UK Gravity Enduro Finals: Eastridge - Photo Recap
This weekend saw Eastridge in Shropshire, UK play host to the 5th and final round of the 2013 UK Gravity Enduro series.
The venue was a nice mix of trail types and had short and sweet stages and climbs. The riders liked it, the weather held out despite some damning weather reports at the start of the weekend and it was a good end to a top UK season of enduro.
Have a look at the photos below to get an idea of the weekend. UK enduro is looking good at the moment and 2014 should be even better!
The venue was a nice mix of trail types and had short and sweet stages and climbs. The riders liked it, the weather held out despite some damning weather reports at the start of the weekend and it was a good end to a top UK season of enduro.
Have a look at the photos below to get an idea of the weekend. UK enduro is looking good at the moment and 2014 should be even better!
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 Nothing too huge in the vertical department but enough hill to have some fun. |
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| Sign on, lots of numbers, lots of times and even some free sweets. |
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| Most of the field stayed on site in vans and tents, makes for a good pit atmosphere. |
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| A look a few of the bikes. Top left is Rob on a nice yellow carbon Transition, Top right is Loose dog and his Cotic full sus and on the bottom is final round winner Donny with his Carbon Santa Cruz Bronson. |
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| The nice dry summer in the UK meant the trails where dusty and loose for the most part. |
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| Riding with your mates is a big part of enduro and this is even more a part of it when going up the hills. With limited practice time on Saturday lots of people where hitting the first few stages. |
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| Unlike the world enduros you can run a half face for the DH stages here to save carrying 2 lids about all day, but most people still went for full faces thanks to the very DH nature of most stages. |
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| Lots of nice red berry trees all over the hill made for some nice colour. The racing here was tight with close times. |
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| Stages 1 and 6 where run on the same stage and so it was where riders had the most practice and pushed hardest. These top loose rocky turns seemed to be catching a few people out. |
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| Some steep parts, some pedals. The way enduro should be, enough to keep it interesting but mainly DH. |
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| Al Stock's little bro Jim was also racing today, and rode solid to get a top 20 finish. |
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| Unknown pinner making the most of the sun. With rain forecast all weekend, it never quite turned up which was no bad thing with dry trails all round. |
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| Al Stock looking at some people riding in practice checking lines, they might only get one or two runs on each stage but they try not to ride them fully blind. |
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| Al Stock on a new Kona bike launched last week in the Alps, the dry tracks made for some loose riding and a few lost front ends, not for this guy though just a lost chain at the start of the final stage. |
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| Al Stock left and Sam Flanagan right, Van life. No posh hotels or anything for these lads. |
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| Sam Flanagan, nutter, pinner and all round nice guy. Few offs and mistakes put him OTA this round but still one of those people that make soggy UK race weekends bearable. |
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| Short sharp climbs where the order of this round. |
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| Phill Shucksmith on the way to a second place finish on the day. Bit unknown to most from over season but these 2 brothers race a lot in the UK and as you can see, dont hang about. |
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| The pits tucked in to the bottom of the rolling Shropshire hills. Not the big mountains most of the Elite guys are used to but small downs mean small ups as well. |
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| Its not all carbon and high tech though, sometimes some gaffer tape is all you need to make sure you have your spare tubes with you. |
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| With some stages being hard pack, and others fresh loam there was a bit of everything. For the most part though they where on DH tracks, short with max stage times of almost 2 mins and kept everyone smiling. |
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| Box is one of the old guard. Been in the game as long as theres been one and still pinned. He put in some top times this weekend. |
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| Jim Stock on the way to a top 20 finish at the final round. He is a strong rider with DH back ground and the short stages and transfers here seemed to suit him. |
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| Schucksmith brother on his way to a podium finish on the loose switchbacks. |
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| Donny on his way to winning the 5th and final race of the season. Consistent and fast, the fact they are his local tracks cant of hurt but still a solid ride against some other top guys. |
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| Neil Donoghue tearing up the dry and dusty trails here. He is a local and used his home advantage well taking the win in todays race. |
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| Tracy Moseley is some what of an unstoppable force in enduro. Winning most of the world series and being on another level at all home turf. Taking the win in yet another race with over a min to spare over second place. |
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| Bit of marker pen banter in the UK pits. No one was safe and it seemed to make them laugh if no one else. |
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| Another pair of brothers who both haul ass on a bike. The Stock brothers. Al who took the series over all and Jim who got a top 20 finish in today's race, doing Manchester proud. |
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| The Schucksmith brothers got 2nd and 4th place this weekend. The pair both rode strong and had safe rides. |
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| It's not all pats on the back and good times, if your back's turned your mate/fellow racer might just piss in your shoes. All in good jest, lucky it wasn't the SPDs |
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| Only way to the top is under your own power at these things. While this round wasn't a long loop taking about 2-3 hours for the whole race it still took some climbing. |
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| With the loose dusty conditions a lot of people where making mistakes. A clean ride was worth a lot here |
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| Even the transitions between stages where good fun it seemed with riders sliding about and leaning it in all over the loop. |
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| Sam Shucksmith on the way to a 4th place finish on the day. |
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| Flying through the tighter wooded sections of stage 2. Tight, twisty and short. |
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| For most people this enduro stuff is just a good day out on the bikes with your mates, the racing seems to come second. |
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| Not big hills, but good tracks. Varied and plentyfull, bit of everything and all in good condition. |
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| Venue for the final round of the UK enduro series 2013. Eastridge, Shropshire. |
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the tracks werent as long as Inerleithen or fast as Dyfi but some decent DH, fun steep and loose.
And the weather helped it was mostly sunny some of the previous rounds had been a bit extreme- it got down to -8C at afan overnight, and I had ice in my camelback tube, I got caught in a bonkers thunder hail storm at Inners, the mud jammed up my front wheel and sent me OTB at Dyfi.
the crowd at the finish were ace; horns , mexican waves and plenty of banter, Parr on the PA........
(and as a Kona fanboy nice to see Al take the series win!)
anyway, top weekend, top tracks (if short) top banter, top lads. No mention of Joe's final run in his special outfit?
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