Race Report: Round Three of Big Mountain Enduro at Purgatory Resort

High up in the rocky mountains sits Purgatory Resort, the home of some of the world's best skiing and snowboarding but when the snow clears and the wildflowers bloom the world of mountain biking takes over. Big Mountain Enduro hosted the third round of their five-round 2023 series high above Durango Colorado on some of the gnarliest trails of the season. The sold-out event saw competitors from other continents and more than 30 states.


The two practice days proved to be appropriate as the course was changing quickly due to really dry conditions throughout the park. We got to see the host of the Beyond The Ride Podcast Rich Cramer take on Links with some of the pros, Colton Peterson and Max Sedlak, in this video made by Jay Pleet.


Saturday morning there was an epic journey start up the infamous World Cup XC before the four stages that led them through some of Purgatory’s toughest and most technical trails on the mountain including World Cup, Divinity, and many more of Purgatory's intense trails. After a big day of racing, we joined up with Tim Eaton at Cannondale for a little bit of fun! We invited everyone to come to blow off some steam by racing some mini electric Kawasaki strider bikes. There was no end to the laughter and the crashes as everyone had fun cheering on their favorite team.











We had a lot in store on Sunday morning as the riders headed up the lift to tackle stages five through eight. The last four stages of the weekend really shook up the leaderboards as young phenom and Durango local, Asa Vermette threw down some amazing times against the best in the enduro world. Yannik Pontal 2022 E-Enduro World Champion had an amazing time against the always-fast Steven Walton. The two would go head to head all weekend long with Yannik Pontal eventually taking the win over the current overall E-bike points leader.




The awards ceremony was hosted down in the Purgatory village where everyone gathered to see those who came out victorious. The 16-year-old Asa Vermette took home the $2,000 check after managing to beat out both Colton Peterson and Nik Nesteroff who took second and third place at round 3. We also saw Mitch Ropelato and Jake Green on the podium in 4th and 5th place rounding out the Pro Men’s ever-staked field.



It was no surprise to see Kate Lawernce, Isabella Naughton, and Porcha Murdock on the podium in first, second, and third followed closely by Carina Claassen and Ainsely Haggart in fourth and fifth place in the Pro Women’s field.


Overall the weekend was a huge success and we are excited for another amazing round of racing at Brian Head Utah on the 22nd and 23rd of July. Spots are filling up fast so if you haven’t registered yet you should now before you get added to the waitlist!


Make sure you are following BME on Instagram @bigmountainenduro, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok @bigmountainenduroseries for all updates and behind-the-scenes action!

A huge thanks to the Big Mountain Enduro series 2023 Sponsors:

Specialized
Maxxis
Fox
Shimano
Stans NoTubes
Industry Nine
DT Swiss
FSA
Utah Sports Commission

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Racing and Events Race Reports Big Mountain Enduro