Video: The Gnarliest Enduro Race Section?

Jun 14, 2018
by Pinkbike Staff  

Things don't get much more wild than this section of Gouranga in our hometown of Squamish... ok maybe that one section in the last French EWS. But for some reason they put this in an enduro race! EWS pro Jesse Melamed walks us down the section and take us through some of the local riders here tackling it in the Gryphon presented by OneUp Components.

Did you spot Adam the Privateer? He’s the only rider successfully tapping into the final rock roll.


MENTIONS: @pinkbikeproductions


Posted In:
Videos


Author Info:
pinkbikeaudience avatar

Member since Jul 22, 2013
3,465 articles
Report
Must Read This Week
First Ride: Rocky Mountain's 2024 Altitude Has a Completely Revised Frame Design
76974 views
Thank You For Everything, Pinkbike
70843 views
How to Watch the 2024 Mountain Bike World Cup [Update: Staylive Offering Access in New Zealand, South Africa & More]
59564 views
First Ride: The 2024 Giant Trance X Advanced
49689 views
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
40298 views
Staff Ride: Matt Beer's NZ MTB Rally-Spec Ibis HD6
37611 views
First Ride: 2024 Yeti SB165 - Now With Mixed Wheels
36311 views
First Look: Marzocchi's New Super Z 38mm Fork
32919 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

112 Comments
  • 104 3
 Back in my day I used to ride steeper stuff on the way to school everyday. Downhill both ways.
  • 1 8
flag fecalmaster (Jun 14, 2018 at 1:44) (Below Threshold)
 That was hard terrain except five times longer rock face. The new Jack's learn on their backs.
  • 3 3
 In the snow! Big Grin
  • 4 0
 Rigid-ing.
  • 2 1
 Me too .. But just back on the day tho Wink
  • 4 0
 On a 26.
  • 8 0
 You have no idea Bro!!! That was just one section of a 5 stage race. Every stage had sections strung together just like that. Awesome event Thanks to everyone at SORCA, Executive suites for the pig roast and all the volunteers and people who made it to the end. Cheers
  • 38 0
 Alt entry by Yoann: www.instagram.com/p/BclnsNwHxzE
  • 8 0
 ooooooooh... that back tire slide made me pucker
  • 1 0
 Damn, that's gnar!
  • 3 0
 That's a crazy line, but also amazing how much faster the racers are hitting the main line.
  • 2 0
 He makes it look easy! Ha!
  • 2 0
 Love the commentary from the kids filming
  • 35 0
 Harder than it looks in the video... Would be amazing to get all the.. "that's not that hard" peeps together for a test on that thar gnar. That would be a video!
  • 64 2
 That's not that hard.
Now could someone send me there ?
Please
  • 7 1
 they call it the gnarliest section and some people are hitting it without a FF helmet, seem legit!!!
  • 8 102
flag SamRouss (Jun 14, 2018 at 7:29) (Below Threshold)
 @panchocampbell: full fagget helmet?
  • 5 45
flag dirkmcdirt (Jun 14, 2018 at 9:45) (Below Threshold)
 @SamRouss: I just spit Gatorade out of my nose...100 upvotes.
  • 1 0
 @Fribour: no doubt!
  • 2 0
 I just want to try walking it. SKEEETCHHHYYYYY
  • 5 0
 Totally rideable. Hitting it at race speed. No thanks.
  • 1 2
 Thats not hard please pay me a gnar-vacation
1 lyke = 1 fun token
  • 25 0
 I can't imagine this section in wet conditions.
  • 19 1
 It's actually spicier in the dust. Rain cleans the rocks and keeps them decently grippy but once there's a layer of dust on them they're practically ice.
  • 24 2
 www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/Vital-RAW-ENDURO-WORLD-SERIES-FRANCE,35421/sspomer,2
The section in the end at 4:12 is the gnarliest enduro race section.
  • 3 1
 this is... pure madness.
  • 9 0
 Yes, that section might be technically harder to ride but the Gouranga slab is certainly more consequential if you get it wrong.
  • 12 1
 Seeing Sam Hill crash on that shows how bad it was
  • 24 1
 Good thing I covered myself In the description by mentioning said section of the french ews then eh? Smile
  • 10 1
 It is more technical for sure but the speed is so much lower that the overall gnarlyness is lower in my opinion. There is no chance of blowing over the bars and falling 20 feet onto a rock slab.
  • 4 4
 @Patrick9-32: Ask Katy Winton about how gnarly that EWS section is...
  • 25 0
 Different adjectives I think. One techincal and one gnarly.
The one in France was tech and very difficult but it was short and you could just kind of throw yourself into it and hope to get out ok, which most did.

This one is a lot more than that. It can go really, really wrong. So trying to race it is super hard because you want to go fast. And it was very easy to go fast and then you had to manage your speed. Some didn't and they had way worse crashes than those in France. So I think it's much "gnarlier"
  • 10 0
 @Patrick9-32: Yeah, but the Gouranga slab is in a way rougher neighborhood!
  • 3 0
 I think this section would be significantly less gnarly when its dry. Looked gnar AF in the wet though.
  • 9 0
 The worst bit though... the climb leading into it is a 20 second technical sprint. So you're coming into this gnarly ass slab absolutely gassed and all cross-eyed!
  • 2 4
 @talderson: if it weren't for that boulder at the exit it wouldn't be that bad
  • 2 2
 Richie Rude - dude can ride a bike. The girls falling like toddlers elicited a sensible chuckle.
  • 1 0
 @JesseMelamed: Not sure what race categories there were at this race but is this open to say, sport categories or was this a expert or pro stage only? Looks frickin hecka gnarly- to race anyway.
  • 3 0
 @Rockydildoa: This was open to everyone, but they called it the proline and warned people not preriding it about it..
You can ride it way slower, mostly rolling through everything. A lot of people (including myself) got carried away though and hit it way faster than usual..
The alternative line was basically going around just that bit, in steep, rooted, tight switchbacks that were every bit as technical but without exposure.
One could argue that the slab line is actually the only one that can be ridden smoothly..
  • 1 0
 not sure why all the downvotes when the main challenge of that chute was controlling speed down it so you would't careen into the boulder
  • 10 0
 The slab isn't too hard to ride in good conditions at a slow pace. It's when you try to race it that it gets gnarly. The worst part is the consequences of getting it wrong. You don't really appreciate it from the video, but a fall there could be as high as a four story building. That one guy was so lucky to come out of that without a big injury. From where he went down was probably a 20+ foot drop onto nastiness.
  • 11 0
 Really enjoyed Jesse's line and set up advice. Be great to get him to do some of these during EWS practice days.....although he's probably busy practicing.
  • 9 0
 Never mind the riders, some of those photographers have some serious balls.
  • 9 0
 Rode this a couple weeks ago. It is way steeper in person.
  • 15 11
 I wouldn't say it's particularly gnarly. It's pretty smooth, yeah quite steep. It's all about speed control.

There was a section in the last EWS (Montagnes du Caroux) that was more gnarly than this. THere's a video of it with lots of pros crashing.
  • 10 3
 Woot?! That's nothing compared to the K2/annapurna enduro! If u survive the climb to the top ur definitely going to die on your way down!
  • 5 3
 it does look hard -but for sure not the gnarliest section. There are ews sections were even pros struggle to get through, this looks like riding it fast is the main problem in this section. Don t get me wrong i am not sure if i would ride that.
  • 1 1
 Thats what i thought ! Jesse is it harden than the shoot on stage 7 at EWS Rd. 3 ? You rode both Wink
  • 6 1
 Looks easy to ride hard to ride fast where you have to start gaping sections and what I’ve gathered from the video is that this is the last part of the last stage so riders will be absolutely hanging on at this point. So yeah if you just rocked up to this section fresh then it seems pretty easy from the videos but after a day of racing will be a different prospect all together.
  • 3 6
 All I learned for the video is there is a lot of North American meat at this round without a whole heap o' brains
  • 4 0
 @BeardlessMarinRider: I'll show you some North American meat.
  • 9 2
 Sooo...
Canadian XC is like European Enduro
Canadian Enduro is like European DH
Canadian DH = ???
  • 5 0
 Racing down redbull rampage lines?
  • 2 1
 Eh?
  • 3 0
 Yer gonna die!
  • 12 0
 CDN DH = Freeride!

\m/
  • 1 0
 Look up 19th hole in squamish and you'll get an idea!
  • 1 0
 @knarf1: she ain't that bad... Although I wouldn't race it lol
  • 1 0
 @gonecoastal: F@CK YEAH !!!
  • 6 0
 This was enjoyable content. Need to look for more if this isn't the first.
  • 2 0
 Could we not have something like this in the dh world cup? Seems like enduro gets all the toughest sections, Where as downhill gets a few roots, a hop over a stump and the traverse at leogang !
  • 1 0
 It's a genuinely scary looking rock feature from the top. I rode it for the first time the other day and I was pretty sure i would die due to lack of speed control after that second scoopy looking rock. Turns out that you have tons of grip on the rock and even more on the dirt afterwards. Just gotta be careful. Racing it definitely seems brave, though.
  • 4 0
 @JesseMelamed - Hope the collarbone is healing up! Be well, be fast.
  • 3 0
 Thanks!
  • 2 0
 Awesome footage!! Cool to see some locals. Junior @flowrider ripped that section & did a nice lipstand in the finish at the end of the vid ;
  • 4 0
 at 3:34 is that Pinkbike's 'The Privateer'?
  • 1 0
 Sure is.
  • 1 0
 nice vid. reminds me of the ledged section last month in Nelson where i went otb and ragdolled on the kokanee free ride. wouldn't have finished the ride if i wasnt dressed for battle.
  • 2 0
 Insane chute Eek Biggest thing you have to do is control your speed. Looks like way to many people come into it to fast
  • 3 2
 Is it just me or is he standing inside the tape's whilst riders are on track 4.07........
  • 4 0
 Special privileges of doing the video?
  • 2 16
flag lukesky (Jun 14, 2018 at 10:47) (Below Threshold)
 @JesseMelamed: So I could stand inside of the tape in your race run at a diffcult section if some guy by my side puts a camera in front of my face?
  • 3 0
 @lukesky: no you can't.
  • 8 0
 Trust me, it was a non-issue having Jesse standing there. I was there, and set up the crash pad on the tree. I also think it was awesome having this video.
  • 9 0
 @lukesky: take a breathe.

I understand the tape is there for a reason and I respect it. I made sure I was not in the way of the line, being inside of the tape was only a risk to me. If someone were to crash into me I would actually break their fall!
  • 2 0
 Smooth is fast, that's my take away.
  • 1 0
 doesn't look that bad until it is in front of YOUR front wheel
  • 1 0
 Thanks for the tips Jesse!
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.430747
Mobile Version of Website