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Squamish-raised mountain biker leads U21 standings with two races remaining

Sherlock starring on Enduro World Series; Emmett Hancock likely to finish in the Top 3
Mountain bikers
Podium finish: Seth Sherlock is in the middle, and Emmett Hancock is on the left at the Enduro World Series.

Though Seth Sherlock is entering the Enduro World Series' final pair of races with a lead in the overall U21 men's standings, he's actually facing an uphill battle to claim the crown.

Because the series only counts a rider's five best results, Australia's Luke Meier-Smith is in the driver's seat with victories in all four of his outings. Sherlock would have to come out on top in both Crans Montana, Switzerland and Loudenvielle, France, for a chance at the title. It's an especially tall order considering Meier-Smith's dominance when he has competed, winning all but one stage across the four races.

With a fairly healthy lead on the rest of the field, though, Sherlock is thrilled to enter the closing races unlikely to finish lower than second.

"(Meier-Smith is) super hard to beat. Basically, all he needs to do to win the overall is compete in the next race," Sherlock said. "Second is the goal at this point.

"It's much more than I expected going into the season. I didn't know how I stacked up."

Sherlock took advantage of the two races Meier-Smith did not attend, topping the podium in Whistler on Aug. 6 as part of Crankworx and at Maine's Sugarloaf Mountain on Aug. 20.

Winning on Canadian soil surrounded by family and friends was a memorable moment for Sherlock.

"I knew I had a fairly solid chance of winning if I had a good race," Sherlock said. "Seeing all these friends again, seeing my family again and having a race like that was pretty unreal."

Sherlock's day wasn't always smooth: a timing error eliminated one of his between-stage breaks, and he had a crash at the top of the final stage, but he still won by more than 10 seconds.

"I had a 26-second lead on the guy in second, and he dropped behind me," recalled Sherlock. "Basically, if he doesn't catch up to me, I win the race.

After growing up in Squamish, Sherlock and his family are relocating to Qualicum Beach.

Hancock holding his own

When the dust settles on the season, another rider with Squamish connections is likely to finish in the Top 3. Emmett Hancock, who hails from Kelowna but is now based in Squamish, has a healthy cushion for third place.

His season started with a combination of illness and some bad luck on the course, but with three consecutive podium appearances in the North American races, Hancock vaulted himself back near the top of the standings.

"It's been a really good second block for me," Hancock said. "I was having a hard time finding my base, but I had a good training block before the North American rounds, and so I just felt a lot better going into it."

Hancock's turn-around started with the Whistler stop, as he was the runner-up to Sherlock.

"I wasn't feeling the jetlag. It was on a little bit of home turf, more familiar terrain," he said.

Hancock spent the prior two winters in Squamish, and the town has continued to be his home base this summer.

"I've always wanted to make it to Squamish my whole life because I looked up to guys like Seth. There are so many fast riders in the Sea to Sky corridor," he said.

Hancock was quick to connect with the local mountain biking community, including trail builder David Reid, who died in a kayaking accident last month. They met during Hancock's first winter in town, and Hancock was a member of Reid's trail crew with the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association last year.

"Dave gave me a job, and I worked with him all fall and into the winter," he said. "He's a really big mentor to me, always supported me and supported my racing and being a professional athlete.

"He was such a big part of my life."

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