[Closed] Enduro racing... errrrrm, debut... What do i need to know ?

Land of Nod? Not very techie. Expect some slippy roots potentially a fair bit of wet loam (aka mud) and a real fun day.  I don’t know what difference COVID has made to the Pedalhounds races but they were a very chilled mashup type format.  I think you will love it.

Pedalhounds, slightly different format to most that you can't practice so race blind. Think it's usually 3 laps & all your stage times added together.

They are pretty grass roots, so the loop is small, the stages are easy & the clue is in the title - expect to do a lot of pedaling.

It's about as easy an entry into that world as you can get, it's a fun day out & not stacked with loads of serious racers. Go & enjoy it.

So more Swinley Blue/Red than BPW black ?

I think the format is the same, 5km look with 4 sections in it of timed enduro, ride as much as you want and whatever order, as long as you follow the correct transitions.

We're going in quite blind, so we'll get there early for course walk (not allowed to ride) and then basically do the sections in order for a couple of laps to get times, then see how we feel from there.

you can’t practice so race blind

You did used to be allowed to walk the stages if you were there early enough (but check current rules) however I’d save my energy for pedalling around the race 😀

Hey Weeksy... What time are you starting??

Regardless, will be good to catch up there.. I'll PM you!

DrP

So more Swinley Blue/Red than BPW black ?

I think the format is the same, 5km look with 4 sections in it of timed enduro, ride as much as you want and whatever order, as long as you follow the correct transitions.

Absolutely that - the stages are probably comparable to the fun bits of a Gorrick XC race for example. The mud will probably add a different dimension though I would think.

So more Swinley Blue/Red than BPW black ?

Yes, but expect more natural surfaces (loam, mud, roots) than trail centre hard-pack.

Hey Weeksy… What time are you starting??

9:30 apparently.

So we're more Gorrick than anything then... Which is good in some ways but bad in others, i was thinking it'd be more tech and terrifying than fun and XC...

Get yourself a wee routine at the start of each stage, goggles, suspension lock out off, correct gear, dropper at right height, all that kind of stuff, really helps IME.

Don't go too hard, cleaner and smoother is often better than hammering into corners etc, and then leaving yourself pumped for pedally sections towards the end.

Enjoy it's a fantastically sociable form of riding. 🙂

So we’re more Gorrick than anything then… Which is good in some ways but bad in others, i was thinking it’d be more tech and terrifying than fun and XC…

It's all relative of course, but sadly that doesn't really compute with enduro racing in the south of England.

If you get the bug & are looking for that (and next year isn't a CoVid write off) hopefully Scott with the Southern Enduro's will be able to go back to Triscombe & get yourself in for the Minehead race.

i was thinking it’d be more tech and terrifying than fun and XC…

Don’t worry the stages do go downhill 😀 Don’t listen too much to someone as competent as Hob-Nob you want the view of a mincer like me!  The trails are easy enough for anyone to ride, no features that will catch you out, but it is not on surfaced man made trails.  Expect roots, mud, ruts and sloppiness.  Easy enough to get down, harder to get down fast.

It’s all relative of course, but sadly that doesn’t really compute with enduro racing in the south of England.

If you get the bug & are looking for that (and next year isn’t a CoVid write off) hopefully Scott with the Southern Enduro’s will be able to go back to Triscombe & get yourself in for the Minehead race.

TBH it's more for the lad than it is for me, so it's more seeing how much he enjoys it. I know my place in the grand scheme of things in racing and it's generally a LOT closer to the back than it is to the front. But the boy is finding his feet in riding, training, racing, etc and we're looking to push his boundaries.
However, he's more techie than he is pedally as far as riding goes, he's jump, drop, trail, but pedalling isn't massively in his mind LOL.

I've emailed Scott as they're racing at QECP next weekend and we're on the reserve list for that. 🙂

However, my one major criticism for Enduro is.... DAMN isn't it expensive !!!! £45 a pop... £90 for the pair of us... That's a chunk of change there.

racing at QECP next weekend

Good warm up for that, I’d say QECP is similar but steeper, more slippy and more techie for you.  I think you will have to race in your category rather than going around together too

As for the price, it is a chunk of cash but just look at the work that goes into putting one of these events on.  All the timing gear, Marshall’s, loos, etc, etc

Edit: Watch Ben Deakin’s video of the Milland Southern Enduro, that should get you hyped up for the race

Minehead is THE best location...

Southern Enduro Champs, and the Ex (which, I'm in for....)

Now here's a genuine thought... I once raded an Enduro that was sooo muddy, my rigid SS would have been better than a hardcore HT/FS...

SHALL I... pop the rigid SS on the car too, and IF the track is a quagmire, whip out the mud beast???!!!

DrP

How did it go @weeksy ?

We didn't go matey. We watched YouTube clips and without sounding pretentious it looked a waste of our time and money. The xc courses Gorrick lay on look more technical. Whilst I may have enjoyed it, I wouldn't have enjoyed it £90 and neither would my lad.

We want more bpw red, some of the tricky FoD runs etc. It was always to push my lad, not me. I'm back end fodder, but he's talented and we want to push him on.

So, in the end, we stayed home

Just have to wait for the enduro's to start up again, BPW probably the one you want to do to enter the world, easy place to get to, good set up and trails you kind of know beforehand.

FoD just had a mini enduro i believe, so next one is going to be a long way away, but always a good place to practice, so many enduro runs there to practice and work your way up on in the off piste stuff, let alone the trail centre runs.

FoD is our go-to training area for that yeah, obviously lockdown will change things quite a bit

You did well to avoid it!

£46 for 2 'laps', not three... and the trails were..erm.. brief......

At least the sun was out eh...

DrP

Awww shite mate, sorry to hear

I'd just enjoy the days out at FoD and the likes, BPW is reopening soon as well, enduro's are a lot of prep and setting up this time of year, wait for a nice summery one to start the ball rolling ;o)