2024 FIM International Six Days Enduro day two results from Spain where France World Trophy Team extend their lead and Spain jump ahead of USA – Steve Holcombe goes fastest overall by 1.71s from Josep Garcia.

2024 ISDE Spain day 2 in a nutshell:

• Day two of the ’24 ISDE dawned different in Galicia. The region of Europe famous for its moist weather duly delivered some rain overnight and in the morning as riders headed out of the paddock and to the first tests. The already destroyed tests from 600 riders were slick with exposed rocks, roots, ruts, deep berms stretching beyond the tapes and g-out holes deeper than your knees.  The dirt is super loamy, and quickly turned dry to touch but it was brutal riding.
• Quite how Steve Holcombe and Josep Garcia rode the early tests as fast as they did was something to behold. Somehow they did and continued day two were they left day own, faster than anyone and trading fractions of seconds in the tests across eight hours riding (more below).
• Starting in the dark, the French men’s World Trophy Team have the team game nailed this week. Theo Espinasse, Leo le Quere, Hugo Blanjoue and Julien Roussaly are inseparable from the moment they leave to the moment they return to the parc ferme. The collective effort again sees them easily the best four riders on the time sheets, with all inside the top 15, and a doubling of their lead to 4’14.00. To his credit, Blanjoue took a test win off Holcombe and Garcia also today too. 
• Team USA looked like they’d gelled with the European tests yesterday afternoon and were on course to do something about the French on day two. Instead, it was the Spanish World Trophy boys who took the challenge to the Frenchies. Led by Josep Garcia, Jaume Betriu on the big 500 KTM and Sergio Navarro they need Julio Pando to up his game if they are to close France down at all. Either way the Spanish have the crowd and home pride on their side (as well as local knowledge).
• Dealing with the beaten tests seemed to be team USA’s problem and they failed to score a single rider inside the top 10, half of them finished outside the top 20 – a result which in recent ISDEs is rare. Mr Consistent Josh Toth was best in P12 but Dante in 18th, Cody Barnes 27th and Johnny Girroir 31st drops them to third on the leaderboard, 4’54.42 behind France.
• Days are long and it was another eight hours and 250 kilometres of riding per day so far with a long liaison up to Santiago de Compostela and back twice. When the top riders are complaining of sore muscles you have to feel for the amateurs.
• Full of beans despite the aches, Junior riders are well in the mix today with Italian Kevin Cristino third scratch for his best-ever ISDE day result and USA’s Grant Davis also looking spectacular with a top 10.
• The Junior team contest is a hot one too with French Juniors setting their sights on a double here in Spain. The Swedish JWT boys Max Ahlin, Albin Norrbin and Axel Semb all nailed solid days again though to extend their lead to 1’30.98 over the French with Team USA in third, led by the flying Davis, 4’25.70 adrift.

Holcombe’s slice of history

• The overall scratch result, as mentioned, raged all day with Holcombe and Garcia trading test wins and fractions of seconds right to the last where Steve stayed steady and Josep made a minor mistake. The truth is everyone, including these two, were making mistakes because it was impossible to be perfect.
• Holcombe took the day by just 1.71 seconds and with it a bit history in claiming his first ISDE day scratch win, the first for his Honda RedMoto team and the first for three years by anyone other than Josep or Andrea Verona and the first by a British rider since the 2000s.
• The Women’s World Trophy saw yet another dominant ride from Brandy Richards who helped USA extend their overall lead to 3’29.32 over Australia, who in turn widened the gap back to Sweden’s girls in third, 6’45.32 back.
• Richards finished the day 26.89 ahead of GNCC champion Rachel Archer (in 88th place overall FYI) with Spain’s Mireia Badia narrowly third scratch.
• The Club Trophy category still sees the Italian Federation team leading, now by 4’34.87. But behind them it is super-close in fact all the way back throughout the top 10. The French Le Puy en Velay  are second just over 20s ahead of Spain’s RFME squad but look behind them and it is two seconds to GTBN USA squad, and a further 10 seconds to the XC Gear guys. Stayed tuned to this one.

2024 ISDE day 2 results, World Trophy:

Junior World Trophy:

Women’s World Trophy:

Day 2 scratch result:

Club Trophy:

Photo Credit: Future7Media