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I just came back from Switzerland and running the new round of Enduro2 in Verbier out there. I've been involved in guiding and events for 25+ years now and honestly, I've never seen so much 'stoke' and high spirits as I did this weekend. Yeah the trails were amazing, the weather was great, and the crowd was pumped for it.....but still, my personal belief is that it's the blind-pairs-format itself that really turns a great event into a best-ever experience.
Does anyone else agree with that? And if so, why are we not seeing pairs-format enduro events popping up all over the place? In the UK, what are the options...and which are the best ones? (As far as I know, not so many?)
Race report from Verbier is here - look at how happy everyone is! It was so awesome to be a part of it!
https://enduro2.fr/english/enduro2-verbier-press-release-2025/
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Could you explain the format? I’ve never heard of it before
I also have no idea what the format is but is it turning a solo event into a team sport?
Haha well you also answered my question in some ways - you never even heard of it?!
It's not groundbreaking really. There are variations of how the rules work - Enduro2 was the first to actually break ground with the format (at a major event) and I still think the way we do it is the best way:
You race as a team, start together at the same time. One leads the trail (its blind) at the the other follows. Crucially your team;s time does not stop for a stage until BOTH riders cross the finish line. Eg no benefit in the faster rider just racing off - quite the opposite in fact, its in the team's interests for the faster rider to pick the best lines and "tow" his or her team-mate down the trail.
The net result is that you share the whole experience of every trail with your riding buddy. Often there are overtakings going on within the team, eg first rider blows a corner, team-mate gets the faster inside line and overtakes. Makes for perfect heckling opportunities between friends!
Sounds a lot like what I thought it would be and actually sounds like a great format. It’s even closer to what people do when they go riding with their mates. Probably a great way to damp down the “serious” racers aspect and stop it turning into another gate kept version of MTB racing. Also means people can actually share an experience and be a team.
Plus it means there’s always someone looking out for you (and vice-versa) in case you take a bad tumble.
when’s it coming to the UK then?
No plans at the moment but would love to make it happen - would struggle to find a venue that meets the trail and uplift format of our overseas locations (eg at least 2 but ideally 3 big days of singletrack, heavily uplift (or ski-lift) biased eg 3 or 4x down for ever 1m pedalled back up). Any suggestions?
That sounds really fun
It definitely is heaps of fun! So are we saying that there isn't really an option in the UK in pairs-format yet? I struggle to believe it. You guys are defo missing out. We might have to see what we can rustle up to make it happen in the UK too.
Is this similar to the Enduro des Nations race? Although that’s teams of 3
No, it's very different to Enduro des Nations. That is a "team" sport, yes, but thats as far as it goes. EdN is three riders on the same team that do 3 individual race runs and then add their times together to get the team's overall result. So it's basically 3 individual, solo efforts.
Enduro2 has only one time per team - effectively the time of the slowest rider in the team. This is where real teamwork comes in - eg by working together to help the slowest rider go faster (and there are lots of clever, important tactics to do/achieve this, believe it or not). Anyone that has been towed fast down a trail by hanging on to a mate's back tyre will have an idea of what Im talking about, though.
Mojo, I think, put on a series of races in this format a number of years ago, but that was for kids and their parents... the two I went to with my son were ace, even if we resolutely propped up the bottom of the results table!
They were definitely peddle up though.
Sounds like a brilliant format...unsure we'd have suitable locations across the UK though, which is a real shame.
Fair enough, I might actually be thinking of the race you did not I wrack my brains. It does look like a great format for a race, even if you ended up doing it with smaller UK venues. Or as a class at something like Ard Rock.
Mojo, I think, put on a series of races in this format a number of years ago, but that was for kids and their parents... the two I went to with my son were ace, even if we resolutely propped up the bottom of the results table!
They were definitely peddle up though.
Was just going to say this. I don't think we actually made it to one due to other plans, but looked an absolutely BRILLIANT series for parents/kids.
Yeah that's a good point. I don't have kids so it's not often at the forefront of my mind.....but, we do have a "Young & Old" Category that is really great to see. Personally I think its a bad idea to mix adults and younger kids on the same course at the same time but for sure as a separate race / event it could be absolutely brilliant, and probably really popular too. There are heaps of young shredders out there that would put their parents to shame!
i am signed up for Enduro2 in Meribel. Will be the first time doing a pairs event.
I am looking forward to it and am almost not seeing it as a race, more of a 'lets have blast with a mate'. Which is nice, as the pressure of racing always takes the edge off for me (hence why i dont really do it anymore, unless its something special).
Not sure the UK has the infrastructure/venues to pull it off, which is a shame. And arent most small enduro's struggling to fill places (could be wrong, just what i heard a while back). Although maybe somewhere like Bike Park Wales could do it?
But more events that bring people together, for fun on bikes, the better!
It sounds a really good format, and the chilled vibe is appealing, but as always, there will be teams taking it seriously. It is, after all, a race. But something like this with my (19yo) son would be great, as a family team entry. There must be some way of staggering start times to keep the fast boys clear of the fun groups.
Idea looks good. Great riding in great places with a mate or a partner. However I'm not sure we have the infrastructure and venues in the UK to attract enough to cover the costs
Looking at the next one it seems it's £600 per team to enter plus all the add ons (unless I'm reading it wrong)
UK Enduro is struggling at the moment so unless it can be added on to an event I'm not sure how it would work out
I'm assuming you have some ideas on this regarding venues and prices
Unfortunately you might be right - its been my previous position on it but tbh I have lived outside of the UK for 15 years now and infrastructure is always evolving.
Yes, it's circa 600 GBP per team, eg 300 per head or 100 GBP per person per day. Which is both very expensive (compared to some events) and great value (if you compare GBP-per-Km / hours on-stage / other things included like catering, uplifts, beers, afterparty, campervan 'camp' setup, etc).
A UK event would have to be very different. So far at 5 different destinations we always deliver a course with minimum 10,000m of descent over 3 days (without repeating a trail, and mostly uplifted/ski-lifted).
That's not realistic in the UK....but I'd always be open to adapting the format to suit the terrain - if, at the end of the day, you could create an epic long-weekend of great riding and good vibes - that's all that matters. Ard Rock demonstrates the point perfectly.
Its sounds like a laugh for the riders. But in any other respect is not just much more hassle?
More people on the course or less places available or an longer day
Harder to pass slower teams than slower rider.
Slower overall so more spacing required between runs et
No real improvement in spectating (why anyone would sit and watch a time trial is beyond me so I may be wrong.)
we always deliver a course with minimum 10,000m of descent over 3 days (without repeating a trail, and mostly uplifted/ski-lifted).
This bit would be the appeal for me, less bothered about the pairs part of it if I'm honest.
Yes, that's a fair point. Overtaking on pairs (on narrow singletrack) is not so easy. The mountain / course is big/vast so overcrowding is less of an issue in the Alps etc but would likely be more concentrated in a UK event. Typically the winning time is 80 to 100 minutes on stage so a few seconds lost to overtaking here and there becomes less of an issue.
However we do seed start times and have 30 intervals so the faster teams manage to work it out. And the 80% who are just there for fun are not so stressed out about it, if it happens.
We're transparent about that compromise - if you care more about enjoyment and great trails, Enduro2 / pairs is a good option. If you are all about the race and the podium, sign up for EWS / national champs etc.
Enduro2 has been on my radar for a while now and it looks really fun. Logistics and costs are holding me back at the minute, a UK one might be interesting, but I see it as an opportunity to ride in some big mountains.
Sadly, the Enduro scene here has suffered in recent years. I thought I'd given up racing but Ratboys Bolly Skyline last year was really enjoyable (and local for once!), so I'm not quite done yet.
Presently nursing a broken metatarsal and planning future adventures...