Oregon Enduro 2 - Bend Race Report

 Will-do. Timing and logistics were not great for this event so it was mostly coverage of Pros and some 1's. Ashland should better.

I'm open for other suggestions for future coverage. What do you want to see more or less of? Action, expo, artsy, motion blurs, rider's rides, pros, ams, dudes, chicks, humping beetles...

 Hey thanks for the reply! For me, Enduro is more about the aura of the event and comraderie than "racing." It's a little bit of a bummer to see so much focus on the professionals who largely scoot into the scene, accept their winnings and spotlight, and scoot out to the next win. I understand those wins are earned, but there are so many regular folks at these events pushing themselves, chugging brewskis, good naturedly smack-talking, and making new friends...this, to me, is what Enduro is about! The regular folks make these events what they are, from inception to admin to participation to completion. Again, thanks for the reply. Moar humping beetles plz...

 Second that!

 When I said 'timing and logistics' I was referring to my own, and not commenting on the race timing. That wasn't worded correctly.

 Hey ThreadKiller, Nice work! I am the rider on the Bronson heading through the rocks from the side view. Thanks for being out there! Great work on the report, maybe some more shots of around the expo area capturing the vibe and everything going on in the pits. Maybe some junior racers getting rowdy!

 Bike porn shots plz!

 Like Jubilee55 said - more shots of us regular joes and janes. Campgrounds, the DIY bike racks, maybe the bikes and riders of the expert/sport/beginner victors.

 Chicks, duh. Seriously though, thanks for being open to suggestions!

 Agreed on mixing some of the amateurs into the photo shoots. There's about 3-4 amateurs for every pro at these races and it would really make their day to have a shot on pinkbike!

 sngltrkmnd, there was something like 85 gallons of water and Clif Shot Electrolyte drink served at 3 locations on course. The two finishes that didn't have water were very remote. Maybe wearing a hydration pack isn't a bad idea. Transitions sparsely marked?...8''x11'' arrows were at every intersection, questionable section, and road crossing. Trails that had a marked Y leading back to the same trail 50 yards down the trail, were not marked. Every start and finish timing crew had radios they may not have been using them at the time you rolled up....maybe you are referring to the start times being text to the finish for instant results on a monitor at the finish of stages, so you saw timers texting for communication instead of using the 5 watt vhf radios rented from Day Wireless that all timers, 4 first aid, road crossing guards and event officials had. Race course map was on the website, Bend event page. The caterer canceled morning of due to a family emergency, so an awesome pizzeria whip up 40 giant pizzas and there was pizza and 4 kegs of Ninkasl beer for all! Awesome!

 sngltrkmnd, I was looking over the results, and was surprised how many people were from WAY out of the area. There was not an overwhelming "Bend" presence in the least bit. Far from it. When you race, you should see the water stations as a perk, not something to count on. Bring your own hydration. If you saw racers with no pack, they most likely had a water bottle and a tube and Co2 strapped to their bike. Racing Enduro is not easy. Lots of pre-planning, and riding your bike ALL day does take it's toll. My brother drove to Bend from Medford, and placed mid pack Sport class, in his second Enduro race ever. Never pre-rode a single trail the race was on, and had an absolute blast. You sound kind sour. Racing should be fun most of all, so if you need to come a day early to get some practice runs to have a good time, maybe you should do so.

 Hey Devon and thuren - I'm not sour at all. I had a good time, and I will do it again. If I could have arrived sooner, I sure would have. I knew my experience would be tougher without a proper prerun. I've had a bit of experience riding in other off-road formats from 4X, DH, XC and endurance races. I showed up expecting to be completely self-sufficient, and I was. I had a Drafter pack with an afternoon's worth of bars, shots, water, tubes, goggles, knee pads, and a first aid kit. I am just pointing out some of the issues that I observed. It would be unfair to the readers of Pinkbike to be given a rosy picture of every new component, event, and mountain bike video that came out, so I am using this platform to share my experience. I know that event promotion is **hard as shit** - I applaud all of you that do it - and I will be back for at least two more stops on the OES tour. I heard an event volunteer tell a race promoter of the common issue of lack of water, and I personally encountered four volunteers after stage 3 who didn't know where to send us for Stage 4. We'd been told at the end of 3 to head towards the highway. Our bad. When we returned to the end of 3, there indeed was a 8" x 11" sign pointing riders down to Stage 4 start. I made a mistake, and I own that.

 Sorry if I came off sounding rude I did not mean to! Another thing to note.... In other forms of racing, it seems it's every man for them self. In Enduro, there is more of a helping hand out there from fellow racers. If you need to know where to go, are unsure of a stage you have not ridden, or need a pump to top off your tire because you did not plan ahead, just ask a fellow racer. I have NEVER experienced a type of racing, where competitors are so willing to help. I have watched fellow racers give up tube's and Co2, food, water etc, when people need it. If a volunteer is unsure of something, just wait for some more racers to show up, as they will be more than willing to help! I raced Ashland 100% blind last year, and while tough, I had fellow racers helping me "watch out' for certain things on the unfamiliar course. Super cool.

 ??

 Style or not, Carl Decker is a shredder and would school you on just about any discipline of the cycling (or rally car driving) world! This guy can wear whatever he wants in my book.

 Yeah, that's a pretty whack comment. It's good to see someone looking like a legit cyclist rather than a big hatted xtryyyme toddler.

 The lack of style I was refering to, was his lil mini air and slight turn of the wheel. I'm commenting on the fact its not worth the journalist to call that style..I was doing whips like that on the bmx track when I was 7 seriously. & I'm sure he can beat me in an edurance competition, but that's not what I ride for. I'm confident I'd hit djs and go just as big or bigger. But what's whack is that's your idea of a legit cyclist, and you used the word cyclist lmafo..Bro you and your spandex buddy would get laughed off the trail where I ride.

 Please click on AmericanTemplar's profile and take a look at this dude.