[Closed] The "other" Dyfi Enduro

about 1700m and 50km, the route includes the final descent on Climach-x, as well as this masterpiece:

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/444280/

I think it was included in the UKGE 'national' champs last year, totally mental. Apparently only about half the field actually rode the top section.

Dyfi is huge biking area, I didn't do this round but but the loop took 5.5 hrs and while it features some bits from the other Enduro, there is much more focus on the technical descents, with some tricky sections thrown in, plenty of people race it in full face (even though it's not compulsory) including clementz, t-mo and Dan Atherton (tho he bailed this year).
Apparently this round had a lot of riders cursing as fresh cut tracks were waterlogged and very hard to ride, including the section cut from last year's race that's had 2 or 3 winters to bed in and is still only raceable if it's totally dry.

I did both Dyfi Enduros last year, one on my 29er hardtail, one on my 650b gnarpoon, even tho I felt just as fast on some of the descents shared by both, strava tells me I was a lot quicker on the enduro bike.

Either way it's such a brilliant place to ride, you can see why the Atherton's moved there

Oldjeans i think that descent was the one I mentioned, it was included in the course last year, but cut from the stage, as it was too cut up after practice so the stage started at the fire road, the transition up to it was epic with awesome views so worth it.
It was dug a few years ago by the ukge crew to join up with the section they made off the fire road, but it's just never settled in properly.

Sadly I don't think they had the usual qualify/ final stage this year which is very fast and open and makes for great spectating

Is 100k over the weekend if you practice the loop on Saturday too

Last year's race was excellent, not as tough as last year's EWS Tweedlove, but just as good IMHO (tho not as good as the first EWS)

yep they cut the top section after the downpour on Friday night last year. and yes the transition up there is almost worth it in itself.

Stage 5 last year was also immense.

Was Steve Parr still planning a week long festival there?

I suspect that the realities of fatherhood might have cut that down a bit, I think it was gonna be this weekend

about 1700m and 50km, the route includes the final descent on Climach-x, as well as this masterpiece:

That looks hairy on camera, so I'm imagining it's even worse in the flesh.

Cheers all.
Really got to get down to Dyfi for a weekends exploring/guiding outside of an event.

That looks hairy on camera, so I'm imagining it's even worse in the flesh

Last time i did the original Dyfi Enduro they had a lone banjo playing redneck sat on the bank at that point playing deliverance 😯

Last time i did the original Dyfi Enduro they had a lone banjo playing redneck sat on the bank at that point playing deliverance

😆
I remember him. Was that late noughties?

On the video, at 5:18 - that's the top of the techy climb after the feed station in the original Enduro.

I know the one.

OP - a fair bit of shared climbing but completely different descents apart from the very top of Dicko's and a little overlap with the "bonus" section at the end of the XC loop leading into a way gnarlier finish.

It was good fun but effectively riding two Dyfis back-to-back in a compulsory full-face helmet in hot claggy conditions was a drag.

Have done 5 (Howies) Dyfi Enduros but doing the UK Gravity Enduro round there last year kind of ruined the Dyfi Enduro riding for me - so much better riding in the Forest than the samey straight, slate blasts I'd been used to (the UKGE stages were awesome).

Having said that, there's a much better atmosphere at the more relaxed HDE than a proper race weekend, which is at least half the reason people do it!

Would like to have done this BES round, but usual cashflow issues meant I couldn't. Having said that, that was a beast of a loop and in less than favourable conditions so quite glad I didn't in the end!

I rode the BES enduro yesterday, and it was off the charts hard. Not just the huge loop, but the physicality of the fresh cut course was punishing. Bikes getting destroyed by the mud and smashing into stuff, people coming off all over the place. It was brutal.

Good fun though 😉

Just read the WideOpenMag report. Stage three seemed to be somewhat unpleasant!

I've done the Dyfi enduro 3 times and did the BES one over the weekend for the first time. Both totally different formats.

Similar distance and climbing but you can multiply the technicality levels of the downhills in the BES by about 10!

The top of stage 1/6 was all freshly cut and nearly unrideable in the wet.

I loved stages two and four! Stages three and 1/6 were a bit of a write off for me. Overall pretty technical riding but great fun.

PS was anyone happy with their tyre setup for this?? Looking for a new setup for the wet. My WTB Vigilante and Breakout combo didn't work so well in the porridge and peanut butter on stage 3.

Nothing coped with stage 3 but my teammates swear by their michelin mud tyres

Nothing coped with stage 3 but my teammates swear by their michelin mud tyres

Interesting. How did they fare on the transitions?

Well they made it round... on time...

I was on an Onza mud tyre and super-soft trail tyre which were draggy as hell, but ultimately with slow-rolling tyres the difference is mostly in the mind (or ear) I reckon