New Governing Body for UK Enduro

Nov 30, 2015 at 15:18
by Si Paton  
The U.K's key mountain bike enduro organisers met recently in Manchester to discuss the future of domestic enduro events. This was the fourth time such a meeting, with all the organisers together, has taken place and covered several important matters on the agenda. This was an important meeting which aimed to tye up many of the loose ends, which have been created over the years and resulted in the creation of a common rulebook based around the EWS/EMBA rules as well as event guidelines. Without a national governing body for British Enduro, the aim of this agreement was to ensure the long-term future of Enduro. These meetings will continue to be a regular occurrence and we welcome the attendance and inclusion of all parties wishing to organise enduro events in the U.K.

BEMBA

The group has representatives from the Ard Rock, British Enduro Series, Enduro1, Manx MTB Enduro, Mini Enduro, NDH, PMBA Enduro Series, Scottish Enduro Series, South West Enduro Series, Southern Enduro Series, Tweedlove, UK Enduro Series, UKGE, Welsh Enduro Series, Welsh Gravity Enduro Series and with 3X World Enduro Champion Tracy Moseley submitting thoughts in advance. The Chairman was Alastair Mackinlay.

The group has come together under the name "BEMBA" British Enduro Mountain Bike Association and seeing the BEMBA logo on events we hope will give racers confidence they are entering an event that is professionally run and with high regard to rider safety.

This cooperation will, first and foremost, benefit the riders and while the guidelines still allow for the versatility of the Enduro format, racers should see similar philosophies on taping, signage, as well as marshal & medical cover at all events under the BEMBA umbrella.

BEMBA

Look out for further information coming soon from BEMBA.

Author Info:
si-paton avatar

Member since Jul 26, 2006
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39 Comments
  • 54 1
 It can only get better from here on out. Nothing can be worse than the lack of support mountain biking gets from British Cycling.
  • 1 0
 yer i agree with you there on words and up words
  • 22 2
 Good News!!!! Keep British Cycling and UCI well away from this.....!
  • 15 1
 They will come running WHEN the real money comes in. Then claim credit and implement their "brand" of management.
  • 3 0
 Aka fuck it up haha
  • 5 1
 Great to hear is was a success. Great work ladies and gentlemen, I'm glad we can forget the paper talk that created a war type atmosphere and just enjoy that all are on mutual ground
  • 7 3
 Good work fellas. Keep it going. You're doing the industry a huge favour.
Just think - one day Enduro will be in the Olympics! (Replacing cross country haha)
  • 3 1
 Another step closer to cycling being the new golf.

Based on experience I can't think of a single thing that's ever improved by a "committee"

Maybe it's different for the race organisers behind the scenes but I've done races from a bunch of different organisers and never encountered any issues with different rules and formats. I've never felt the need for a consistent approach, and if anything it is consistent enough already: Turn up, register, get your start time and dibber then off you go.

Having different rules across different series is actually a good thing. Couldn't be bothered with the full face/ insurance debacle of UKGE? No problem, just race a different series. If we start seeing all organisers adopting uniform rules then that could actually have a negative impact.

Enduro was supposed to be "riding with your mates" and last time I checked my mates and I didn't bother with a committee or an inch thick rule book.
  • 1 0
 so true why cant we just ride our bikes quickly down a hill without being bossed around, i was tempted by the Scottish Enduro Series but am now having 2nd thoughts
  • 2 0
 ti6996 - I wouldn't worry about getting bossed around at the SES. The organisers name is NO FUSS for a reason. They run a well organised event that is still very relaxed. Now that the UK Cycling knobs aren't involved its even better as there are no twats who have never ridden a bike going about telling you what you can or can't do.
  • 1 0
 well said
  • 1 0
 committees never make any think better not for riders wanting to have FUN at races and having Si Paton involved will mean he will manipoulate everyone on the committee and will destroy enduro i have watched it happen in DH it was all about money and show and the riding side if become crap realy not fun I do understand organisers may need it but will only mean more rules that will take the fun out of racing
  • 4 1
 I wonder if they could do a FMB style series that could join all the events together. Would be cool to race local events and gather overall points to a bigger series
  • 1 0
 this can only me that the enduro side of the sport will get better and with there been more notice been take towards the rides is great to here, i am starting to get back in to racing next year i have dunn some in the past but enduro is going to be high on the list along with others forms of raceing cant wait Smile
  • 1 0
 What about the top 20 riders from each regional series get invited to a one-off British Champs event? Though, you would need to ensure that its held somewhere that doesn't give a massive advantage to locals - i.e. not Innerleithen.
  • 3 1
 First years profit should go towards a better logo! Glad there is a cooperative of organisers and they have nothing to do with the UCI or British Cycling
  • 1 0
 profit?
  • 2 0
 There is only money going into BEMBA, no profit out.
Pinkbike only used the "icon" logo www.bemba.org.uk for the full logo Smile
  • 2 0
 Spirit of Enduro is alot stronger with quality regionals, big nation wide series are good but many can be put off by time/cost.
  • 1 0
 Looking forward to getting my Bemba buff at races next year

I've had fun riding Enduro's so far, by the looks of the attendees this can only be a good thing for the racin :-D
  • 1 0
 BEMBA to create a common rule book and safety guidelines.

Where is the rulebook/guidelines? Can't find them on their website
  • 3 1
 boom, great job fellas!
  • 1 0
 Have our own transponders would be good less time signing on etc
  • 1 0
 For the Mini Enduro, Welsh Gravity Enduro and Cannondale British Enduro Series you can purchase your own transponder to use at these events.
  • 3 1
 Progress!! Big Grin
  • 1 1
 Well done all. Hopefully this means that we will start to see talent breaking through (Not thatin the way it has with DH.
  • 5 8
 Yeah surely just one have massive series? With lots of rounds across all of the UK... Surely a pool of shared resources is better than lots of little ones??
  • 17 2
 I don't agree about having a big national series. I race in the Scottish Series and I don't bother with the Gravity Series or the British Series as I can't be bothered driving all over the UK when there at least 10 top class Enduro races here in Scotland.
  • 7 2
 Agree, one big national series would mean far flung races to accommodate everyone. I think series organisers should consider having more co-organised and overlapping rounds, like Welsh Gravity Enduro and Mini Enduro do at Bike Park Wales, where your results in that race count for both series. If the two new national series did this, for say a couple of rounds, it would probably lead to more entries for both series as the cost of entering the whole thing would come down for racers and it it would lead to less hectic schedule. Just my two pennies.
  • 5 2
 My 2 pennies would say. This is more about giving BC something to think about. The promotion of enduro on a national level, even if it's just for support, advertising, a place to converse ideas of the direction of the sport. @Skill7 there are only 6 rounds, two of which are glenlivit and Laggan, which both suck (world class?)Think of all the places in other parts that you've never ridden. A race series forces you to get out there on road trips taking you new places. I understand some people don't want to drive up and down the country, so be it, don't enter. But that doesn't mean such events shouldnt exist for those that do. Besides as said this is about support for the sport, how can you knock that?
  • 3 2
 Fair points but I think regional races are much better at recruiting more riders for the sport. Your average Joe with a 9-5 Monday to Friday job does not want to drive more than a few hours to get to a race. As soon as you make it a national series you limit it to sponsored or extremely committed riders. Fair point on Glenlivet, it was shit. But clearly you never rode the Laggan race this year. It had 2 stages that were harder than any of the EWS stages at Tweedlove.
  • 1 0
 I agree about regional races attract more riders, in an ideal world there would not only be regional races but an entire local series as well. Where I used to live in Nelson, NZ, they had so many trails that they held an entire series 5 min from town. With so many trails about did this mean I wouldn't visit other trails just an hour away, 5 hours away, or down in queesntown? Of course I did. Because one of the best things about mountain biking is exploration. How many times have you been to Wales to ride? You really missing out if you can't be bothered to drive down the road. I must admit I dont race much, I'm more about seeing new places. However if I did race competitively I would think that after wining a regional race series, my next aspiration would be wining a national, then progress to international etc. the idea of the BEMBA is to facilitate ground rules across the board, to get all parties and mba's talking to each other. I don't want to see a just regional or national or international races, I want them all available to everybody. The promotion of the sport should come first.
  • 2 1
 ^^ agree with @skill7 seperate series give individuals an opportunity to attend 4-7 races and enjoy the series. A 25 race format would really mean those with the capacity to travel/fulfill the commitment to all the races would be able to look at getting to the podium.
  • 1 0
 I'm not suggesting anybody does a 25 race session. Bloody hell, who would have cash for that? What I mean is, if you did well in a regional series, you might want to up the ante next season and race against people from all over the UK, top riders from Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland.If you doing well at that you'll probably end up getting sponsored and head to the EWS. It's about progression and a national body helping to enable that progression. I certainly wouldn't fall into that category as I don't race much as I said. It's simply to help raise the game in the UK as BC won't help do it.
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