Race Report: SloEnduro 2021 Round 1

Words: SloEnduro

Record attendance of Slovenian riders at National Championships race in Ajdovščina in Western Slovenia. 143 riders at the start, 48 of them younger than 17. The racing went from liquid to sticky, but it was a great weekend nevertheless.

Times are still not easy for sports events, especially the ones with the participation of international athletes. But we managed to pull it off with a great field at the opening race of the 2021 SloEnduro series. The classic Kamplc Enduro in Ajdovščina, Slovenia, doubling as Slovenian National Championships, gathered 143 riders (76 on the long course and another 67 on the shorter course). That is more than we, organizers from Kamplc Team included, could have wished for. Only three Austrians and four Italians made it across the border so this is even the highest attendance of Slovenian riders in SloEnduro history!


The age of Vid Peršak

Vid Peršak (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) made sure we didn't see any upsets result-wise. He defended his last year's national title, taking his fifth ever. But there was a surprise in second place overall with junior rider Miha Smrdel (MBK Črni Vrh). Smrdel, also an active cross-country Olympic racer, indeed finished a minute and 5 seconds behind Peršak in difficult conditions, but it's prestigious second place for the young rider. Local rider and 2020 Kamplc Enduro winner Tim Jež (Kamplc Racing Team) finished in third, thus taking the elite category Nationals silver. David Ivartnik (Energijateam.com) finished fourth overall and took home the bronze while the 2019 national champ Jan Markič (ŠKTD Avče) rounded out the overall podium in fifth.


It took Peršak 11 minutes, 4 seconds and 94 hundred of a second to get down the three special stages with a total elevation of 750 meters.

Vid Peršak after the race: "Today went good for me, no major problems. I'm pretty happy with my riding. Except the second stage maybe, I caught some tape in my brake rotor so I couldn't use my rear brake for the last quarter of the run, but the rest was fine.

I find the single-day format pretty good. It's all in one day, you don't need to complicate much. You get your bike ready and you ride everything in one day. I think it's fair for everyone, nobody has an advantage, so I think it's a good format."


May was wet

The rain didn't spare this year's Kamplc Enduro. It was raining over the week and also overnight before the race day and there was some rain during the morning practice lap as well. Then even the sun came out for a while during the race but the riders were not too happy to see it because the mud was only getting stickier. At least the award presentation was finished before the storm.

Categories – long course

Miha Smrdel put in an even bigger gap between himself and the juniors than Peršak did on him. Jernej Kavčič (KD Sloga 1902 Idrija) finished second and Austrian Valentin Frey (Im.Puls Sport Union Klagenfurt), in front of nationals broze winner Rok Grabljevec (KD Zverinice).

There was only one female rider on the long course, the local Gaja Kravanja (KK Črn trn).

Another local Blaž Černigoj (Kamplc Racing Team) from Masters 1 one the fastest master rider in front of Masters 2 winner Primož Štrancar (Orbea Fox Enduro Team).

Categories – short course

The rest of the categories had one less special stage to accomplish. Ažbe Kalinšek (Bikehanic - 20 Chocolate), a rider of the youngest category in the field, the under 15 boys, was the fastest overall! Tina Smrdel (MBK Črni Vrh) from U17 was the fastest female rider.


Altogether there were 48 riders under the age of seventeen at the start.

Kenda SuperStage

Tina Smrdel and Vid Peršak were the fastest in the Kenda SuperStage, the longest and last stage of the day, to win prizes by the series main sponsor.


Results
Men

1st. Vid PERŠAK (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) — 11:04.49
2nd. Miha SMRDEL (MBK Črni Vrh) — +1:05.86
3rd. Tim JEŽ (Kamplc Racing Team) — +1:10.60
4th. David IVARTNIK (Energijateam.com) — +1:14.30
5th. Jan MARKIČ (ŠKTD Avče) — +1:21.51

Please find the complete results and more photos at www.sloenduro.com

The next race in the SloEnduro family will be held on Sunday, June 6, at the Bike & Beer Fest enduro in Ilirska Bistrica, Slovenia. This is an easier race of the SloEnduro 4Fun series.

The »big league« returns on June 20 with Enduro Gorjanci in Novo Mesto, Slovenia (not to be confused with Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, a venue of World Cup cross-country races.

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