The 88th edition of the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) held September 30 to October 5 in Olbia (Sardinia), Italy, is in the books and Corner Grass Racing Team (CGRT) founding members Shane Cuthbertson (competitor) and Lee Fryberger (support) were in attendance as part of the Team Canada contingent.
Six hundred and twenty-five riders representing 36 countries contested the event, which once again proved to be a demanding test of man and machine, as extremely dusty conditions highlighted the 1,300-kilometre track all the while combined with elevated temperatures averaging 30 C each day! Not your typical weather/riding conditions for the 13-member Canadian team!
Team Canada’s effort consisted of a Junior Trophy Team (under 23 years), Women’s Trophy Team and two Club Teams. Competing in his third ISDE, CGRT’s Shane Cuthbertson was a member of the "Canada West" Club Team with fellow Alberta rider Mark Dzikowski and B.C. rider Craig Murray.
Starting Day 1 on his 2014 Husaberg TE300, Cuthbertson was seeded very late in the starting order (three hours after the lead riders), which proved challenging at times—as extremely dusty conditions combined with a rapidly deteriorating track and slower riders impeded his progress in the six timed Special Test sections. Much to his surprise, he was able to salvage an overall time within 10 per cent of the lead rider putting him on Gold Medal status for the day and resulted in a much better start time on Day 2. In typical fashion, the "Moose" adapted to the challenges and foreign conditions, riding solid each day resulting in a steady climb up the leaderboard with a final overall ranking of 11th place in the C3 classification! More importantly, he maintained gold medal status, becoming one of a very few Canadians to ever achieve this honour!
“Words cannot describe the joy and relief of my result at this year’s ISDE,” said Cuthbertson. “Obtaining Gold Medal status brings me great satisfaction, as it proves my capabilities are within the top 10 percentile of the world’s best riders! This is especially gratifying as I am not a professional rider, but rather a 38-year-old family man who races to fulfill an inner passion. This is my dream come true; it is enough to trump the cost burdens, the injuries and defeats, the years of sacrifice my family has made for me. I finally have what I need to put my ISDE dreams to rest. I am forever grateful to my family, friends, CGRT and Team Canada for supporting me along the way.”
“I find this ISDE difficult to explain, there are too many triumphs,” said Fryberger. “It makes me very proud that my good friend has achieved a goal that very few Canadians have reached. Shane is amongst the elite, but it is more than a personal triumph for Shane. He mentored the younger members of the team, with his calm demeanour and focused efforts. And his result, along with the other two gold medals earned by Canadians at this year’s ISDE, prove that our riders are gaining speed and reaching the potential we know they have.”
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