident for the week ahead. The following day was a rain day, which pretty much involved everyone hanging out in a tent all day then running around a wet muddy field playing rugby...a good time was had! Next up was more practice and Qualifying on an almost perfect track! Matt put in a solid run to come in 9th place, while Bernard qualified in first place.

Race Day

The next morning the weather had turned for finals day. After not really riding the course in the wet this year, riders knew they were in for a treat. There was little to no visibility up top for practice due to mist and fog. Riders all managed to slip and slide down two runs of practice before the big final. Matt rode safe and steady in some of the worst visibility of the day finishing up with a respectable 10th place. Bernard had felt good all week and knew what he needed to do being the last guy down the hill. "In all honestly I almost threw it away 3 times ' Said Bernard "I was pushing hard and the track was slippery! The only place I really tried to ride a little safe was the rock garden before the big road gap, I think it shows a little as you see me just stall up a as I go under the tree" Luckily though Bernard was able to hold it together and became the first rider ever to win Red Bull Hardline twice.

“It was a tough day with all the weather, but I tried to carve new lines. I found it easy to focus today. Winning twice is unreal. I broke my hand a few weeks ago, so I missed half the season. It makes me feel really good, after missing races and knowing I was going quick this year, to come back and win it.”

- Bernard Kerr

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Following a great weekend racing at the World Championships the Pivot Factory Racing Team headed straight to West Virginia for the World Cup Finals in Snowshoe.

The last time the World Cup visited Snowshoe was over 15 years ago, well before any of the team were competing at this level. Everyone was excited for the new venue and to be back racing in the USA after a few years without an American round.

Wednesday – Track Walk

The riders were eager to see the totally new track and weren’t disappointed. Starting out with a cool right-handed hip jump straight into some fast ski piste turns and a huge road gap had Bernard stoked. Using the natural terrain on the hill the track builders had made some cool features over huge rocks before the track flattened out slightly and the amount of rocks increased.

The final 30 seconds of track started with a 150m sprint across a ski piste before a fun step down to 4 rollers that could be either doubled, tripled or singled. The speed remained super high as the riders came out of the woods and into the finish arena. One last jump over a shipping container fired the riders across the line where on race day they would be spinning out in their biggest gear.

Thursday - Training

A short sharp shower on Wednesday night made sure the clay-based mud on track was slick and sticky for the first training in the morning. Emilie was finding the flatter rock section toward the bottom of the track challenging and chose to soften up her suspension to keep the wheels tracking.

Drying out surprisingly well for the men’s training just after lunch Bernard and Matt could carry more speed through the trickier, rockier sections towards the bottom of the track. Bernard was loving the jumps at the top of the track, playing to his strengths and having fun on the bike.

Matt was going well through the janky rock sections. Plenty of practice at carrying speed during the Enduro races had him used to letting off the brakes and finding the fastest line through these sections.

Meanwhile Eddie was on track with the Red Bull Media team, analyzing the track and interviewing riders track side. Producing a brilliant video that showcased some great riding with a load of classic Eddie Masters comedy and whit.                                          

Friday - Qualification

Waking up to thick fog the morning of qualification the track was back to slick and loose. The mud on the braking spots had become slippery and braking traction was limited. Riders were having to ride smooth and calculated to carry speed.

The sun came out for the qualifying round and the track started to run faster. Emilie was our first rider down the hill and was looking good over the last jump and crossing the line at over 48kph. A mistake in one of the rock gardens saw her lose all her speed at a crucial point. Keeping on pushing she qualified 8th and was happily surprised how close her time was to the podium spots despite her mistake.

Bernard came down next and although back riding his hand was still a bit stiff following a big week racing at the World Championships. Riding well but a bit much within himself Bernard crossed the line slightly worried he hadn’t done enough. Qualifying in 54th Bernard was happy to make it into the main event and was ready to push hard for finals.

Matt made a big mistake in the first split, almost stalling and coming to a stand still for his qualification run. Pushing hard to gain time back on the lower section Matt looked fast and composed. Qualifying mid field Matt was happy to make it into the finals for the last World Cup race of the year and was keen to put down a good run for all the American fans.

Saturday - Finals

Huge crowds were expected for the finals and didn’t disappoint. Despite the remote location people had made their way from all across the US to watch the race.

Emilie started off strong going big and stylish off the first jump before settling into her run. Emilie was less than one second back a split two. A great exit on the tricky rock garden saw her carry speed all the way through the sprint to the finish line where she posted the fastest time so far. Emilie knew her run wasn’t perfect but after some time in the hot seat she eventually finished in 7th, a great result on a track that didn’t fully suite her strengths.

Bernard was the next pivot rider to drop in and was going hard. Peddling anywhere he could and pumping all the terrain, he looked to be riding well. Crossing the line over 2 seconds up Bernard was happy with his run but now had a long wait for all the other riders to make their mark.

Matt dropped in a few riders after Bernard and was looking fast on the big screen in front of the growing crowd. Matt was within touching distance at the first few splits but going too fast off the first in a tricky series of drops caused him to get bucked and almost stop before the next drop. With super tight times this was enough to drop Matt back a number of places finishing in 44th.     

Following an incredibly exciting race Bernard finished in 26th, he was chuffed with that result and some fast split times showed that his speed was coming back following his hand injury.

With the overall titles also decided at the weekend Bernard and Eddie positioned in impressive 26th and 27th despite missing two and three rounds respectively. Emilie climbed up to 6th in the overall which is a great end to the season following a tough start with a niggling shoulder injury.

The team also managed to finish 10th in the team overall, another reflection of a great year despite two riders missing multiple rounds.

Monte Saint Anne hosted the 2019 Mountain Bike World Championships as the team arrived after an overnight flight from the west coast. A special weekend with riders representing their country is a huge honor and Pivot was lucky enough to have all riders selected to pull on their national jersey on race day. Eddie was gutted not to be riding but was still planning on attending the race to cheer on team Pivot and team New Zealand.

To add to the excitement and uniqueness of the World Champs Pivot had pulled out all the stops to surprise the riders with custom painted frames. Bernard’s was painted up in the style of his pride and joy, a 1996 Honda CR500 Motocross bike. Emilie’s frame was an awesome flat chrome finish with amazing details of her name in Morse code on the rear triangle.

Eddies frame was black and white representing the colors of the New Zealand with details and prints of all thing’s kiwi fruit, Flip flops, rugby balls, kiwi birds and fern leaves. Matts frame stood out the most when he unwrapped it. An amazing color scheme representing the New Zealand green stone that is famously used for jewelry looked spectacular on a bike frame and glistened in the sunlight.

Wednesday - Track walk  

Monte Saint Anne is one of the longest held Downhill races and the track has a legendary status. Long, rough and rocky it has hosted amazing racing over the years. The track for 2019 have very few changes from the previous year’s world cup meaning riders would be up to speed in no time at all. After track walk Matt and Bernard took some time to watch last year’s World Cup replay to revise lines and get ahead of the game.

Thursday – Training

Training day arrived and so did Eddie. Recovering from his surgery, he was happy to get back with the team and it was bittersweet to see his custom painted bike. He was stoked on the bike and surprise paint job but gutted no to be riding and representing his country.

Emilie started training on a slick track after a night of rain. With more training time in the World Champs schedule Emilie only rode 3 laps working out the lines and building up to the high speeds the track requires.

Bernard was back riding after a few weeks out with an injured hand. A tough comeback with a fast and rough track and the pressure of the riding for his country Bernard was revelling in being the underdog. Riding two training runs Bernard felt up to speed and was enjoying being back racing.

Matt was loving the new bike feeling and the custom paint job. Taking a few runs to get up to speed and used to the race set up suspension Matt was finding the track stayed slick through training with riders dragging mud onto the many rocks and rock rolls.  

Friday - Qualification

Qualifying at the World Championships is a bit different from world cups, with 80 riders to qualify in the men's field and 81 entered it would be a disaster not to qualify for Matt and Bernard. Emilie was a protected rider due to her UCI ranking taking all the pressure off her qualification run.  

Drizzle on and off throughout the morning of qualifying kept the rocks on track slick and track challenging but the rain really came down for the timed runs. Emilie crossed the line with her bike covered in mud but a solid run in the wet conditions left her with a great 4th place qualifying.

Matt cruised across the line, a huge moment at the top of the track saw him high side off his bike. Landing on his feet he remounted quickly but it was a good reminder that qualification was almost guaranteed and he finished his run safely.

Bernard also cruised across the line, not wanting to risk a crash on his hand the first race back he finished mid pack easily qualifying. Enjoying being back on track and the wet condition he was building up speed over the course of the weekend and feeling better and better on the bike.

Saturday – Training

Huge rain storm followed the previous days timed runs and the track was showing it for a second day of training. Huge holes were forming on the racing lines and making the riding harder and more fatiguing.

Emilie was enjoying the drying track and extra grip. Riding well and feeling comfortable on her bike she only rode two training runs and headed out to cheer the rest of the Swiss team racing the Cross-Country finals.

Matt and Bernard both completed two runs. The extra holes on track made for hard work but lines remained unchanged. Bernard’s hand was feeling better and better each day riding and he was ready to hang it out for finals.

Sunday - Finals

Finals day brought bright sunshine and huge crowds. The weeks racing had chewed the track up making it rougher than ever and would require a wild run to win the Rainbow Jersey.  

Emilie had been feeling good on track all week and was ready to push hard. Coming out the start and straight into the rough high speed track she was looking fast. Staying strong on her bike Emilie hit all her lines and crossed the line in 3rd. The race run was one of the best of her season and left her in a brilliant 5th place finish. Emilie was super happy with her performance and a great time that was only 5 seconds off the win.

Matt started his race run relatively early and everyone was hoping for some hot seat time. Matt crossed the line into first and felt his run was good but some fatigue at the end of his run cost him a little time.

Bernard came into the packed finish area and pulled a huge stylish scrub off the final jump to please the crowd. Bernard was aiming for a 4-minute 20 seconds race run and was happy to achieve this. A very tough track to come back on and after time off from riding he was chuffed with the result and his performance.

Meanwhile Matt was still in the hot seat. It took well over an hour for his time to be bettered and a nervous wait continued as the last few men dropped into track with Matt sitting in the top 10. A brilliant ride from Matt saw him finish in 11th, equalling his career best World Cup finish.

A great weekend for the team with two brilliant results from Emilie and Matt and a great return to racing from Bernard had everyone excited to head over the border to West Virginia for the World Cup finals in Snowshoe.