Gloria Scarsi Announces Switch to Downhill
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In recent years, there has been a lot of uncertainty about the future of professional enduro. This offseason, as sales slowed in the bike industry, multiple brands announced they were terminating their enduro programs.
A recent move may be another bad sign for enduro. On April 28th, 2024, Gloria Scarsi, who was fourth in the Enduro World Cup overall in 2023, announced that she was making the switch to downhill.
Gloria Scarsi started her career in professional road cycling. In 2020, the Italian began transitioning to gravity racing. She picked it up quickly, placing fourth at Italian downhil nationals months after starting mountain biking.
Scarsi, who rides for the Canyon CLLCTV, had a fantastic 2023 with two second-place finishes last season at the Enduro World Cup on her way to fourth in the overall standings in 2023.
Scarsi was the perfect candidate to transition from road cycling to enduro racing given that she hails from Pietra Ligure, in the region that is practically the enduro capital of the world. Both Pietra and Finale Ligure are mainstay hosts of the World Enduro rounds.
Read more about the storied history and the work that goes into organizing races there below.
Related: This Italian Resort Town Hosts A Popular Mountain Bike Race
Gloria is not new to DH. Throughout her career, Gloria has mixed in some downhill to her racing calendar. In 2023, she was 7th at World Championships and finished top 5 in multiple World Cup rounds. 2024 will be different because downhill will be her primary discipline. Her transition to DH alongside Richie Rude, Jack Moir, and Jesse Melamed’s uptick in interest in downhill could signal a resurgence for one of our favorite disciplines.
Related: Enduro World Champion Teases A Return To Downhill Racing
We at BIKE wish Gloria luck on the downhill circuit.
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