Race Report: 2021 Sturdy Dirty Enduro

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It was a long time coming. Here’s what happened leading up to the highly anticipated event:

The Lead Up
In 2020, the Sturdy Dirty went virtual with an Instagram bike ride photo challenge (hashtag: sturdydirty2020). Norco Bicycles hid prize pack cards on what would have been the Sturdy Dirty course, and the challenge was followed with an IG live raffle courtesy of the race’s dedicated sponsors. Then in March 2021, the Sturdy team launched Train 2B Sturdy, an inclusive, all-women’s fitness and training program that boasts over 400 participants. It featured workout plans, virtual talks, and exercise classes with fitness coaches, physical therapists, and other industry professionals, along with bike maintenance clinics at evo’s Seattle store.

The Sturdy B’s, organizers of the Sturdy Dirty Enduro, partnered with Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, evo, and Georgetown Brewing to host monthly trail building and maintenance days at the Raging River Mountain Bike Trail System, which generated over 800 volunteer hours. The Sturdy B’s led the volunteer trail building effort and provided direct design feedback on the new “spicy blue” trail, Canyon Creek Downhill (CCDH), one of the featured trails on Saturday’s race.

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Race Day

This year, the sold-out Sturdy Dirty brought nearly 250 racers for its inaugural race at the Raging River Mountain Bike Trails, located on Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands overlooking beautiful views of Mount Si.

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After the racers fueled up with a tasty breakfast and coffee, it was time to head out to the course. The rain held off throughout the race and the trails were perfectly tacky, resulting in fast times and huge smiles.

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But what really had everyone grinning ear to ear were the aid stations. Presenting Sponsor evo came packing with adorable Modelitos and on-course bike support. And Adam Andrade flew across the country to share the most divine peanut butter brownie bacon fresh roasted s’mores you’ve ever tasted.

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Team Dad Bod served the ladies an unforgettable time by showing off their vintage 80s Jazzersize collection during the bonus enduro section they added (Stage 2.25), a mandatory tricycle race! There was a lot of fun to be had, tasty desserts, chicken wings, and jello shots to be consumed, but there was some serious racing, too. Sturdy Dirty racers pummeled through roots, rocks, steep rolls and drops, with experts and pros grinding up a 3,500 ft. climb.

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Derek Kidd of Norco Bicycles was thrilled to help out at the women-focused event:

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Chris Shalbot of evo had a lot to say about the community the Sturdy Dirty has helped build:

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Racing and Events Enduro Racing Race Reports