[Closed] British Enduro Series 2016 - Dates announced!

Great news. Thats ia everything that was missing from the UKGE, just a sensible, easy to read, press release.

Can't wait for this.

That sounds very good, 7 dates as well

A couple of the Welsh Gravity Enduro Series dates 'clash' with the Welsh rounds...I wonder if that suggests the series might consist of other race series rounds being included under one 'national' title e.g EWS-type model?

@orena45 let's hope so eh? the fewer of these sportives cluttering up our local riding spots, cafe's and parking spaces the better. 😉

Enduro events such as the popular Mondraker Enduro Series in 2015 and a number of other MTB events over many years

So have the red kite guys have teamed up with??

scottfitz - Member
Enduro events such as the popular Mondraker Enduro Series in 2015 and a number of other MTB events over many years
So have the red kite guys have teamed up with??

I hope so, Neil designs cracking stages.

orena45 - Member
A couple of the Welsh Gravity Enduro Series dates 'clash' with the Welsh rounds...I wonder if that suggests the series might consist of other race series rounds being included under one 'national' title e.g EWS-type model?

I'd guess they are separate events as they're separate organizers and the Welsh series only use 3 stages in a mini enduro format, which i'd guess is a little short for a national series. I could be completely wrong though 😀

Ah yeah, good point. Sounds like the BES is going to be more 'relaxed' than UKGE, but I doubt mini-enduro-relaxed 😀

shame if there is a clash as Id like to do some of charlie's races, but if the BES ones are bigger would prob go for those

Sounds positive this.

In addition some of the UKGE dig crew who are SW based are looking at setting up a SW series aswell. BookFace details: -

[i]BRAND NEW FOR 2016
on the release of the news that the UKGE series will not be taking place next year, we have decided to pop the cork on something that has been brewing for a while....

A dedicated Gravity Enduro series for the South West brought to you by part of the UKGE trail crew!

We aim to offer a series for the riders organised by riders based on the high standards you've come to expect from the UK series, show casing the very best riding the South West has to offer.

keep an eye out for upcoming announcements on our race format, sponsors, prizes, dates and venues in the coming weeks!

like our facebook page South West Gravity Enduro

and follow us on Twitter @SWgravityenduro

Website coming soon[/i]

Please don't let the Scotland round be the Tweed Valley - the place has been raced to death! What about somewhere wilder? Aviemore or Glencoe could be great.

kimbers - Member

shame if there is a clash as Id like to do some of charlie's races, but if the BES ones are bigger would prob go for those

No update yet on the BES facebook page, theyve got Marin who were the main UKGE sponsor, so Im guessing its the same BES, or is it different to Si Pattons one?

In 2015, there was much discussion surrounding the rider insurance and full-face helmet debate.

only in response to the UKGE series.

glasgowdan - Member

Please don't let the Scotland round be the Tweed Valley - the place has been raced to death! What about somewhere wilder? Aviemore or Glencoe could be great

probably Ae since UKGE had a round there and its in the south of scotland.

probably Ae since UKGE had a round there and its in the south of scotland.

For the first year at least, I think they will us fairly established areas for racing, so would assume tweed valley will be used. I think it will be very similar to the UKGE in a lot of ways.

Lets face it, on the venues list, you’ve likely got Dyfi in mid wales, triscombe, Shropshire, Afan and The lakes (Grizedale?). So all UKGE venues.

Mid wales will be the red kite venue not Dyfi I guess.

So we have 2 BES next year and 3 national champs?!

❓

[i]Please don't let the Scotland round be the Tweed Valley - the place has been raced to death! What about somewhere wilder? Aviemore or Glencoe could be great. [/i]

Except anything north of the central belt would rule out the majority of English/Welsh riders entering, so would be quite 'risky'.

kimbers - Member

So we have 2 BES next year and 3 national champs?!

BES + champs1 = Red kite guys
BES + champs2 = BDS guys
champs3 = ??

Was parr not running some kind of event too? = champs #3

Ah, I've just seen BED/BDS's Facebook post mentioning a 5 round series!

This could get interesting (and confusing)!

For Scotland it's bound to be tweed valley or ae, they're great venues in the right place and in year 1 they'd be daft to take any risks with either of thse things. If it's not inners I will eat my marzipan open face helmet though

Unless there's 2 national series in which case we're going to have to have a referendum

might as well face that it'll be Inners. Would be nice if they came up with another good location though, even if it's still in the valley

wondered if Pattons series would take in Ft Bill as he knows the venue!?

But BDS rounds also been at Ae and Inners?, so tough to tell really

Im guessing for 1st year will be existing trails at established venues, UKGEs this year have usually included some really good fresh cut stages too, so be interesting to see what they come up with, Red Kite also make their own trails? whereas BDS have more experience using existing tracks?

Also wondering about price of the 2 series

90 quid BES x5 (based on BDS pricing)
50 quid BES x7 (based on Red Kite pricing)

The official British Enduro Series is organised by the BDS Team. Nothing to do with Redkite. Guess they were not aware that we already grabbed the series name, Facebook. Twitter, www etc.. And announced this last week.

Looks like confusion reigns.

Wrecker is that from Facebook. 2 national series will make things interesting especially if there already fight over a name!

Wrecker is that from Facebook. 2 national series will make things interesting especially if there already fight over a name!

Only one way to settle this

Enduro duel

Neil vs Si

Interesting times. If Red Kite have already secured sponsorship and venues and manage to pull in enough sponsorship revenue to keep coatings at the £50ish mark, they could well pip Si at the post I reckon.

Doubt it, no disrespect to them, but they could barely get 100 entires to their races this year. The friends I have who did them weren't particularly complimentary of the setup. Apparently they made an Enduro1 look like a BDS in comparison.

Paton is a bit like Marmite, but you know he runs a pretty tight ship and with the BDS exposure & setup he's pretty much good to go for a National series.

Good news regarding the stupid insurance rules, and FF. glad to be able to make it my choice 🙂

Good evening everyone. To put the record straight:

We have been planning our British Enduro Series for about a year now. I made it clear at the last meeting of the Enduro Organisers meeting.

The series is the evolution of the Red Kite/Mondraker series. We have started a new company to run the series and also to give us a chance to rebrand the series as it's own identity. Red Kite will continue to run with it's mini marathon/challenge type events.

We will be using one of the UKGE venues in 2016. So you can expect to be racing on some brand new venues. This will be worthy of a national series. Anyone who raced one of our races this year will know that we do not mess about when it comes to tracks.

We are not using the Tweed Valley or Dyfi. Trust me on the venue choices.

We have some great sponsors already lined up. Marin are the title sponsor. Other sponsors will be announced over the next few weeks.

There is no 'official' British Enduro Series. British Cycling to my my best knowledge still do not recognise Enduro as a valid format.

I will not be getting into a spat with Si.

Any other questions post here and I will answer.

It seems that there is a disagreement.
All I've read of both Si and Neil says that they are top people, I hope this can be resolved amicably and in the best interest of UK MTB.

Si could you email me at events@redkite-events.co.uk or ring me 01591 610130. In my opinion we need to resolve this asap.

Neil of Redkite has been busy setting up a national Enduro series for a year without keeping tabs on his Mondraker series with very low entry's?
No idea why brands would consider such a small promoter taking his eye off the ball?

Mondraker UK must be so pleased there investment into a series is wasted for Neil to work hard on a national.

British Cycling to my my best knowledge still do not recognise Enduro as a valid format.

See what you've done, British cycling !

Now we have a schism

I second Scott

It will be interesting to see how the BDS BES can get BC back on board, would they still want FF helmets, double taping, 2 practice runs a stage and BC points before you can enter.

Would require support from regional series to work, is it worth it for them?

Why would anyone want BC back? The points are worth nothing.

Well I am now totally confused about who is running this. My understanding was that it was Si from the BDS AND the guys from Red Kite, now it’s two separate series. Genuinely the worst idea I have heard yet, and to be honest, most people would ride the one organised by Si, knowing they’re good events.

To be honest, this is not good for the sport. Everyone seems to be against BC, and I’ve seen first hand what they can be like, but we are better to have them on our side than not.

To be honest, this is not good for the sport.

My guess is both series will be run differently and appeal to a different audience.
as I see it,
MBES*: Average Joe's
BES: Pro's

* Marin British Enduro Series

as I see it,
MBES*: Average Joe's
BES: Pro's

2 "national" series is a situation where no one wins imo. It just leads to confusion and the possibility of two series not selling out. At best, one will be so much better than the other that one will be forgotten about. Also, howany average joes are likely to follow a full series around the country?

Red Kite has a good rep for challenging courses and has run plenty of enduros, numbers haven't been great, so better advertising and PR would be good.
Theyve also been involved with other enduro organisers, to an extent.

BDS crew have proven track record with DH, great PR, look at their legends category for the last round of the BDS, genius! No history with enduro though and it's a tough format to get right. And I expect it will be pricey if the BDS is anything to go by.
Tho they could afford to keep prices low for year 1 and raise them a bit in year2? If it's good enough people will pay.
My only concern is that if they are chasing BC support I hope BC have a more realistic approach to enduro now.

Agree with wrecker for once.

I doubt two national series will work. Your average Joe keep mtb going, they buy the expensive stuff, pay the entry fees, but the beer and the unhealthy food. The elites don’t have to buy bikes....(I know how stereotypical I’m being here). Your average Joe funds the series, hopefully the organisers will realise that.

Also, I race to compare myself to the best guys, not that i’ll ever beat them, but sometimes when I’m close it’s a good feeling, I won’t get that if it’s separated.

Also, howany average joes are likely to follow a full series around the country?

endurofactory - Member
Neil of Redkite has been busy setting up a national Enduro series for a year without keeping tabs on his Mondraker series with very low entry's?
No idea why brands would consider such a small promoter taking his eye off the ball?

Mondraker UK must be so pleased there investment into a series is wasted for Neil to work hard on a national.

POSTED 13 HOURS AGO #

That some assumption right there. Some people can multi-task you know.

Its an interesting two posts from a new member though. One promoting Si Paton and one sledging Neil at Red Kite. An agenda perhaps?

I'm liking what I've heard so far. There is the W.E.S Mash Up which sounds a lot more accessible and enjoyable for your average racer.

And, quite honestly, the idea of a UK series using some tried and tested venues with a twist of some new, specifically cut stages sounds great. I've not done a Red Kite / Mondraker race as they're just a bit too far away, but the idea of stages that push your limits yet mostly range between 1-4 mins is right up my street. The more BDS-esque they are the better.

I've also heard rumblings that Eastridge will be on the calendar. 2016 could be a good 'un...

Agree with wrecker for once.

I've also heard rumblings that Eastridge will be on the calendar. 2016 could be a good 'un...

[i]"Charlie has so far sorted out one venue at Afan and the last round will possibly be in Shropshire’s Eastridge Woods; others still to be confirmed. The dates will be January 23-24th, February 20-21st, March 19-20th, April 2-3rd (Afan) and May 21-22nd orMay 28-29th."[/i]

Maybe not but everyone did the full series of the UKGE. I only tend to do one a year(closest one).

That was my point. To have a worthwhile series you need a core of people who will travel around going for the overall. UKGE had that plus the normal punters.

Enduro's gonna end up more confusing than boxing at this rate - but two series is better than none.

Good luck sorting it out fellas.

That was my point. To have a worthwhile series you need a core of people who will travel around going for the overall. UKGE had that plus the normal punters.

What this situation really needs is some yanks. To declare a Galactic Enduro Series to beat all enduro series or something. And they look better in leather pants and cowboy boots !

What this situation really needs is some yanks. To declare a Galactic Enduro Series to beat all enduro series or something. And they look better in leather pants and cowboy boots !

Won't they just have a "world series" that only they can enter?

😀

Anyone here about any of these 3 running a series in 2016?

Enduro1 Series
Mini Enduro
Spike sports

Its an interesting two posts from a new member though. One promoting Si Paton and one sledging Neil at Red Kite. An agenda perhaps?

I know endurofactory, he has no affiliation to either, he does race lots of enduros though so he has a good perspective,
he is full of opinions, most of its bollox, but there are some gems in there, sometimes 😉

yeah the core traveled and did the series, that included those sponsored in some fashion and those plebs that finish at the back but enjoy it anyway (me),
but last year it filled up with locals only doing their closest rounds, this years extra insurance costs etc put those guys off, your average beer guzling weekend warrior wont pay too much to race his local trails

I also know endurofactory and agree about the bollox and gems too 😉

Spike Sports might do a couple of bitesize enduros again early next year I'd imagine...although having said that, they've usually advertised it by now. They didn't run the Mondraker Exmoor Gravity Rally this year citing change of landowners and letting them 'settle in' but did say it would be back for 2016...but things change so who knows.

I know endurofactory, he has no affiliation to either, he does race lots of enduros though so he has a good perspective,
he is full of opinions, most of its bollox, but there are some gems in there, sometimes

Well thats good to hear. I just hope the series can either coexist peacefully or come together somehow using.

And Enduro1...I'm sure I heard rumblings that it might not happen next year at the last round. Turn-out was quite low for Triscombe and Grogley I think. Hope I'm wrong as I enjoyed it and was pretty relaxed, but maybe the new SW Gravity Enduro series will take over more?

I have dabbled in most of the Enduro series that are out there... enjoyed them all to be honest.

I'm no top dog or 'owt, mid table seems to be my place.

To me it makes no difference at all what a series calls itself; date, location and cost are the factors that decide whether I can attend.

Once there so long as the course is fun and the atmosphere good i'm a happy bunny.

I will just doff my hat to everyone who puts on an event, doubly so to those that get a series together.

What I would really appreciate is a central website where I can find out what events are on when with plenty of notice. Some events take some hunting out at the moment and I often miss out due to being something of a novice around the interweb.

Fingers crossed the Enduro pond is big enough for a couple of big fish and lots of little ones.

One national series with 23 rounds and seven promoters?

What I would really appreciate is a central website where I can find out what events are on when with plenty of notice. Some events take some hunting out at the moment and I often miss out due to being something of a novice around the interweb.

chakaping - Member

One national series with 23 rounds and seven promoters?

This is/going to be confusing!!!

I do feel they need to sort this out, which one is the "British" Series. 😯
More so the best riders want to ride/race against the best riders, their sponsors what them to ride/race against the best, so if they do well they can both have the bragging rights.(more so with nat champs!!)

Also the event sponsors what the most return for there £££s.
Joe public like to be at the same event as the top riders, compere times, be part of the the "British" series, help support it etc.
Most people can't afford (money & Time) to do 2 full series
Also from the organizer side as well, they want max numbers at as many rounds of possible. to get their investment/money back.

Thou I not a big fan of want BC do (or more like want they DON'T do) they would stop this kind of confusion. they just put out a a release/tender asking someone to run the series (XC, DH, BMX etc) and then give the winning bid/tender the "official" tag, to the series.

As BC is not involved, I say let us, the riders decide! 😈

What I am thinking is get a independent cycling website to take a poll/vote!

Both organizers to get as much basic info and what they planning to do, their history, rules etc ready by a set date ([b]End of Oct/start of Nov[/b]?)
Said website to have post both set of info with a vote box at the bottom.

Info I think we need are;
Dates,
venues inc Brief overview of type of course, trail center/new cut etc
Cost of entry
Format, (2/3 day, practice, seeding, set start times etc)
points system
Cats
Timing system
Basic rules, do we need full face, personal insurance etc
sponsors

Thou it be hard on the one who gets the lest votes, and does not stop them from going ahead and running their series, I do think it help both in the long run, less risk in a way, give them a chance to change/tweak what they planned (maybe reduce number of races)

Cheers Scott, I relied on More Dirt this year so will add Roots and Rain to my bookmarks.

who gets the champs?

Game of pass the parcel to decide this next time you have one of your federation meets?

Jeez, my head's spinning!

I hope this gets sorted out so the whole thing doesn't become a farce.

The situation would be solved if there was a national series backed by BC/FeD , but the possibility of either appearing in Enduro for now is almost zero.

So we're left with the Enduro organiser wars, more events then we can imagine coming in 2016

My biggest concern the racing field/line up will become diluted

scottfitz - Member

who gets the champs?

Greg Callaghan 😆

It's interesting the view from several people that the BDS are great events, in some ways they are - media, marketing, coverage, and event feel - but many average racers that I speak to feel that they do not care about them - uplift, venue selection, things critical to the rider are overlooked and that the normal riders are not important or valued.

BC won't be getting involved in the discussions about who should be the British/National series but I'd agree that their should definitely only be one.

So reading all the post, everyone seens to be happy someone is stepping in to run a national series.

Most people also seem to think or be of the opinion there isn't room for 2 series to run.

So what's the solution?

midwales - any chance you would work with the BDS guys?

As far as I am aware Si Paton and Krien Dawson have not race an enduro let along organised one.

Organising enduro events is very different to DH and hard to get right first time.

If BDS and Red kite where to team up and bring red kites enduro experience to BDS national series experience it could be a really epic series.

As for BC I would never say never but personally they would have to win me/my events back and prove to me that they are capable of supporting enduro from the ground up.

FeD is very unlikely as not all organisers would be on-board for various reasons. However I think with the right people running the FeD it would be the best way to progress the sport.

Its probably already beyond descending into a farce with 2 series announced with the same name!

I think we will probably not run either as a main focus of the race season if the 2 way carries on, There's little point in putting energy into a 'national' series when the numbers will likely be moderate, and its all for something fairly illegitimate (national title) at the end. I suspect a lot of teams will be the same. There's plenty of well attended regional events that offer more variety in terms of audience and style, which is what we really want. We've generally not had the opportunity to do many of these with the exception of our local QECP ones to date because of the 'national' level stuff but we are likely to shift away from that this year I suspect.

There's so many series now you can only realistically pick one or two and focus on those, and then backfill the gaps. For us we'll probably work around European EWS, Scottfitz' Southern series, The Welsh Gravity Mash Up series, Ard Rock, and a couple one offs. We'll fill the summer gaps with the most interesting of the rest no doubt, but that won't have left many spots to fill as we don't actually [i]want[/i] to be racing every weekend!

Next year will be interesting, I didn't race an Enduro in 2015 so had no idea about dwindling numbers across several organisations....for seasons prior to that events were selling out the day entries went live!....maybe things have peaked?
2015 for me was about finding DH races with a HT category as that's what I wanted to do but next year with my 140-160mm Enduro gnarpoon built up I'll look at doing a few....but by Christ there's quite a few organisations now!...my fear as echoed above is that the number of potential riders will now be spread too thinly for an enjoyable event.

What was great about the early years of UKGE was that there was very little else like it, if you got an entry it was a great weekend, festival like almost....I took my better half to Eastridge and she loved it, couldn't believe how friendly everyone was, music blasting out of the PA system and bonkers racing to boot...that's what I'd like to see again.

With regards progression to the EWS, I suppose if you're trouncing everyone in regional Enduros then it's probably time to test the water with an EWS entry, how did Greg Callaghan progress?...he didn't need to win a national Enduro title, neither did Tracy Mosely....I reckon if you're racing DH and or XC at a national level then your transition to the EWS should be fairly straight forward once you get your head round the format.

I'd like to see a national series, for the guys and girls who race every weekend, live the sport and carry sponsorship then it's a big deal but (and I hate to say this) it does almost need BC to step in and take control and formally nominate a national series.....otherwise it's farcical like the numerous different belts for the 'champ' in boxing.

UKGE is still like that,but poor PR and unpopular FF and helmet rules have seen the numbers drop

As said there are now lots of really good regional races too

And TMo did start out racing UKGEs some of the young racers on teams there are incredibly fast and I expect they will do sell at EWS on the future.

A national series would be great for the sport, but unless Si and Neil can come to some sort of agreement, 2016 at least may be a bit of a list year

Interesting times 🙁

I didn't race an Enduro in 2015 so had no idea about dwindling numbers across several organisations....for seasons prior to that events were selling out the day entries went live!....maybe things have peaked?

Not strictly true,
most PMBA races sold out this year.
Ard'rock had 1300+ riders.

As for the QECP events they went mad in 2015 even with us pushing the numbers up, QECP Day & Night sold out in 2 days (18 day quicker that 2014) and the QECP Enduro sold out in under 2 hours (22 hours quicker than 2014). This is the main reason for starting the Southern enduro series.