The Enduro World Series launches its 2017 Calendar and it spends the first two rounds Down Under.

• Round 1 – March 25/26 – Rotorua, New Zealand
• Round 2 – April 8/9 – Tasmania, Australia
• Round 3 – May 13/14 – Madeira, Portugal
• Round 4 – May 28 – Co Wicklow, Ireland
• Round 5 – July 1/2 – Millau, France
• Round 6 – July 29/30 – Aspen-Snowmass, USA
• Round 7 – August 13 – Whistler, Canada
• Round 8 – September 30/October 1 – Finale Ligure, Italy

>>> Check out our Enduro World Series need-to-know page

Just when you thought the EWS couldn’t get any more taxing on the wallet, the 2017 series features two rounds on the other side of the world (to us UK riders anyway!)

Joking aside, the increasingly global ambitions of EWS – next year will be the series’ fifth – is apparent in this list of venues.

Whilst South American has been left out for 2017 and there’s still a heavy European bias (half the rounds are in Europe) but you have to admire the organisers’ global vision. This is clearly a lot more ‘World Series’ than baseball for example.

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In another new feature, Round 5 in France will see the EWS feature as part of an established multi-sport festival called the Natural Games.

Press release from the EWS bods

March will see the first competition of the year head back to familiar territory of Rotorua, in the North Island of New Zealand. Part of the Crankworx World Tour, riders competing in the Giant Toa Enduro will get the chance to once more explore this magical land filled with smoking geysers, lush rainforest and some of the most challenging singletrack the Southern Hemisphere has to offer.

The series will stay down under for round two as it then skips across the Tasman Sea to Shimano Enduro Tasmania. This wild and remote island off the Southern Coast of Australia will offer riders a real adventure as they explore the famous trails around Derby in the north east of the island. The area has become synonymous with world class mountain biking in recent years, and riders will get to experience everything from fern forests to granite slabs as they take in the stunning views on offer.

Round three sees the series travel north to County Wicklow in Ireland to revisit the Emerald Enduro. It’s the third time the EWS will visit Carrick Mountain, which is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the wildest races on the circuit thanks to the crazy fans who line the tracks in their thousands. This one day race has become an EWS classic and with good reason – the atmosphere can only be described as electric!

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The island of Madeira is the setting for round four, the Enduro World Series Powered by Freeride Madeira. Lying in the Atlantic Ocean between Portugal and Africa, this small island is home to some of the most diverse terrain on earth. From rocky singletrack down volcanoes to tight trails through native forests, riders will get to experience an incredible selection of both natural and purpose built trails that have recently helped put Madeira on the global mountain biking map.

Staying in Europe, round five will see the series land in France for the Natural Games Millau EWS driven by URGE bp. For the first time the EWS will join forces with the Natural Games, a celebration of adventure sports including climbing, kayaking and paragliding amongst others. Located in the south of the country, Millau will offer exciting racing on rocky, natural, ancient and technical trails that typify the riding style of the region.

It’s across the pond to Aspen Snowmass for round six, the Big Mountain Enduro Aspen Snowmass. Nestled in the high mountains of Colorado, this world famous resort is becoming as well known for its trail network as it is its ski runs. Racers can look forward to a mixture of classic high altitude Colorado singletrack alongside some man made fun in the Snowmass Bike Park.

It’s more North American adventure for round seven as the series lands in Whistler and straight into Crankworx, the world’s biggest mountain bike festival. The SRAM Canadian Open Enduro presented by Specialized is an annual fixture on the EWS calendar and with good reason – big crowds, big prize money and even bigger mountains in this most iconic of resorts.

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Where else to end the series but on the shores of the Mediterranean in the beautiful Finale Ligure for the Bluegrass Finalenduro powered by SRAM. There’s a reason the series always finishes in this beautiful town in the Italian Riviera – Finale Outdoor Resort’s ever growing network of world class trails, huge crowds and the obligatory swim in the sea for whoever is crowned World Champion at this end of season extravaganza.

Chris Ball, Managing Director of the Enduro World Series, commented: “The series is always trying to push boundaries and discover new riding locations adding adventure into fantastic riding, great communities and brilliant organisers, and our fifth season celebrates this ethos.

“The three new venues will offer riders a new experience – the islands of Madeira and Tasmania are wild and remote and will prove the gateway to some unforgettable adventures. Then the Natural Games in Millau will be the first time the EWS has been part of a multi sport festival and I’m really looking forward to seeing enduro being included in this celebration of the outdoors.”