Making the Switch: Lewis Buchanan's Rookie Season

2016 is a completely fresh start for me as I switched from downhill to enduro over the winter. A lot is new and totally different to downhill racing that I’d been practicing for years with some ups and some downs. So I thought it would be pretty cool to start writing about my new journey through this year's Enduro World Series and share it with you...



As the 2015 DH season came to an end I had time to think about what I'd like to do for 2016. Throughout 2015, I kept up to date with the EWS results and videos, which really appealed to me. I liked the racing concept and it was honestly a spur of the moment decision to pursue a career in enduro. I was not finding elite level DH racing all that much fun and I really needed a change. It was a big risk switching from something I had done since I was 11-years old, and to a completely different way and strategy of racing, but I was very motivated for this new change.

The next step was completely switching up my training and even my lifestyle. I wanted to be all in and train full-time and ride full-time to be sure that I had the best chance of doing well. I got in touch with Geraint Florida James who is a Sports scientist at the Napier University in Edinburgh and having known him through my downhill racing it seemed a good fit for us to work together. We started in November and I really did not know what to expect but I followed the program religiously and started seeing huge improvements in my fitness and strength only a few weeks in. It was around Christmas time and I remember I was out on a soaking wet day doing my intervals on a soft muddy fire road. I could not feel my hands, my legs were completely screwed and I had a few more reps to go. I had no ride still at this point and it wasn't looking very promising. I really had to fight through that session as I was so unsure whether or not I would get a team for the 2016 season. It was mentally a pretty stressful time, but I kept on following the training and the improvements kept on showing.

I contacted BMC around that time as my dad suggested the brand. They seemed interested and after some calls and emails, they really liked the idea of a downhill racer switching over to enduro. I signed with the BMC Factory Trailcrew team and it was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and a huge motivator. It was very exciting too... I had a couple more months of training ahead of me before the EWS season kicked off in Chile so it was key to head down, focusing purely on being ready and healthy for round one.



EWS Round One, Corral, Argentina - Serious business begins


I really did not have a clue how I would stack up against everyone. I was really nervous and anxious about how the race schedule works and had no idea how fast the race pace was but I just kept an open mind and followed in the footsteps of my teammate, François Bailly-Maître. Everyone was super nice and welcoming and meeting all the racers and people behind the scenes was super cool. I really look up to Clementz, Barelli, Carlson and all the top guys and to meet them was a highlight.






Come race day I was nervous but excited to see how I would do. I started well and once stage one was under my belt I relaxed more and enjoyed the two remaining stages we had on day one. I ended the day in 21st overall which I was surprised about considering I caught a lot of riders (I started with number 56) and struggled to pass them due to how dusty and narrow some of the sections were.




Day two of racing I felt more confident and relaxed as the stages suited me a bit more. I managed to remain calm and rode with consistency which bumped me up to a final result of 13th overall, which in my first ever Enduro World Series, I was more than happy with! This was a great start to the 2016 season but also surprising for myself as my goal was to be inside the top 30 and I way surpassed that.


EWS Two, Argentina, Bariloche - My first Top 10

With back-to-back rounds, I knew it was going to be tougher in Argentina. In Chile, we'd done a lot of km's and I think roughly over 21 hours of riding from the start of practice so getting fully recovered before things kicked off on Thursday was key. I had some light training to do upon arrival, which was nice to keep the intensity up prior to a race and I felt good coming into the weekend. I had some momentum on my side and confidence which is always great for your mental state.




The terrain in Argentina was completely different to Corral. The ground was super soft and as each rider went down it got rougher and increasingly more gnarly. From riding during practice I knew that come racing if I could keep upright and have no big crashes and to not push too hard, I could be in the running for a good result.




Day one of racing started off well with a 5th in stage one, a 2nd on stage two and only 0.3 off the win. I had been riding smoothly and not pushing too hard and I guess it was paying off as I was sitting 3rd overall - only eight seconds back on Richie Rude. I felt really good on stage three but a crash in the first corner ended my chances of top three stage result and I lost valuable time pushing me to 7th on the stage and 5th overall on the day.






Day two of racing was really all about survival and making it through. For me, I rode reasonably well but made a costly mistake on the final stage which also lost me precious time. In the end, I finished 7th overall for my second ever Enduro World series race and Francois finished 9th which made us two teammates in the top ten to top the weekend off. I was really ecstatic about my result and really nice to see so many racers stoked for me. The vibe and atmosphere around Enduro is really different to downhill and I really like the respect everyone has, both on and off the track, and how friendly everyone is.




In the past few weeks, I have learned so much just from racing and being around all the top guys. I worked hard this off-season but I didn't think for one minute that I would be sitting 9th in the series after just two rounds and almost getting a stage win, and finishing inside the top ten in my second ever EWS race! I raced at a good pace but nothing special and my goal was to remain as consistent as possible and ride smart which I felt I have mastered really well, maturing my 'race head' over the off-season. These two results are amazing for me, but I will remain level-headed and continue to strive towards and progress before the third round in Ireland. I look forward to being more at home on the trails in Ireland and will push for a good result again.

I want to say a huge thanks to the team for backing and my teammate, François, for guiding me these past two weeks and teaching me a lot.




I also want to say thanks to Yoann Barelli for the positive motivation and advice before some of the stages, which you did not have to do. You are an amazing racer and human being and I appreciate you taking time out of your day to help me. Also, a big shoutout to all you racers out there who I met and spoke with. You all made me feel welcome and I am happy to be a part of it all. Keep your eyes peeled for the next update after Enduro World Series round three in Ireland,

Lew Buchanan

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