Enduro Race Season Descends on Chilliwack
North American Enduro Tour kickstarts 2017 season with Fraser Valley Enduro
Mother Nature has shed her snowy coat, revealing what the bike-minded spent the winter jonesing for—hero dirt, rocks and roots, primed to kick off the seventh season of the North American Enduro Tour this Sunday, May 7 at the Fraser Valley Enduro.
![North American enduro tour]()
This first round of the NAET’s six-race series brings competitors to Vedder Mountain in Chilliwack, B.C., for a long, flowy dance through the dense coastal rainforest. The course promises a true endurance test and with sun in the forecast, organizer Ted Morton is expecting a strong turnout. He noted that the local trail club has put in over 25 hours of labour on the trails over the last three days, ensuring everything is set for an epic launch to the NAET season.
![This weekend s race is looking to be all about loam. Photo James Cattanach]()
For those late-comers wanting to get in on of the action this weekend, a few spots remain (register here). Course details have just been released this afternoon on Pinkbike, The BC Enduro Series website and NAETmtb.com.
Last year’s pro winners for this race, Matt Beer and Leonie Picton, will both be on course this weekend.
Picton noted there is always a bit of uncertainty at the start of the season when winter training comes to a head, and it’s time to hit the ground running. “I just plan to head out there, ride my bike and enjoy the day," she added.
![Leonie Picton charges into first place in the 2016 Squamish Enduro a finish that would help boost her to third in the overall season standings. Photo Scott Robarts]()
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A stacked field of competitors will be joining Picton and Beer, including Brendan Edgar, who took the win for the Pro Men in last week’s first stop of the BC Enduro Series in Penticton. Julie Marshall, who topped the Pro Women’s podium at the same event, will be there, along with Lauren Gregg, who took second in Mammoth last year and has made the drive from Nevada just to take part in the race.
While warming temperatures have set the stage for an all-time start to mountain bike season in the Fraser Valley, thanks to the massive amounts of snowfall delivered this past season, winter's icy fingers still have a commanding hold on the trails in Whistler. With this in mind, NAET organizers have just decided the second race of the year, the Whistler Spring Classic, will be pushed to the second weekend of September.
The change now positions the Whistler stop as the penultimate event of the series, setting the stage for NAET finals the following weekend at the Kamikaze Bike Games in Mammoth on September 17.
Final details for the Whistler changeup have yet to be determined but the round is expected to be run early in September—changes to be confirmed this week.
For those with Enduro World Series aspirations, all of the NAET races are Official Qualifier Events, meaning racers can accumulate points toward entry into the EWS for 2018.
Results from the Fraser Valley Enduro will be posted to the NAET website Monday, but for those hoping to follow the action in real-time, NAET’s social channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) will be churning out updates all weekend, and over the course of the rest of the season. Follow us to catch all the action!
MENTIONS: @NAETRacing / @bcenduroseries
Mother Nature has shed her snowy coat, revealing what the bike-minded spent the winter jonesing for—hero dirt, rocks and roots, primed to kick off the seventh season of the North American Enduro Tour this Sunday, May 7 at the Fraser Valley Enduro.
The Fraser Valley Enduro will take riders out to Vedder Mountain. Photo: James Cattanach
This first round of the NAET’s six-race series brings competitors to Vedder Mountain in Chilliwack, B.C., for a long, flowy dance through the dense coastal rainforest. The course promises a true endurance test and with sun in the forecast, organizer Ted Morton is expecting a strong turnout. He noted that the local trail club has put in over 25 hours of labour on the trails over the last three days, ensuring everything is set for an epic launch to the NAET season.
This weekend's race is looking to be all about loam. Photo: James Cattanach
 | The trails in the Fraser Valley are in amazing condition right now with some of the best dirt, and the steepest trails, you can find in the area. And… loam. A lot of loam. Our team is setting up an awesome course and the vibe is going to feel like a full-on festival, with an MEC mechanic station, some wicked vendors, beer gardens, pre-party, and seriously rowdy trails. It’s great to have this race be a part of NAET for the first time this year. |
For those late-comers wanting to get in on of the action this weekend, a few spots remain (register here). Course details have just been released this afternoon on Pinkbike, The BC Enduro Series website and NAETmtb.com.
| We are really impressed with the course Morton has put together and can’t wait to see how the athletes perform this season. It seems like the competition gets just that little bit stiffer each year and, with more racers shifting their focus to NAET, we only see that trajectory continuing. |
Last year’s pro winners for this race, Matt Beer and Leonie Picton, will both be on course this weekend.
| The event comes with a bit more pressure than last year, now being part of the NAET. Vedder Mountain has an amazing network of trails… I expect with the current weather conditions, it’s going to be a wild one. |
Picton noted there is always a bit of uncertainty at the start of the season when winter training comes to a head, and it’s time to hit the ground running. “I just plan to head out there, ride my bike and enjoy the day," she added.
Leonie Picton charges into first place in the 2016 Squamish Enduro, a finish that would help boost her to third in the overall season standings. Photo: AJ Barlas / Ardor Brand
A stacked field of competitors will be joining Picton and Beer, including Brendan Edgar, who took the win for the Pro Men in last week’s first stop of the BC Enduro Series in Penticton. Julie Marshall, who topped the Pro Women’s podium at the same event, will be there, along with Lauren Gregg, who took second in Mammoth last year and has made the drive from Nevada just to take part in the race.
While warming temperatures have set the stage for an all-time start to mountain bike season in the Fraser Valley, thanks to the massive amounts of snowfall delivered this past season, winter's icy fingers still have a commanding hold on the trails in Whistler. With this in mind, NAET organizers have just decided the second race of the year, the Whistler Spring Classic, will be pushed to the second weekend of September.
| The snow is just is not melting fast enough to offer the kind of course and caliber of racing Whistler is known for. Whistler is all about its technical singletrack and we want to make sure those racing the series get to take full advantage of all the Whistler has to offer. |
The change now positions the Whistler stop as the penultimate event of the series, setting the stage for NAET finals the following weekend at the Kamikaze Bike Games in Mammoth on September 17.
Final details for the Whistler changeup have yet to be determined but the round is expected to be run early in September—changes to be confirmed this week.
For those with Enduro World Series aspirations, all of the NAET races are Official Qualifier Events, meaning racers can accumulate points toward entry into the EWS for 2018.
Results from the Fraser Valley Enduro will be posted to the NAET website Monday, but for those hoping to follow the action in real-time, NAET’s social channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) will be churning out updates all weekend, and over the course of the rest of the season. Follow us to catch all the action!
MENTIONS: @NAETRacing / @bcenduroseries
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